Monday, Dec 2

At long last, the big day had arrived. After three days of travelling from Perth, we had finally reached our destination in the middle of the South Australian desert. What we were to expect was completely beyond us.



As we were waiting in line for car searches to be performed, we got acquainted with the type of people that we would be spending the next few days with. It appeared as though everyone had gone feral specifically for the occasion, with dreadlocks and grubby clothing the main order of the day. At this point in time, we had to wait for about an hour before we were finally admitted into the campsite. However, being outside of the car was not desirable, owing to the strong gusts of wind and dust storms that frequented the area. Luckily, I’d brought sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat to protect most of my face from such an occurrence. After donning our green armbands, we were finally admitted into the site.



The site itself was split into two main areas, with a railway embankment splitting the festival site from the main camping area. An access tunnel between the two areas provided for smooth flowing traffic. Alternatively, a quick trip over the top of the embankment allowed for a view of both areas. At this stage of the night, it was getting too dark, so we decided to leave any exploration until the following day.



Weather Report

The night was fairly windy, and on more than one occasion we thought that the tent might fly away. Setting up the shade the following day would certainly test our wits. The evening was also fairly overcast, and I was a bit apprehensive about whether the eclipse would provide good viewing.



Tuesday, Dec 3

The day of the festival had arrived. During the morning, some major exploration was called for. With map in hand, we set out for the festival side of the tracks, only to discover that the festival didn’t officially begin until sunset, with an opening ceremony to kick off proceedings.



Exploring the site uncovered the toilet and shower areas, market area, main stage, healing village and also another strange set-up out in the middle of nowhere that would eventually become another stage, though I didn’t know it at the time. We also found a stone labyrinth next to the healing village that would be well frequented throughout the event. This labyrinth required a person to walk the seven circles to the centre and find their inner selves. The Outback Cinema was also being set up at this time. There wasn’t really much else to do at the present moment, so some reading was called for.



Unfortunately throughout the afternoon, the dust got worse, so my one and only travelling companion packed it in and headed for Adelaide, leaving me to fend for myself for the remainder of the event. This allowed me to get around on my own, without worrying about where anyone else was.



At around sunset, I headed off to the railway embankment to check out the surrounds, and was quite impressed to see the main campsite pretty well packed in. More people had arrived during the day, and there were now tents, cars and campervans spread out over a distance of about 500×700 metres, with few gaps in amongst the main area. I’m not sure of the exact count of people in attendance, but I would hazard a guess to say it would have been well in excess of 5000.



Unfortunately, I completely forgot about attending the opening ceremony, opting instead to watch the sunset over the distant hills. I did, however, hear the commencement of some of the stages, with easy listening breaks kicking off in the central area.



There were four areas for music in total, with each one providing a different sound, allowing everyone to make up their own minds as to what they wanted to listen to. The Market stage was centrally located, and faced towards the main campsite, so this is what most people would have heard throughout the night. At this stage of the festival, the dj’s here played mostly breakbeat and house, so it allowed for a rather chilled environment. Heading over to the main Desert Doof stage in the farthest area from the campsite showcased the major talent for the festival. At this early time, the dj’s were letting loose with acid and funky breaks, easing in the mood for the remainder of the festival. Set apart from the rest was the red pyramid, or Outback floor, which played harder music for the diehards. Tonight the dj’s were letting loose with a kind of hard psy trance that really set the pace. Finally, the Chill Out area was entertaining those who just wanted to relax with smooth house sounds.



Nighttime generally saw the biggest turnouts to each arena. The Desert Doof and Market stages attracted the biggest crowds during the darkness hours. Throughout the evening, the Desert Doof stage progressed from breaks throughout to psy trance, which would be the style most played in this area. Everyone in attendance was really getting into the music too, with one young kid that I noticed putting on a quick break dance display for those people around him, drawing wild applause. There were stilt walkers around during the evening, and several jugglers and people doing tricks with fire at the back of the Desert Doof area. People were up and dancing on the stage itself throughout the evening, with one guy even setting off a flare in front of the entire crowd. I’m surprised that I could still see after that effort.



There were also two fair sized projection screens allowing the VJ’s to get to work with their live projections. I must say that I was really impressed with these projections. At some stages of the night, the projections on screen matched right up with the beats banging out of the massive speaker stack, so it wasn’t just some pre-worked material being displayed on a feedback loop. My favourite image included what looked like a cartoon guy with a bouncy head, bouncing along in time with the music. There was also some kind of odd looking installation in the centre of this area, waving its many orange-glowing spindly arms about in the air, and looking like a plant under the sea.



