This account of the history of the Tamworth Regional Council area concentrates on the period from the visit of explorer John Oxley to the area in 1818 through to around the 1880s. It is a blend of historical research from a variety of sources. It includes some detail on the scattered settlements and development of the rural areas of Nundle, Manilla and Barraba which date from 1832 when squatters arrived and other pastoral holdings were first established.