Land Cruiser Park - Fri Nov 14 - Sun Nov 16

A near full moon makes navigation and tent-pitching an easy task for those arriving Friday evening, but I still hear stories of nightmare five and ten-hour trips courtesy of some misleading directions posted mysteriously on the web. We set up our swags and camp by a billabong under the shade of a gum tree – with beats at our back, a fire, and a waterfront setting resplendent with shimmering moon; life is grand. Though some durable attendees spend their Friday night absorbing the beats, most snuggle in their tent, dreams enlivened by relentless electronic music chorused by resident frogs. A morning foray reveals market stalls, a rave safe tent, a lounge area with mellow beats, and clusters of campers scattered over a vast, picturesque landscape. The day is hot and punters strip bare and find sanctuary in the turbid billabong. At dusk, a woman meditates in front of a psychedelic animal skeleton in the man-made bush hut adjacent to the stomp floor. She’s still there six hours later, oblivious to all around her. The night comes to life at 9:30 when One Tasty Morsel belt the first real psy tunes of the event followed by Neuron Compost (a late swap with Sensient who plays a thumping set 11:00am Sunday). Artifakt’s staggering, choppy set seems somewhat out-classed by increasingly impressive local CY and his belting, mechanical audio experience. The much-anticipated Commercial Hippies are intensely brilliant and by now a communal jug of liquid promising psychedelic effects, circulates the sun-drenched dance floor. Mark Henning’s Sunday afternoon set is an interesting aside to the predominantly psy-based main stage acts and, even after the massive night, people are highly appreciative of his work. Overall the event is brilliant. The sound is flawless. Dogs and kids mingle with colourful characters of all shapes and sizes, and the freedom of alternative lifestyle is encapsulated and constrained only by respect for one’s peers.

TIM RETROT

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