http://2009.mmf.com.au

Meredith is a small town halfway between Geelong and Ballarat, 90 kms due west of Melbourne. A pretty, distinctly rural Victorian town, it goes about its business quietly below the foothills of the Brisbane Ranges. It was once a prosperous, bustling hub for the district, and the stop for the Cobb and Co coaches en route to Ballarat and the Goldfields. But a century After The Gold Rush (there was a band playing in my head), it was a town like so many others in the country - in slow decline.
One sweltering December afternoon in 1989, local farmer Jack Nolan rode his tractor through disused farmland at the back of his family's property. This part of the land hadn't been seen by humans for years - its steep hills and thick vegetation had rendered it unsuitable for grazing. At the end of a typically long day on the land, Jack had decided to go a different way home.
The consistent drone of the diesel engine disturbed the pristine environment. Through the bracken, over the granite, the hazy heat of summer began to play tricks with Jack's mind. He became dizzy and lost his sense of direction, the foliage became thicker and his trusty tractor started behaving like a spooked Horse. He ploughed through the bush, branches flying as the tractor sped up. With a resounding thump that scared the animal life for miles the flighty Massey-Ferguson stopped. Suddenly a sense of The Other-World overwhelmed him. He became instantly and totally hyper-aware of his surroundings. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and was amazed and exhilarated by what he saw. The heat-haze had cleared, so had the thick bush. Jack was atop a plateau, staring wide-eyed at the most beautiful sight. He had stumbled upon a natural amphitheatre of immense dimensions.
" Hmmmm", thought Jack. "Build a stage, whack a heap of bands on one weekend, provide free camping and cheap food and there could be a totally independent festival of great live music every year."
The MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL was born.....

I really need to update this don't I. But so much happens each festival, it's hard/I'm too lazy to sum it all up.

1991 was the festival's first year. A small but die-hard core of several hundred culturalists enjoyed a weekend of pure musical indulgence, devoid of the hassles of city living. They parked their cars on the site, very excited after the hour-and-a-half road trip from Melbourne and pitched their tents. They revelled in the atmosphere of free living, bring-your-own and no curfews. No grotty carpet, no bar queues, no taxi fares home. Something was brewing.
There was about 250 pioneers in total at this first one. It seemed like they all knew each other. Some had flax-weaving skills whilst others were highly-evolved fossickers. A natural order formed, work got done and the Harvest was bountiful.

1992 brought a crowd three times the size. Word had spread, both organically (Peelie, Mouse, Raccoon) and with some fertilizer (Rexy). They flocked to see the rock, the roll, the jazz, the punk, the funk, the ska, and the stuff that's beyond description being thumped through the giant sound system, in the usually tranquil environs of the lush natural setting. But mainly they came to let their weekend sprawl itself out under the stars, with some truly wild things providing the soundtrack, and to be part of one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. Now here’s Lloyd with the weather. By this stage the interlopers had left for the high country and an easy peace settled on the district. The bodgies and widgies had never been happier, frolicking in the sculptured ancient ironbarks with the Monarch butterflies. It was just a two-day event at this stage, there were no pre-sold tickets, and a free breakfast was cooked on the BBQ on Sunday morning. By Willie.

1993 came around and this time the crowd doubled. This was the year, Meredith historians agree, that the Festival really pricked the consciousness of fun-lovers everywhere. Word of mouth brought people from Sydney, Adelaide, Tasmania and even from the heavens (two brothers flew in by helicopter, complete with esky and tent). A bigger stage, a bigger PA, the best bands around and that start-of-summer-excitement were the ingredients for two of the best days on the entertainment calendar. This was also the year that the World Famous Meredith Gift was conceived, due to Spencer P. Jones being late for his Sunday spot.
Camping started to get serious, this was the year the celebrated ‘Compound’ was formed ‘over the back’. The site had two distinct camping areas; the outer ring around the amphitheatre which was closest to the gate, and the hilly area over the back of the stage. The Compound was formed by a circle of cars and tents strategically arranged to deter would-be droppers-in dropping in so the high priests of a certain scene could relax unbothered. The Compound lasted many years, and from The Compound many a musician wandered down to the stage to play their set. The Compound made a huge and vital contribution to what Meredith was, and is. We salute you, The Compound. Is it still going? We know some of its constituents still attend Meredith, do they form a compound? Or has The Compound fractured? Please email Aunty Meredith if you know the answer.