During the night, there were several fireworks displays keeping the crowd entertained. There were also ultraviolet dotted pictures on display in the access tunnels, as well as large standing pipes in the central area showing dotted patterns with the use of internal lighting. All in all, the lighting throughout the festival area was quite spectacular. I had an early night tonight, heading off to bed at around 2:30am.



Weather Report

The wind kept up during the day, with the dust storms turning everything a shade of brown. This wind did help to keep things cool, with the desert sun bearing down throughout the day. The good news was that there were no clouds about whatsoever, and the wind died down at nighttime, allowing for a pleasant night.



Labyrinth Report

Offerings of 10 and 20 cent coins had been made in the centre of the labyrinth, showing what people had discovered about their inner selves. At night, people were given candles to light and set up wherever they wished around the labyrinth, allowing for a pleasant nighttime stroll around the stones.



Outback cinema

The cinema commenced operations at night. However, I didn’t actually stop to see what was showing on the first night, though it did look like some sort of Australian movie.



Wednesday, Dec 4

Exploring the campsite today uncovered the origins of those in attendance. On display were many numberplates, mostly from Victoria and South Australia. There were also some from New South Wales and Queensland, a few from Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and even one that I spotted from Tasmania. Speaking and listening to the people made me realise just what a diverse event this was, with people travelling from as far away as Japan, the USA, the UK, and many travellers from around Europe. There were also many dogs in attendance, with most happy to just lie in the dirt or get into arguments with other dogs.



Today I explored the marketplace. On sale were many items, including clothing, jewellery, eclipse memorabilia, desert tours, and food and drink stalls. There was a large tent set up for those who wanted to relax, complete with air conditioning and beanbags. The healing tent was doing good business, with massages available, as well as yoga classes and many other demonstrations.



During the day, the Market stage was again playing house and funky breaks, though to a much smaller audience. This area was also the venue for a few games of hackey sack, with the ball occasionally flying off in all directions. No-one else here really wanted to venture out into the sun, opting instead to sit under one of the three large shaded areas, two of which I later discovered had mist sprinklers attached providing a cool break from the summer heat. The afternoon saw both the Outback floor and Desert Doof stages turn off their music for several hours in the build-up to the eclipse, leaving many people to wander around, or head off to the markets. There was also a shuttle bus running from the festival site to the nearby Leigh Creek township to make use of the local swimming pool.



At long last, the big event had arrived. With camera and eclipse glasses in hand, I headed off to the railway embankment, along with several thousand other desert goers. Finding an empty spot, even with an hour and a half to go, proved a challenge in itself, but eventually I was settled in. Without giving a blow-by-blow description of proceedings, it is sufficient to say that after many failed attempts at the Mexican wave amongst the crowd, the eclipse closed in on us, with much cheering and merriment from all and sundry. Everyone went quite mad at the sight of one of nature’s splendours. It is a moment that I will treasure for the rest of my life, with the whole desert turning quite dark throughout all 26 seconds of the totality. At the conclusion of the eclipse, there were cries of ‘Encore’ and ‘Do it again’ from some of those present. Perhaps in another few years, this may be the case, though this moment will definitely be remembered by the vast hordes there.



After the eclipse, the nighttime festivities began. The Desert Doof stage presented many live acts throughout the night. The only one that I saw went by the name of Ganga Giri, playing a tribal sound, and made up of three drummers and a guy playing a didgeridoo. This performance went down really well following on from the eclipse, with the Australian theme setting in perfectly. This stage also got its biggest turnout for the event on this night, with people packing it in. Psy trance followed on from this performance, with more live acts to follow later in the night. The Outback floor did not get underway during the night, but the Market stage and Chill Out area both provided for funky sounds.



Once again, there were stilt walkers, flamers and fireworks about. Tonight I also saw a performance, behind the Market stage, from what I would assume were the Flaming Butterflies. This group consisted of about four or five people doing spinning fire tricks, involving flaming hoops, flaming fingernails (??) and sparkling poles. This performance was well received by the gathered crowd, with much well deserved cheering for the artists. Unfortunately, my weariness from the day’s efforts put me off to bed at about 3:30am.



Weather Report

Today provided similar conditions to the previous day, with strong winds during the day and calm conditions at night. By now, I think I was immune to the dust storms, and I was able to breathe in dust without getting a raspy throat. The sky for the eclipse was crystal clear, providing for a spectacular viewing point.



Labyrinth Report

About 200 cardboard fish, green with pink fins, had set up camp alongside the labyrinth today. These cute little fellows swayed with the breeze, trying forever to swim directly into the wind. The labyrinth also played host to a wedding for a couple from the Netherlands. A couple of hundred people were witnesses to this wedding, with someone providing the backing music with the help of a drum, and huge cheers going up at the end of the ceremony. Offerings in the labyrinth today included a couple of glowsticks and a two for one pancake stack voucher.



