First Glimpse Of Splendour

Ask anyone who attended, Splendour in the Grass 2010 offers one of the best line-ups Australia has seen for some time now. For that matter, ask any one who missed out on tickers, couldn’t afford the steep prices or simply knows good music. The next three days would be packed with some solid music from some of the best artists going around (and even some oldies).

Since 2001 this winter revelry has taken place around July/August at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay. This year however, organisers have temperately relocated the festival while they work towards establishing a permanent and sustainable site. With a capacity of 30,000 (including an improved 20,000 for camping) the festival is located at Woodfordia (Woodford) in Queensland’s south-east hinterland. Surrounded by natural bushland, this pristine rural valley appears almost untouched. And it’s a good thing most of the wildlife around these areas are nocturnal because for the next three days hardly anyone will be getting any sleep.

We had been told via JJJ and friends tweets that the lines getting in to the camp site on the Thursday night took up to four hours. By the time we arrived, later than anticipated on Friday most of the lines had died down and it was the usually check points you had to clear.

The site received a few bit of rain on the days prior and we were expecting more so rain jackets and boots were essentials. Thankfully unnecessary essentials, it was dry, a bit muddy and temps reached a blissful 25 degrees.  The nights however, had been known to drop as low as 2, so organisers were kind enough to arrange are communal fires and heaters throughout the campgrounds/festival site. But braving the elements is thankfully something we would be avoiding this time round, My World Tour has hooked us up with yet another featch hotel room. Some would argue this doesn’t give you the real Splendour bender experience and while I agree, I don’t particularly care. I’m going to be clean and warm. Staying almost ON the beach at Malloolaba our daily transport was a $30 return shuttle to the site which took around 1hr 15 min. Getting home was a breeze but going there, the busses were not all that predictable. Day one, we missed the shuttle and after a $200 cab ride, we were there!

Entering the site you walked passed a brightly coloured and extremely fun looking kids zone; through the healing area where you could find herbal remedies, massages and the peaceful chai tent and where you could do early morning yoga at the Temple Stage; past the Mo’Rocken Wine Bar, Ibeefa and finally to the aromatic smells of Spaghetti junction where a left would take you to the GW McLennan Tent via some more market stalls or a right would see you at The Mix Up stage/tent. At first everything seemed exciting, fresh and well though out, that is until we discovered the fucker of a trek to the Amphitheatre (main stage). Yeah there were more stalls and delicious offering to keep you enthralled for the most part, but that latter half of the walk was a ten to twenty minute (depending on the pace of the mass you are behind) cross country sojourn. 

The Amphitheatre was pretty cool. Despite a horrendously steep and pretty dangerous hill the area had near perfect view points from anywhere you sat. Climbing the hill was a bit of a workout but the entire site was too for that matter. The lower part of the Amphitheatre had a D barricade which was fast and easy to get into, until the main acts came on and when they closed it off for safety. The natural landscape and fact the stage was engulfed by trees made for some amazing acoustics and resulted in the regular attendees being in favour of this new set up. This is your First Glimpse Of Splendour… more to come and more pics below!!