7 Remote Aussie Festivals Worth Travelling For
Captain Morgan is Junkee's new Captain of Culture and he's about to make some captain's calls about everything you love.
Don’t tell my first love, the seas, but not even the joyful spray of fresh swell can compare to the adventures to be had at regional Australia’s music festivals.
In addition to the pilgrimage I make to Byron Bay each July (I have been known to find splendour there), I like to head off the beaten track, finding the hidden treasures off the coast and further afield.
So, I’ve rummaged around my van and am sharing my (now not-so) secret festival map, marking down seven of my favourite and never-not-fun experiences, from psytrance experiences to an all-in ABBA extravaganza and a literal Drag Race in the Simpson Desert.
Babylon
Where: Carapooee West, Victoria
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The ancient city may be long gone, but Babylon lives again in Victoria – and it might just be Australia’s best bush doof, too. Babylon’s captains keep a tight DJ deck, stacking their fleet with some of the world’s best techno and house names, like Nina Kravitz and Damian Lazarus.
Last year, in-between the bushland and yoga classes, I found a shipwreck turned into a dance-floor. It pained me to see her so far from shore, but there were plenty of people dressed in puffy pirate pants, swaying as if they were at sea.
Babylon will return on February 21 to 23, and 2020’s line-up is absolutely stacked.
Birdsville Big Red Bash
Where: Simpson Desert, Queensland
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Billed as the “world’s most remote festival”, the Big Red Bash might be as far away from the ocean I can get before I start feeling sea-homesick. Around 100 people normally call Birdsville home, but come July, the wind blows in some of Australia’s biggest music acts.
Next year, Paul Kelly, Kate Ceberano, Tim Finn, Thirsty Merc, and Shannon Noll are playing (along with a whole heap more). There’s even a literal Priscilla-themed drag race down the road; I’ll be bedazzling my frilliest pirate shirt to compete.
You can even bring your land seal (also known as a dog).
Handpicked Festival
Where: Langhorne Creek, SA
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Ahh, plonk: it’s not just a drop in the ocean. South Australia’s wineries are famous across the seas, and Handpicked is as exclusive as anything worth shackling from a cellar. This year’s line-up includes Amy Shark, John Butler, Odette, The Teskey Brothers and more. But I’m most excited about Missy Higgins — I want to compare scarrrrs.
Party In The Paddock
Where: White Hills, Tasmania
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Each year, after I win the Sydney to Hobart (do not look this up, but it’s true), I enjoy some brief respite in Tasmania before tackling the Antarctic seas.
When I return from my travels, there is no time for rest: I head straight to Party In The Paddock. For three days each February, international pop-giants like Lily Allen play with Australian music royalty like The Presets, but the real stars are the ones in the sky each night.
The Paddock’s 2020 line-up includes Matt Corby, Hermitude, Dune Rats, Broods, Jack River and more. It’s a bounty fit for a pirate king!
Strawberry Fields
Where: Tocumwal, NSW
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What better way to see out the year than at Australia’s juiciest festival? Committed to all things eco, Strawberry Fields is a three-day no-trace and BYO Captain Morgan party (though I hear they allow other drinks in, too) that brings together some of the country’s most exciting acts.
Crossing genres like I cross the seas, this year’s line-up features Briggs, CC:DISCO!, and a five-piece called Squid Nebula, who I promise to not harpoon.
Strawberry Fields is on November 29 to December 1, and if it’s your birthday between those dates, you get in for free. That’s a pirate’s promise!
Tamworth Country Music Festival
Where: Tamworth, NSW
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My ears pricked up as soon as I heard “Golden Guitar”, but it turns out Australia’s biggest country music festival has a whole lot more treasure in store. Held over 10 days in January, Tamworth transforms with more than 700 performers – and that’s not counting the hundreds of buskers on the streets. It’s two chords and the truth as far as you can hear.
Trundle Abba Festival
Where: Trundle, NSW
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You don’t need to commandeer a ship to Sweden to see the world’s best pop group. ABBA – well, its best impersonators, Bjorn Again – make a pilgrimage each year to the tiny town of Trundle. For one day only, Trundle is overtaken with white suits, euro disco and singing competitions. The winner takes it all, but no one will make you walk the plank if you lose.
This article originally appeared on Junkee.
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Be sure to keep up with my van life adventure on Instagram @captainmorganau.
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(Lead image: Wendy Wei / Pexels)