Outback Cinema

The cinema was out of operation tonight, with the screen having been destroyed during the day by the violent dust storms.



Thursday, Dec 5

Today started much like any other, except that the wind seemed to have died down, allowing for travel around the campsite without getting a good sand blasting. I made another tour of the site, checking out the kids’ area located in one of the tunnels. The Desert Doof stage was again playing psy trance, as was the norm, with the Outback floor also picking up on this, with a harder, faster sound. By this stage of the event, most of the loose sand had been kicked off the floor of the Desert Doof area, leaving only rocky ground and minimising the amount of dust blowing through the area. The “Maintenance girls” were out and about today, dusting everyone off with their range of cleaning equipment. The Market stage varied throughout the day, beginning with the smooth house sounds that it had become famous for. The afternoon saw a change of tempo, leading into a bit of acid techno and darker house sounds.



The late afternoon saw a large plastic sheet being nailed into the ground in the market area, consisting of about 1500 red, yellow, green and blue spots. This was to become the scene of a giant game of Twister. The game itself consisted of about 100 people, and went for well over half an hour. I’m sure all those who participated enjoyed it, myself included, and the winners walked away with giant masks.



Following on from the game saw a return to the Market stage, with a new dj kicking into high octane mode for about twenty minutes, playing mega fast paced tunes quite unlike those previously heard in the market area. This set everyone off jumping around, but it was not to last, with a return to psy trance, followed by more funky house music. The Desert Doof stage and Outback floor both continued their trends of playing psy trance, whilst the Chill Out area kept up the chilled environment. A lot of people had left during the day, so the stages were not as well attended as the previous night.



Nighttime saw the return of the flamers, with the Butterflies putting on another performance, and the fireworks getting another outing. There was also a newly painted fluorescent picture in the tunnel, giving everyone something new to look at as they passed on by. People were generally just making the most of their last night at the festival.



Weather Report

As noted, the wind had died down during the day, allowing for upright movement. However, the conditions were hotter due to this lack of breeze, so more people were inclined to make use of the mist shelters. Nighttime saw a return of the wind, and with it some mighty chilly conditions. Several people saw the need to rug up against the wind, with others opting for an early retreat to bed.



Labyrinth Report

The labyrinth saw many new offerings today, including chupa chups, a bracelet, $1 coins and a US note, half finished drinks and desserts, and even someone’s student ID card.



Outback Cinema

The cinema had acquired a new screen, and was playing host to a range of movies. The three that I saw included some psychedelic offering, replete with some whacked out music, an Italian movie incorporating animated effects, and an American film. People in this area had come prepared for the windy conditions, rugging up with blankets and quilts.



Friday, Dec 6

The final day saw a lot of people pack up and leave early on, with everyone having the long drive ahead of them. However, there were still many hundreds of people hanging around, as the event did not officially close until later tonight. Only the Market and Desert Doof stages were still going at this point, with all but the food and drink stalls having been closed down also. The Desert Doof stage still packed in several hundred people, with the psy trance sounds still being given a good workout. Mid afternoon saw the inclusion of vocal tracks, much appreciated by those who liked to sing along. The “Maintenance girls” were on stage today, lobbing water balloons into the appreciative crowd. Mid afternoon was about as long as I stayed, with my ride arriving early on to convey me back to Adelaide.



Weather Report

There was no wind around on the final day, with the sun beating down on those unable to find shelter in the Desert Doof area. Many people had decided to set themselves up in one of the two large shaded areas to the back of the dance area, which was probably a wise move.



Overview

The event itself was extremely well organised, given the conditions, location and environment. There was a first aid tent on hand for anyone who required such attention, as well as security officers patrolling the crowd to stamp out unruly behaviour, and fire services located nearby in the event of such an occurrence. The activities were much enjoyed by all, and the lighting and sound systems were of top quality.

There was also a radio station, 90.3FM, broadcasting from on-site, providing relevant information to festival goers, conducting competitions, as well as playing a range of both electronic and other music and comedy routines. The campers were, to my knowledge, well behaved, considering the proximity in which they were required to camp to many thousands of other people.



Highlights

The total solar eclipse

Ganga Giri’s live tribal performance

Giant Twister



Final Thoughts

By the end of the festival, I had turned quite feral myself, dubbed with the nickname “Bushman” by my sister. On our trip to Adelaide, we stopped off in Port Augusta for dinner, opting to eat at Barnacle Bills’. As we were leaving, we were confronted with a trio of festivalgoers who had also decided to dine at this fine establishment. They were easily recognisable by their shabby appearance and green armbands, much similar to my own appearance I would assume. As our eyes met theirs, a grin crept across each of our faces, and a brief chat discovered that an excellent time was had by all. This will definitely go down as one of the most memorable events of my life.