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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Days of downpour threaten outback music festival as gates remain closed

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Several days of heavy rain in far west New South Wales threaten the Mundi Mundi Bash, a large outback music festival.
  • Organizers are deciding whether to proceed as the site is partially flooded and access roads are closed or restricted.
  • Festival-goers have experienced significant delays and difficult muddy conditions while trying to enter the grounds.

Organizers of Australia's Mundi Mundi Bash are weighing whether to proceed with the large outback music festival as several days of relentless rain have left the site partially flooded and access roads treacherous.

The downpour in far west New South Wales has hampered the roll-in of vehicles, with some attendees lining up overnight for access. Wilangee Road, the primary route to the festival grounds near Broken Hill, is now closed to all vehicles except four-wheel-drives, creating significant delays and muddy conditions for those attempting to enter.

It was very slow … we camped in the line-up.

— Monique McGrathDescribing the experience of waiting for access to the festival grounds.

Festival-goers have described the experience as challenging, with some reporting lengthy waits and difficult terrain. Monique McGrath, attending with 14 friends, camped overnight in a line-up that stretched for miles. "Very muddy, the rain last night was absolutely horrendous," she said, adding that one of their group members was bogged and awaiting recovery.

Very muddy, the rain last night was absolutely horrendous.

— Monique McGrathDetailing the weather conditions at the festival site.

Mary and Graham, who traveled from Adelaide, also reported lining up for over four hours. They noted that roadways, dry two years prior, were now "muddy messes." While they managed to enter without getting bogged, many others were less fortunate, with some forced to camp on roadways due to the gate closures.

Despite the adverse conditions, some attendees embrace the challenge as part of the outback experience. Lincoln Dalla Santa, a regular at the festival, stated, "You wouldn't have an outback festival if it wasn't [braving] the elements." Organizers are expected to provide an update on the festival's status by 2 p.m. today, with forecasts indicating more rain and possible storms.

All the roadways, which [when] we were here two years ago were lovely and dry, are [now] just muddy messes.

— MaryComparing the current muddy conditions to previous visits.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 11.6 millimeters of rain at Broken Hill Airport over Monday and Tuesday, noting that such rainfall is uncommon for the region during winter.

[The weather] doesn't really faze me, whether it's muddy, whether it's hot, it doesn't matter, it's just part of what it is.

— Lincoln Dalla SantaExpressing his acceptance of the challenging weather as part of the outback festival experience.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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