Camping in the mud

Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland, Australia
27 December 2010 - 01 January 2011 (and the 2 days either side)


   Camping in the mud is such fun! Actually it's not, but it's ok, and you really have to take it with a positive "I can handle this" attitude, or it would really get you down.
   I arrived at Woodford Folk Festival site on Sunday December 26th, and set up my camp site in the rain. I put my borrowed tent on the back of my borrowed ute*. This kept me up off the sodden ground, but gee I wish I had borrowed more blankets, as the metal ute* tray was cold and the borrowed blow-up mattress provided no insulation. But I survived.
   It continued raining until Thursday, when we had a pleasant two days of sunshine, and then it rained again all day Saturday and provided us all a wet pack-up on Sunday. It was extremely muddy. Long timers at the festival (those who have been every year or almost every year in its 25 year history) told me that rain was an important part of the festival, that it washed down the site and gave a new appreciation of life. I liked this. They also told me that rain during the festival wasn't a problem, but that the 3 months of rain prior to the festival was giving extra challenges.
   I went to the festival as a volunteer in the 'Infology' department. Infology are the people that others go to for information or if they had lost or found something. And, we also took in, and dispatched a lot of laundry for the Woodford Laundry service. I am an observant person, so I like being involved in 'Information services', next year though, I think I will take another look at options before deciding what position to volunteer for. I would definitely do Infology again, but I might like to try something else.
   So, what is Woodford Folk Festival? Well it is a whopping great big folk festival, some call it a Hippy Fest, and I have heard it referred to as a Feral Fest. It is indeed one of the most entertaining and interesting events I have ever known. With over 20 venues you can be entertained by bands and solo artists - from new and undiscovered, to ones that have been popular for years  - by dancers, circus performers, street artists, comedians, and so much more. You can also learn! I attended workshops on playing the harmonica, on decorating slumped glass, and I went to numerous talks on environmental issues and alternative health. Had I been game, I could have learnt trapeze! Food is also a treat at Woodford Folk Festival. Forget Dagwood Dogs and Fairy Floss that might be the main stays at other festivals, this gig has vendors selling food influenced by far way places like Ethiopa and Jamaica.
   For me, Woodford Folk Festival is about trying new things. I would look at the programme each day to plan things out a little, but for me serendipitous discovery is one of the treats of the festival. Wandering in to a venue and sitting down to the fantastic sounds of a group I had never heard of, leaves one feeling quite delighted. And everyday I would attend a talk, even if it wasn't on a subject I was interested in, because by attending something I'm not 'into', I learn more.
   People watching at Woodford FF is always a treat. Woodford attracts a whole lot of people who don't fit into, or don't want to fit into, conventional society. And then there is a whole lot more folk that take the opportunity to wear something completely outrageous just for this event. On day three I called my mum (a natural redhead) to tell her she should come over, as Woodford FF seems to have more redheads than the rest of society.
   Environmentally, Woodford is a pretty good festival. They really are limiting their waste output as best they can. Water bottle refills are the expected methods of keeping up your liquid intake, and food outlets use eco packaging. However there was also a lot of merchandise for sale and way too many new clothes being worn to play in the mud, which tells me that too many people there aren't getting the anti consumer message or understanding that acquiring what you don't need is actually damaging to the environment (and I know, I fly airplanes across the globe, so I shouldn't be too hard on them).
   Next year I do plan to go back to Woodford, hopefully as a Volunteer, maybe in Infology, but maybe someplace else. And next year I really hope I have a camper van to sleep in.

 By day 2 my Gumboots were hurting and I was debating whether barefeet or my croc shoes were my best option. Either way I would be muddy. This photo taken at my campsite. I had to set up a bucket outside my tent for feet washing.

Although my site was muddy, at least I didn't have water running through it like these folk. 

A dry day at the festival provided the perfect opportunity for a lot of people to work on getting sunburnt.

Juzzie Smith teaches us some harmonica. I first discovered Juzzie busking at the Darwin markets years ago... he seems to be doing pretty well now, and he deserves to.

More information about the Woodford Folk Festival can be found on their website: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com 

*this is Australian terminology, short for utility vehicle, Americans might say 'Pick-up truck'.