1994 was another treat. Organisers were now being inundated with requests from bands to play at the Festival. The bill included several bands who have had great years since; Dirty Three, Magic Dirt, Spiderbait, Powdermonkeys (RIP), Fireballs and The Fauves to name a few. Anyone who witnessed the Dirty Three's soaring sonic emotions swirling around among the giant Ghost Gums or the Powdermonkeys seemingly never-ending incendiary rock workout at 3 in the morning got their money's worth. RIP Tim Hemmensley. This was another wild year on stage, where the bands on the lineup all seemed to form a perfect ‘set’.
One former Meredith organizer, The Raccoon, was talking to Tim Hemensley at a pub in 1995. The Racoon was making a bit of old chat, talking a bit about Meredith. Tim was barely paying attention, until Raccoon said off-handedly that the Meredith organisers planned to have a bit more variety on the line-up the following year. “Variety?” exclaimed Tim, incredulously. “Fuck variety”.

1995 hit and the organisers realised that the Festival was growing out of control. As a result tickets were limited for the first time, and sold on a first in, first served basis. There were no tickets sold at the gate. It sold out completely two weeks prior to the event. Tickets were $27. It was unfortunate for Festival regulars and for others who couldn't get a ticket, but organisers held firm. The site couldn't cope with many more people and plus, the grassroots, intimate and special appeal of the Festival needed to remain intact. The Festival has always been run under a policy of "better before bigger".
A dam had been put in, the stage was made bigger again and Leaping Larry L of RRR was installed as the host on the Sunday. Standout sets were put on by Magic Dirt, Rebecca's Empire, Spiderbait, Chris Wilson and Shane O'Mara, The Mark of Cain, Ricaine, Joel Silbersher and Charlie Owen, and the rain on Saturday was stopped by Combo La Revelacion, a 10 piece Latin-American band who inspired a 500-person conga line. Anyone who went to this Meredith or any of the ten after it would know what an impact Combo made at Meredith. They are perhaps the festival’s biggest hit, and yes they indeed went on to hold down a ten-year residency at the event. Thankyou Jorge, Moses and all in the Combo.
The two brothers discarded the helicopter that year and arrived in a 10-berth motor home, complete with colour TV and all other mod-cons. They parked out the very back and put on a Lebanese BBQ which was attended by everyone in their paddock. Close by a large group of fun-lovers from the Jan Juc area had set up their own bush discotheque, complete with mirror ball dangling from a tree and dozens of fancy-dressed groovers. It is rumoured that one young man from this group did not see any bands at all.

