The Wanderer
How far have you travelled for a festival? When I was in my mid-20s, I travelled all the way to China for the annual Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. The experience was amazing! But being honest, I’ve had just as great a time travelling and camping at festivals and events in Australia over the years as well.
You see, although we get along like a house on fire, my husband and I don’t have all that much in common. He’s into sports and I’m into playing music and arts and crafts. He likes movies that I consider dark and depressing and I like comedies, action blockbusters and anything with Jackie Chan in it. He likes ’90s music and I like to go back about two decades earlier. You get the gist. But one thing we both really enjoy is attending festivals and events and travelling. As a result, we’ve attended quite a few memorable gigs over the years. Here are my favourites and why I loved them.
Image: Mundi Mundi Bash. Credit: Jessica Palmer
I attended the Mundi Mundi Bash just last year in 2023. This trip was really special because it was the first mother-daughter road trip I had taken with my daughter, who was eight years old at the time. It was also my first time towing solo for a lengthy distance. It ended up being just over 3,400km by the time we returned, so I was quite proud of myself for that.
The Mundi Mundi Bash is a lot of fun. It’s basically a massive family and dog-friendly RV camping music festival. We danced and sang along to Icehouse, The Angels, Furnace and the Fundamentals, Human Nature and more, and this year’s lineup looks to be just as exciting. There’s a ‘Mundi Undi Run’ and you get to be part of multiple world-record attempts to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctors, including the most people doing the Nut Bush Dance and the most people dressed up in Mad Max costumes.
Details:
What: Mundi Mundi Bash
Where: Mundi Mundi Plains near Broken Hill, NSW
When: 15-17 August 2024
Website: www.mundimundibash.com.au
Image: Winton Outback Festival. Credit: Jessica Palmer
The Winton Outback Festival is held every two years and much like the Mundi Mundi Bash, it’s very family-friendly. I attended this festival in 2021 and really enjoyed it because of the small-town vibe and how welcoming everyone was. Also, there was a lot to see and do – with live music, Iron Men and Women’s events, competitions for the kids and workshops.
The highlight is on the Friday night, when everyone heads to the town showgrounds for the Quilton Dunny Derby races. This is where teams that go by tongue-in-cheek names such as The Rocky Horror Shitty Show, The Old Farts, Stinkerbelle and the Jacka-Poos race in makeshift outhouses on wheels to be the first over the finish line. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and worth travelling all the way out to Winton for.
There’s also a lot to do around Winton outside of the festival with the Australian Age of Dinosaurs and Lark Quarry Dinosaur Monument nearby, and also the chance to fossick for boulder opals at Opalton.
Details:
What: Winton Outback Festival
Where: Winton, Outback Queensland
When: 23-27 September 2025
Website: www.outbackfestival.com.au
Image: Woodford Folk Festival. Credit: Jessica Palmer
I first visited the Woodford Folk Festival in my early 20s, camping in a tent because I was too young (and therefore too broke) to afford an RV. It rained and the festival tents turned into a muddy mosh pit, in which I danced for hours in what (by the end of the night) was knee-deep mud. I was newly engaged, young and free and didn’t have a care in the world. I may be remembering this through rose-tinted glasses but I don’t care.
Although my dancing in the mud days are long gone, I’ve returned a few times since then – mostly to attend workshops on instrument building or anything else that has taken my fancy as a potential craft project. In general, I love this festival for its camping, learning opportunities, the laid-back atmosphere and because of how family-friendly it is.
Details:
What: Woodford Folk Festival
Where: Winton, Outback Queensland
When: 27 Dec 2024 to 1 Jan 2025
Website: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
I attended the Yates Springtime Tulip Festival only just last year while on a family holiday to Perth, where we camped in a caravan park at Freemantle. It wasn’t super exciting but it was very pleasant with lots of people young and old picnicking on a large grass area at the Araluen Botanic Park, a quiet jazz trio in the background and the tulips in bloom. We enjoyed the calmness of the festival, strolled the beautiful gardens, ate a picnic from the food vendors; and in general, I just enjoyed spending time with my family.
The only downside to this festival is the parking. If you don’t time it right, it could be an hour just to park and get in the gates. It’s not the kind of festival you would travel to Perth for if you’re in another State; but if you’re in the region, it’s worth attending.
What: Yates Springtime Tulip Festival
Where: Araluen Botanic Park, Perth Hills
When: 23 August to 30 September 2024
Website: www.araluenbotanicpark.com.au/its-yates-springtime-tulip-festival-2024
Image: Off to Oz ComicCon: Pop culture festival. Credit: Jessica Palmer
We took the kids to Oz ComicCon in Brisbane back in 2019 and camped out at Somerset Dam on the outskirts of Brisbane, driving into the city for the event for the day. You don’t have to be a comic book fan to enjoy Oz ComicCon though, it’s really just a celebration of everything pop-culture both modern and old. It’s also a really good excuse to dress up as your favourite character.
There’s a lot going on throughout the day for both kids and adults and although (as expected) there’s an abundance of teenagers in costume, there are also a lot of families and older people enjoying the event as well. If you do visit with your grandkids or kids, you can expect your wallet to be significantly lighter when you leave.
What: Oz ComicCon
Where: All major capital cities of Australia
When: Various dates throughout the year
Website: www.ozcomiccon.com
The Kingaroy Baconfest is my favourite festival that I never actually attended. I pre-booked a camping stay at Bunya Red Farm on the outskirts of Kingaroy but it was the year 2021, so due to COVID the festival itself was cancelled. Farmer Allen said we were welcome to come and stay anyway, so that’s what we did.
The farm is 160 acres of rolling, rural scenery with the Bunya Mountains off in the distance. The morning fog settles in the dips, giving the illusion of a blanket of snow that disappears soon after the sun rises. In contrast, strange twinkling lights can be spotted at night far off in the distance. No, it’s not some strange UFO phenomenon … rather it’s lights on the wind turbines on a distant wind farm. Both scenes are blissfully soothing and a pleasant way to both begin and finish the day.
Here you can camp among guinea fowl, and hang out with gentle cattle, fluffy alpacas, two friendly farm dogs and one three-legged cat. The farm grows capers and is the only farm to do so commercially in Queensland. Besides the capers, corn crops and peanuts can also be found growing here.
Kingaroy itself is quite a pleasant little town and, despite not actually getting to attend the festival, I still rate it as one of my favourites because I had such a nice stay here. Bunya Red Farm was recently announced as one of the CMCA’s latest RV Friendly Destinations so I really do recommend staying here if you get a chance.
When I think back about why I’ve enjoyed myself at festivals and events so much over the years, I realise it’s not just the festival itself, but the opportunity to spend quality time with the people I went with and the connections made with strangers while there. It’s also a great opportunity to explore a region you may not have otherwise considered before.
Category: Features
Written: Thu 11 Jul 2024
Printed: July, 2024
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