It’s one of the Outback’s biggest events but the one thing that the organisers of Birdsville’s Big Red Bash can’t control is the weather … and it’s been wet.
Grey nomads heading out to the iconic music festival – which kicked off yesterday – had been given an unseasonal soaking, with 20mm of rain falling across the festival grounds in one of the nation’s driest areas.
In a Facebook post ahead of the event which takes place on the edge of the Simpson Desert, the Queensland Ambulance Service said ‘around 6,000 patrons had their boots in the mud camping out at the remote Big Red Bash festival’.
7News reports that, although the rain had stopped by late Sunday, the grounds still resembled a mud pit and police had closed access roads.
The Big Red Bash site got a real soaking over the weekend. PIC: QAS / Facebook
However, they were opened again on Monday afternoon and the ‘roll-in’ was able to continue.
“We thank all patrons still waiting to roll-in for their patience and understanding while we manage around the weather-related delays, as we aim to keep everyone safe and not damage the festival site,” the organisers said.
And the Queensland Ambulance Service said that, with the music starting, there was ‘no dampened spirits to be found’.
The Big Red Bash delivers a huge line-up of top artists which this year includes Tina Arena, Jon Stevens and Vanessa Amorosi.
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