1996, and for a while there it looked as though there would be no Festival this year and maybe forever. Tragically one of the three founding organisers was struck by a catastrophic illness, and a decision was made to abandon the Festival. Offers of help came pouring in; the idea of an 'Indoor Meredith' was floated and then sunk, the local townspeople's generosity was unbelievable and after much soul-searching it was decided to go ahead with the Sixth Annual Meredith Music Festival as a private benefit and partial fund-raiser for it's sick founder.
1996's Festival was a beauty. The quality and diversity of bands stepped up a notch, as did the prizes in the Gift (an unconventional foot race where prizes double for nude or underpanted place getters). Tex, Don and Charlie provided a genuine highlight, as did Snout, The Dumb Earth, The Mark Of Cain, Paradise Motel, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Chris Wilson and Shane O'Mara and the many other first-rate local acts. The weather was fine, the facilities were better and again the Festival sold well in advance. ‘96 was one of Aunty’s favourite line-ups, again, it just had a certain balance to it; the lynchpin of which was Tex, Don and Charlie at Sunset (with Jim white on drums), which started slowly but soon won the hearts and minds of the crowd, whose cheering at the end of their set lasted many minutes after the band had left the stage.
Mulwaverly had taken up residence by this time, setting up camp in the same place every year, and bringing more and more elaborate structures to their camp. Their defining icon was a giant yellow ‘M’ taken from a MacDonald’s store. This was also the year someone brought a two-storey high inflatable dog, which they plugged in to some power at the back of the amphitheatre. It was self-inflating, so they must have enjoyed watching it slowly rise to tower over the crowd from their anonymous position in the crowd.
Another tradition was borne this year, one that came to be known as The Arch Of Love. The Arch was about seven feet tall, made of cane, and wide enough for one person to walk through. It was probably made to be a garden arch, or arbour. It appeared on the foot-track up the hill, and those sitting nearby enjoyed people either choosing to walk through it, or walk around it. It turned up the next year, but with new decorations, from memory a mass of plastic vines and pink flowers were threaded through the cane. It has been there every year since, in the same place, in different costume. One year it was present in a tailored leopard skin suit. This had nothing to do with the organisers; this was brought along by a patron, and it has become an institution at Meredith. A tradition sprung up that if two people walked under it they had to kiss. The Raccoon spent one afternoon doing some social studies; most women-folk would go out of their way to walk through it, most men would deviate from their path if they were on target to walk through it. Says a lot doesn’t it. Thankyou very much to whoever The Archkeeper is, please contact us via Ask Aunty Meredith: its about time we gave you Life Membership so you don’t have to worry about buying a ticket every year.
About this time a group broke away from the Pelaton and settled in the area, making earthenware pots and selling them by the roadside. Their business failed and they fucked off. Fair enough too. Who needs more pots.

1997 was another soldout event. The festival spread its wings a little and included more artistes from intestate. Jebediah made their way over from WA, Custard and Not From There came from Brisbane to play, Crow came from Sydney. The legendary X reformed and showed some young dogs some old tricks, and the return of Dirty Three from parts unknown was something to behold. It was also the debut of a couple of Meredith favourites - special guest MCs Merrick and Rosso, and the wonderful Matt Walker and Ashley Davies. Tex Perkins came back with The Cruel Sea to a great reception and the first electronic act, Snog played. Perhaps best on ground was the legendary underground offbeat big band Loin Groin; the memory of singer Craigo out in the crowd inciting a riot of dancing will live long in the memory. And I think it’s on film somewhere too. Better put that on a DVD sometime. Sometimes it’s the bands with songs on the radio that pull the crowd, but the ones that don’t have a record deal and have to move a crowd through sheer stagepersonship that win the day. That’s why you’ll often find bands with small following playing in Meredith timeslots usually reserved for popular bands at other events.
The Dumb Earth started Sunday morning in style, enjoying freshly made cocktails before starting their 9am set. So good they were invited back the next year.
Noota who draws the animal mascot each year came up with a frog for 1997. Each year there is some significance as to why the animal is chosen. And every animal must inhabit the site, be it indigenous or introduced. This was the first year we had a ‘water’ animal…frogs live in water. It poured with rain. We didn’t learn our lesson.

1998 saw a few innovations - the introduction of MEREDOOF - Meredith's late night beats-fest thumped till dawn and was a total winner. Breakdancing was witnessed by several thousand astonished punters - the Wickid Force Breakers put down the cardboard and spun on their heads (don't know the technical term). Honeysmack, Frontside and Slieker totally slaughtered the big MEREDOOF crowd.
This year also saw the inception of The Pink Flamingo Yacht Club Bar. Meredith of course couldn't possibly have just a beer tent, no, no, no. A swank, late-nite and all day bar on the hill which glowed pink all night complete with nautical decor, with your hosts Commodore Pink Jazz and Commodore Bahamas Lite. Musical highlights were very many and included Meredith’s first international acts: and what a way to start - San Francisco's The Make-up were just plain the best band in the world during their set. Joe Pernice was booked and advertised but cancelled not long before the festival; he is still the only artist to do so. The Meanies reformed and basically headlined to a very full amphitheatre who lapped it up. Wally fronted up on the Sunday with Even. Custard were great again, Sunday morning was a Gospel kinda thing with Kerri Simpson and Chris Wilson. Other notables were Something For Kate, Bodyjar, and Shihad.
The constant evolution of Meredith took a turn for the best this year, all the facilities, artists and décor lifted a substantial amount. The festival took a giant, fancy-pantsed step forward. Meredith was now in technicolour.

