John Williamson's Winding Back - A 50 Year Celebration tours at Lighthouse Theatre February 8 and 9

It all started in 1970, when he wandered into Richmond's GTV9 studios with a guitar under his arm.

His performance of Old Man Emu, the first song Williamson had ever written, on Channel Nine's popular New Faces program resulted in a number one single and a record deal.

With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a spanner in the works, Williamson is recommencing the Winding Back - A 50 Year Celebration tour in the 52nd year of his career.

He will perform at the Lighthouse Theatre in Warrnambool on February 8 and 9, replacing the postponed November shows.

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With more than 500 songs to chose from, the Kerang-born, Quambatook-raised Williamson told The Standard it could be hard to figure out what to play on stage.

"I'll decide to turn it into a story, so I begin with my farming days," he said. "I've written songs about my whole life. Old Man Emu - I've met some of the characters and been around this amazing country of ours.

"The stories link and flow from Mallee (Boy), Dear Little Quambatook and Salisbury Street."

Sometimes, he performs a track written about his late father Keith.

"I'm putting on the best shows I've ever put on," Williamson said.

"The band and I are getting back together and the crew and I will get better, you improve and it never stops.

"I'm not worried about things anymore. You just get out and have a lot of fun. It's almost I understand what I'm about now."

If you're lucky, Williamson might throw a new track or two into the set.

"It's like turning a blank page into a song," he said.

Williamson said the delay in playing these shows gave him a taste of retirement.

"I had about 18 months without a lot so I've practiced retirement, which I've found a lot easier to get out of (back into the performing)," he said.

"In my career I've never been game to take more than three weeks off because I thought I'd forget songs."

Williamson said he believed that he and his crew were putting on the "best shows I've ever put on".

The country music legend said he was done with writing albums with album number 52, Butcherbird, released in 2018, but said he was still writing "one-offs", with the last two he wrote inspired by COVID-19. The 76-year-old also plans on scaling back live appearances.

With homes in Sydney and the Gold Coast Hinterlands, Williamson said he spent the downtime on his 72-hectare Queensland dairy property where he has a few cows.

"I've got a lot of rocks to work with, I'm building rock walls and I've got huge rocks dragged out into the paddock, which I'm hoping to turn into a big art gallery," he said.

"I've also built a big greenhouse."

Each June, Williamson hosts private shows for 200 fans in the shed at his hinterland property, which he said was also an annual celebration of the 50 years.

"Most of the same people come to the shows each year," he said.

"I think they come to catch up with each other as well.

"It's one of the nicest spots, it looks over the hills, and I've got all the things that I've collected in that shed, it's an experience."

Williamson said when he did retire, the shows in the shed may be his last.

The Winding Back Tour has 40 dates across Australia.

Williamson has received many accolades in his life including being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, an Order of Australia, 28 Golden Guitar Awards and is an Australian Roll of Renown inductee. He has sold more than five million albums and performed thousands of shows.

In November 2020, True Blue was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archives Sounds Of Australia.

At this year's Tamworth Country Music Festival, Williamson will be honoured with the unveiling of a bronze statue in the Tamworth CBD, which will be placed alongside three life-size statues of country music legends Smoky Dawson, Slim Dusty and Joy McKean.

There is only single seat tickets available for the Warrnambool shows.

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