We had nothing planned for this long weekend but the weather was so fine and there was so much neither Sam nor I wanted to spend the time at home.
What should we do? The list of options at this time of year seems limitless! Two major events were the Greek Glenti and Barunga festival. The Glenti is held in Darwin on the esplanade and we've both been there several times, actually when I first arrived in Darwin back in 1997 it was Glenti weekend and the 'everything Greek' event was my first impression of Darwin's festive style!
So on Friday I started working on getting Sam interested in Barunga! Fortunately she was keen to go also and after a very late start we headed out there at about 12:30 pm on Saturday afternoon.
Although a fairly long drive for such a short stay it was great to be out on the road. We arrived at Barunga at about 5:00 pm payed our $10 entry fees and set up camp. I couldn't believe it!
Just $10 for (if we had more time) a whole weekend of entertainment, sports, cultural performances and a rock concert packed full of great outback bands that we never get to hear in Darwin!
The Road Safety Song competition was really cool and the bands' ability to communicate with their audience, combining socially responsible messages with good solid rock and a deadly stage presence was an absolute blast! Just when we thought the concert was over everyone was directed to the 'Main' stage where the concert began in earnest!
The main stage was awesome! There were illuminated sculptures of various traditional rock art images surrounding the fully lit stage. We stayed for a while but were so tired decided to head back to camp, about half a km away, where we could easily hear the bands playing on through the night.
What should we do? The list of options at this time of year seems limitless! Two major events were the Greek Glenti and Barunga festival. The Glenti is held in Darwin on the esplanade and we've both been there several times, actually when I first arrived in Darwin back in 1997 it was Glenti weekend and the 'everything Greek' event was my first impression of Darwin's festive style!
So on Friday I started working on getting Sam interested in Barunga! Fortunately she was keen to go also and after a very late start we headed out there at about 12:30 pm on Saturday afternoon.
Although a fairly long drive for such a short stay it was great to be out on the road. We arrived at Barunga at about 5:00 pm payed our $10 entry fees and set up camp. I couldn't believe it!
Just $10 for (if we had more time) a whole weekend of entertainment, sports, cultural performances and a rock concert packed full of great outback bands that we never get to hear in Darwin!
The Road Safety Song competition was really cool and the bands' ability to communicate with their audience, combining socially responsible messages with good solid rock and a deadly stage presence was an absolute blast! Just when we thought the concert was over everyone was directed to the 'Main' stage where the concert began in earnest!
The main stage was awesome! There were illuminated sculptures of various traditional rock art images surrounding the fully lit stage. We stayed for a while but were so tired decided to head back to camp, about half a km away, where we could easily hear the bands playing on through the night.
On Sunday we wandered around the various stalls, watched some sport and then went over to see Yamba the honey ant (from Imparja TV) performing for the kids.
Yamba the Honey AntBefore we left we stopped at a spot where a drumming group from Darwin had set up camp and were encouraging people to choose an instrument and join right in... so... we did! The drumming was really cool and heaps of people gathered around then in a break the guy who was playing on a proper drum kit hopped off for a rest and encouraged some local kids to give it a whirl. One kid, about 10 years old, jumped on and gave a couple of taps with the sticks, his mates were all laughing and egging him on. The boy looked like he was about to bolt or walk away embarrased but then instead of leaving, and with a crowd gathering he picked up both sticks gave a few more taps... Then... He launched into a full on riff building momentum and leaving most of the rest of us behind! He exploded into a full blown solo for about two minutes then came back to a point where the rest of us could join in, this went on for about 10 minutes and a great crowd had gathered standing and staring in wonder at this kid who was giving what at the time seemed like the greatest drum solo of all time!When he stopped playing he just got of the kit and went off with his mates to try the next fun thing at the fair!
Drumming for joyThis we thought was the perfect time to leave, nothing was going to top that performance. On the other hand chances were that little spot fires of awesomeness would break out unpredictably for the rest of the weekend; if we didn't make a move now we might find ourselves staying another night and returning home on Monday afternoon to a starving dog. So we left.
The whole event was alcohol free and I have to say I didn't notice a single drunk person the whole time I was there! There was a breatholizer on the way in and out of the community, which would have deterred drink drivers but I think what made it a real success was the respect people have for abiding by the alcohol ban. It made such a difference to be amongst a sober crowd and is so much more pleasurable for those of us who do not drink! Barunga rates No. ! in the 'No Humbug' stakes! I remember driving past Bass in the Grass, another so called 'alcohol free' event a few weeks ago. It seemed just about everyone we saw walking from the car park to the gate was madly knocking back as much booze as they could get into themselves before entering the concert! I have no regrets about missing that particular concert and am sure I saw the cream of Northern Territory talent at Barunga.
Cheeky Cocky
Thanks to the Barunga community for their hospitality and for hosting this festival. It was the first time I have been after 10 years of living in the N.T. I hope I can return next year.
Cheeky CockyThanks to the Barunga community for their hospitality and for hosting this festival. It was the first time I have been after 10 years of living in the N.T. I hope I can return next year.
Male hooded parrot on crane
On the way home we stopped at the Pine Creek railway and were lucky to see a family of five Hooded Parrots!
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