1999 and The Pink Flamingo was under new management. Klaus and Heidi turned it into the Pink Flamingo Ski Lodge and served cocktails with their legendary Alpine Friendliness ™. It's fair to say although the festival was again soldout and everyone had fun, strange weather meant a constant mood of expectancy hovered over the weekend. Or maybe it was just me. The weather will do that to you when you are actually out in it all weekend after six months of being stuck indoors mostly. International guests Cat Power and The Donnas were superb in different ways, Shihad rode the crest of popularity with a stupendous set, The Avalanches were a popular winner and Sixfthick nearly stole the whole show. A few things got a little wacky here and there over the course of the twenty acts. (Note to self - get more sleep before this year's event). Anyway, no-one seemed to mind too much. We set high standards here at Team Meredith.

Meredith 2000 was the festival’s tenth year, and the theme was ‘party like you’re ten’. Saturday night was just astonishing: Tim Rogers solo at sunset, Combo La Revelacion, Regurgitator, Spiderbait, Resin Dogs and then MEREDOOF. The Posies duo Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer got back together and made it to Meredith, and a heap more did as well, including Paul Dempsey, Augie March, The Fauves, John Butler Trio, Rocket Science, Testeagles, Porkers etc. Funny guys Dave Hughes and Greg Fleet cracked gags on the Sunday and The Gift was won by Richo the Plumber (three time champ).

Meredith 2001 was big. In the month preceding the festival the heaviest rainfalls in decades soaked into the site and come Saturday morning it was bedlam. Again, a water animal was the mascot – a duck. Still we didn’t twig. There are only two access roads and by midmorning both of them had become totally inaccessible, despite organisers having called in the excavators the week before to dig the sludge out and replace it with rock, in places to depths of six feet. Eventually everybody got in and there were almost too many highlights to mention, but we’ll try: Warped kicked off proceedings by arriving in front of the stage in a Valiant Charger and getting out, clambering up and rocking very very hard, particularly considering they had driven directly from Sydney to Meredith overnight. Loopy genius Bonnie Prince Billy eased out a sublime mid-afternoon set. John Butler Trio filled the amphitheatre in the late afternoon with their primal jam. Rocket Science made their Meredith hat trick and were one of the winners over the weekend; similarly Augie March exorcised some past Meredith demons with a sweet sweet hour just on dusk. Combo La Revelacion started their famous Latin party, again. TISM were TISM. Hilarious theatrics, hit tunes, hi-energy performance. You Am I started with a cover of Teenage Fanclub and rocked and rolled their way through one of the most Meredith memorable gigs of the whole 11 years. Dexter and Robbie from the Avalanches played a DJ set which turned the place into Party Central and really were pretty downright amazing. We think that will be the sort of gig where far more people will claim to have been there than there actually was; it was legendary before it had even finished. Wetmusik’s gents thumped out the last MEREDOOF to the delight of several thousand hard-core partiers. Sunday was cruisey; Tai Chi was a huge success just after breakfast and will become a Meredith constant. Silver Ray were wonderful, and Bob Log III, well, that was one of the best things ever. Anywhere. We loved him. The Dave Graney Show was ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon, someone won The Gift and The Drugs kicked in just when everyone thought they'd had enough.

The Twelfth Annual event had to be moved to a new site, as the previous eleven Merediths had been held on a part of the Nolan farm that was Crown Land. So with barely six months to get their schtick together, organizers started getting their schtick together. Excellent, hard working nature lovers turned up from all over the country to help. In a display of the kind of Utopia this planet should be, it was all hands to the pump as the workers dug, cleared, planted, fenced, built, pathed, planned and enjoyed the new site. They lived in caravans, vans, tents, cars, and ate, worked, slept and partied on the site, through all kinds of weather and many an unforeseen setback. They did a great job. The 2002 Meredith was an astounding success. Where to start? The Meredith Eye arrived for the first time and was full the whole time. MEREDOOF went to sleep with the fishes and hip hoppers hipped and hopped in its place. Meredith was open on Friday night for the first ever time – about 3000 people took advantage of the early entry to set up a great campsite and enjoy some fine performances, including Snout’s last ever one, plus Dallas Crane and Dead Moon. There were some amazing artists – Bob Mould, Sleater-Kinney, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Lisa Miller, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and about the best 90 minutes of live groove ever seen in the bush – Resin Dogs. The Supernatural Amphitheatre was a bit dusty, which made a mockery of the soggy conditions the previous year (cruel Mother Nature, why do you taunt us so?) but it didn't matter after a while. Organisers were inundated with compliments for the new site, their favourite one being “it’s just like the old one”. The Archkeeper found a good spot for The arch of Love on the new site. Mulwaverly were invited in first to pick themselves out a new home. Basically the layout was the same as the old site but in reverse, so it was a bit weird for those of us that were so used to the old one – it seemed like exactly the same place but everything was left handed.

