Landmark Cold Chisel 50th anniversary tour

It kicks off in Armidale in regional NSW on October 5, where the band was based in 1974-75 before heading to the Gold Coast, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Newcastle, Ballarat and Hobart.

It will culminate in a final performance in Adelaide, where the band formed, at a concert following the city's 500 supercars event.

They'll hit the road less than a year after frontman Jimmy Barns underwent open heart surgery, with the rocker admitting he never thought he'd see the milestone performances come together.

"The Big Five-0 is a landmark moment," he said.

"There have been plenty of times where I never thought I'd live to see this day so I'm going to make the most of it.

"I can't wait to celebrate with my mates and with all the fans who have been such a big part of our story.

"We're gonna smash it!"

Audiences in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will see the group perform in a specially-constructed Big Top tent, in a reference to a 1982 album launch.

Supporting acts include The Cruel Sea, The Superjesus, Birds of Tokyo and Karen Lee Andrews.

Piano player and chief songwriter Don Walker said the band was going all out.

"Bookending the tour in the two places where we first welded the band together, building these circus tent shows in three cities, bringing along some great guests and doing a set which reaches back across our whole song catalogue should all make The Big Five-0 a tour to remember," he said.

The band will also release a best-of album in August.

Guitarist and singer Ian Moss has reassured fans they'll hear the most popular hits in the setlist.

"There are a minimum of 15 songs that our audience demands to hear," he said.

"This time we'll be playing all of them plus we'll be throwing in lots of musical surprises."

Tickets to the Adelaide event go on sale 12pm on Wednesday.

Cold Chisel mailing list members can access pre-sale tickets for other gigs from Friday and general admission goes on sale on June 4.