Write Your Own Music History At Queenscliff Music Festival
The Age
Saturday November 29, 2003
So, you missed out on Woodstock '69? Well, there is no better excuse to create your own musical history by attending Queenscliff Music Festival. In its seventh year, this premier music festival has won the Victoria Tourism Award for Significant Festivals and Events for the last two years.
Meander down to the shores of Swan Bay, where you can listen to the soulful Mia Dyson and her lap steel and baritone guitars, Torquay's Xavier Rudd beating the djembe and Aztec drums, or simply shake your booty to George Washing Machine's jazz fiddle.
There will be performances from the classical guitar supergroup Saffire (featuring Slava Grigoryan -see MUSIC column) and the Ennio Morricone Experience (above), with their take on classic spaghetti-western themes.
There is also a unique opportunity to ride the Blues Train along the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, where volunteers keep the spirit of steam alive in a fully restored steam locomotive that gets the toes tapping.
The Blues Train makes hourly trips daily, taking four different acts and 200 passengers on a musical journey.
The festival has packages for rumbling tummies available at the Vue Grand, Ozone and Queenscliff hotels. Overall, 90 artists feature on 11 stages over three days, including Lisa Miller, Jimmy Little, David Bridie, Chris Wilson, Stephen Cummings and The Whitlams.
-- Bronwen Sewell
GETTING THERE
Located 75 minutes drive from Melbourne (Melways map 236, reference H5), Queenscliff can also be reached by train (contact V-Line on 5226 6491) or via bus from Geelong (contact McHarry's 5223 2111). The full program is available at www.qmf.net.au. Tickets for Saturday (11am-7pm) are adults $50/$40 concession, Saturday night (7pm-2am) adults $50/$40 concession and for Sunday (11am-5pm) adults $45/$35 concession. All children under 12 are free if accompanied by a ticketed adult. Great Dining Rooms of Queenscliff meal and music sessions are $27.50 each. Tickets can be bought from Ticketek 13 28 49 or directly from the Festival Box Office near the main gate to the compound. Last-minute accommodation on the Bellarine Peninsula can be arranged by calling The Queenscliff Visitor Information Centre on 1300 884 843 or Geelong Otway Tourism on 1800 620 888. Camping sites will still be available at Royal Park in Point Lonsdale on 5258 1765.
© 2003 The Age