Meredith 2003 showcased one of the organisers all-time favourite line-ups. The flavour changed a bit from the year before. In 2002, for the first year on the new site, plenty of old school rock and roll was in evidence. In 2003, more gentle elements were in evidence; the sublime pop of The Shins, just before they won the hearts and minds of the alterna-pop world, the hippety-hoppetty rambling poetry of Buck 65; plus The Sleepy Jackson, The Brunettes, Clare Bowditch, Augie March with a horn section at sunset, and Architecture In Helsinki. Having said that, two of the most supreme rock and roll heavyweights in music history delivered knockout sets: Radio Birdman and Beasts of Bourbon. Plus McLusky came over from Wales and became one of Meredith’s favourite bands, to this day. Warped turned into uber-Warped on the Friday night, and several newish locals made impressive debuts; Treetops, Ground Components, Spod, Curse ov Dialect, Riff Random.
After the intense heat and dust of the year before, it was a decidedly cooler and drizzlier Meredith, but sometimes that aint a bad thing. There were about 9000 people on site, and it felt like a family.
The Outlands Ecoplex Cinema made its first appearance, and for the next few years became the underground hit of the summer.

Meredith 2004. Well. What can you say? Those that survived Tropical Meredith know what went on. The most eventful, astonishing Meredith ever. It featured, and will always be remembered for, the Dirty Three playing in an electrical storm. The whole district got pounded by a Hundred Year Storm. The festival was very, very nearly wiped out. Cancelled. Finished. It hit hard on the Friday Night – you could see the black clouds gathering in the North, occasionally issuing lightning strikes in the near distance. Then it gathered momentum and headed straight for the site, the temperature dropped and the wind got up so fiercely Jack Nolan said he hadn’t seen weather like it, and he’s been on that land for over 60 years. Then the most brutal storm hit the site - sideways, pelting rain, cyclonic winds that flattened tents, broke trees in half, pulled over fences; gigantic electrical activity in the skies…it was biblical. So much water had come out of the skies so quickly that rivers – torrents in fact – started to carve out gullies and ravines on the site. It was a tad full-on for our liking.
Then something remarkable happened again – the storm moved on, leaving everyone on site to assess things – everyone was ok, the show went on – in fact the bands played on (thanks the redsunband). But then the storm changed direction, spun around, came back and pounded us again, every bit as hard save for the wind. It was incredible. Anyway….by the Saturday the sun was out, everyone was in a good mood and looking forward to yet another Meredith. The storms started brewing again, and gathering in the same place as the night before, we started getting radio reports of nearby towns having to sandbag to stop the streets getting washed away…the anxiety and tension was again at a maximum, just when Dirty Three took the stage. Again, the temperature dropped, and a little drizzle started, but SOMEHOW the storm literally split in half and passed either side of the site, so the crowd could see the storm at sunset, but not be part of it. Witnessing the artists who have no peer when it comes to live expression, in the surrounds of the Supernatural Amphitheatre, ten years and one day after they first did so a gigantic backdrop of forked lightning which lit up the whole district…well…what can you say?
Apart from the Dirty Three, highlights including Hilltop Hoods who had one of the biggest crowds ever assembled in the Supernatural going crazy, and Spiderbait, Ground Components, Young Heart Attack, Wolfmother, M Ward, Dexter, The RedeYes, and well, just about everyone.
On the Sunday, just before the Gift, a man named J.K entered the amphitheatre to a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. He took the stage to a hero’s welcome. Why? Because he’d just run 210 kms from Langwarrin to Meredith. In the nude. JK had been the runner-up in the Meredith Gift twice, he fell over while in the lead in another, and finally won it the year before only to have been stripped of the title after claims of a break. Hi story made the daily papers, the sports bulletins of the national TV news, and we had regular reports in the days leading up to his arrival that he was on schedule to arrive on the Sunday. Big ups to Bill who played Chariots Of Fire through the PA as JK entered the arena, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. 2004 was a magic year in the history of Meredith.
