As he prepares for what will probably be his last major tour, the 76-year-old country music icon wants to reconnect with fans once again.

Having spent much of the past two years not being able to perform to an audience, Williamson will head on the road once more next month for the 'Winding Back' tour, stopping at Ballarat's Civic Hall on February 17.

While his rise to fame from appearing on talent quest New Faces in the 1970s is well known, it is his longevity that sets him apart from the thousands of other acts that have come and gone over the past half a century.

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"For a start, I think you have got to write your own music," Williamson told The Courier.

"That means the show is always original, and it's about us, it's about Australia and Australians and I think people respond to that. It wouldn't be the same if i was doing American 'honky tonk'.

Williamson has continued to write music throughout the past two years, recording two numbers, The Great Divide in 2020 and Come Back To Me, Country which he released in October last year.

He says the new songs have struck a chord with audiences, with The Great Divide particularly getting a huge response. It includes the lyrics 'I thought we were a country, but it seems we're three or four, can't go back to my home town because it's against the law,"

Meanwhile Come Back To Me, Country is a love letter to being able to return to to enjoying Australia's great outdoors once again.

"The Great Divide really has struck a chord with a lot of people, it's a song about Australia and the way people have been feeling," he said.

"I wrote three or four songs over the past couple of years, but we've recorded those two, I think there's only so many COVID songs someone can write.

"There's a lot out there, perhaps someone could make a compilation one day."

Williamson won't use the word retirement, but knows he won't be able to tour as much as he once did.

"I've often said music keeps you young, I don't know what it is, it's like a drug to send people away happy. See people who are proud of being Australian, that never changes, the worst part is sitting in airports all the time.

"I've got a shed at at home where I do performances to about 200 people at a time and people come from all over the world. I did two on the weekend and I'm certain that will be where I do my last shows."

He said the past two years had made him understand what a retirement could look like, but added there was still plenty left in the tank yet.

"I've always loved the connection I receive when performing, so you'll still see me popping up at festivals and special events," he said.

"Winding Back' means I'm looking forward to spending more time in the garden and less time away from home."

Williamson is an ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, an Order of Australia recipient, has won 28 Golden Guitars and has sold more than 5 million albums.

His most famous song True Blue was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archives 'Sounds Of Australia', recognising its significance as an iconic Australian song.

At the 2022 Tamworth Country Music Festival, he will be honored with the unveiling of a bronze statue in the Tamworth CBD.

Tickets for the Ballarat show are at ballarat.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/8159