Big ups to all the crew for toughing it out, also to the people who came up offering to help. Special mention to Alby, Mick, Quicky, Hoges and all the sparkies for hanging tough when the going got biblical. Likewise Chrisso and the Reception Committee, and Andrew and the Secure Forces. Jesus it was scary. The Raccoon’s first child was born on the Friday; about the time Peelie learnt he was to be a father. A magic year.
And yes, after 2004, when we realized we’d chosen another water animal as mascot – the turtle – the game was up. No more water animals.
2005 came around and the first thing that should be said is that after the terrible weather of 04, had the finest weather the festival had ever enjoyed across all three days. Maybe as a result of the 04 rains, people brought more elaborate camping set-ups, more furniture, more tarps, and more cars. Everyone turned up earlier than ever before, and stayed later on the Sunday. So it was a busy Meredith. Many thought it was the best Meredith ever, but it did feel awfully…easy…after the emotion of the previous year.
Not that anything went wrong, in fact everything went right. The mirror-ball cow that got rustled the year before sepnt the weekend swingin’ in the breeze. Skipper, James, Rob and The Lighting Dept out-did themselves. Out of ten, Aunty Meredith gave them 1.5 million. They had turned the site into a wonderland. A Royal Tennis Court was built near the vicarage and the vast field of canola were harvested and made into fine canoli. 2005 was the first year without our General Manager of several years, Stoopin’ Benny Sideways, our resident canoli-eatin’ champeen. Coooommme baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack Ben, coooome baaaaack.
Meredith FM was installed; on a certain FM frequency within several miles of the site patrons could tune into a broadcast of the acts on stage. So you could listen whilst in your car on the way, or at your campsite. I’m sure it’s illegal. Very handy foir traffic updates though, via our Eye in The Sky Kristie.
Musical highlights included Blackalicious, who could only play on the Sunday due to their touring schedule, King Marong, Matt Walker and Ash Davies (in fact it was my fave Sunday ever), Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Sons and Daughters, Wolfmother, Airbourne, Cut Copy, Peeping Tom, The Grates, and perhaps best on ground at the mystical 2am Friday timeslot: You Am I, in form. Again, the highlights were too many to mention. The Mystery Act was tried in 05, Mr Bob Log III flew all the way from Tucson Arizona to be that guy. He fell victim to the expectations…by the time the event came round, folks were expecting The Beatles to reform and play at 10pm Saturday night. He put in the most committed, action-packed rock and roll performance you could wish to see and won many new hearts. Thankyou Bob.
True live were on the best things on site; animal, vegetable or mineral.
A giant circus tent was installed by a troupe of Brazilian clowns (true story), which provided shade, shelter, warmth, and massages. It was called Heaven. A 24-hour convenience store was set up inside called Heaven Eleven. Dry cleaning was available on the third floor.
Everything went extremely smoothly. Notes to self for the following year included update the recycling system, reducing the crowd size by about a thousand, and
2006 is coming around fast. Over the past few years, those that live and work on the site in the months before and after the event have been watching a family of wedge-tailed eagles not far from camp. They have built a nest, and the crew have watched in awe as the chicks have hatched and learnt to fly. As you may know, Wedgies are huge, huge birds of prey, and throughout the year the adult birds can be seen Circling High and Wide above the site. So this year’s mascot? The wedge-tail eagle. Reggie The Wedgie.
2006 was Meredith’s sixteenth year. It was unreal.
2007 came and went. another corker.
2008 - gee what a terrific festival that was.
I really need to update this. Sorry.