This annual Big Red Bash festival is set to be the most spectacular ever as nature has colluded with the event's organiser's to put on the show of a lifetime. The festival is held on 40 metre high big red sand dune in the Simpson Desert and while the countryside on the journey to the Big Red Bash is incredible, with the recent floods and rainfall in the surrounding Channel Country, this year is a once in a generation opportunity to see the outback in full bloom.
The big news this year is the chance to see mother nature turn on the once in a generation spectacle as wildflowers pepper the red sands of the Simpson Desert, and Lake Eyre, Australia’s biggest salt lake, transforms into a nursery for tens of thousands of Pelicans who migrate inland to breed when it rains.“The greenery in the Chanel Country already is incredible, and the next stage will be the wildflowers that appear over the coming months – which will be perfect timing to take in on the trip to the Big Red Bash. Typically we would expect to see needlebush with creamy flowers, the ‘wattle of the desert’ the Acacia victoriae that has a beautiful show of pale yellow flowers, the Sandhill spider flower or rattlepod, the parrot bush with yellow and green beak-like flowers and carpets of daisy,” says event organiser, Greg Donovan.And from flora to fauna the salt beds of Lake Eyre are already being transformed into a pelican nursery with thousands of the majestic birds – usually seen on coastal waterways – winging their way to the desert oasis.
“On these very rare occasion that there is the huge water flow into Lake Eyre the basin becomes the biggest breeding ground for Pelicans in Australia. Previously when the Lake has filled like it’s expected to this year close to 80,000 Pelicans were born in the region. With the Pelican population in the whole of Australia usually sitting at around 120,000 that is a huge boost to numbers that will be seen in coastal regions when the birds make the return flight back to beach destinations,” said Greg Donovan.“The Lake Eyre Basin filling is a rare occurrence that will usually only happen four times in 100 years. The Lake is well on the way to filling as the waters continue to flow in from the surrounding Channel Country and the Diamantina, Georgina and Cooper Creeks, and is expected to be at or near capacity in the months leading into the Big Red Bash. The Lake Eyre Yacht club, who don’t often get to put their boats in water, will be sailing in July and best of all, thousands of pelicans will be roosting - which will be a sight to behold for any of our travellers who take in the Lake on the way to the event,” added Greg Donovan.
It has been nearly ten years since Lake Eyre, the lowest point below sea level on the Australian mainland (15.2m below sea level) last filled, and 2019 is expected to see it once again hit the full mark. It is a level that is traditionally only ever reached four times in 100 years, with the time before that being back in 1974-75.
Taking place over three bumper days and nights during the July winter school holidays,(July 16-18 2019), the all-ages and dog-friendly Big Red Bash offers up a uniquely Australian destination adventure for families, motoring and camping enthusiasts, all-age music-lovers, backpackers, grey-nomads and travellers from near and far alike.
This year, rock legends Midnight Oil are heading back to the outback to perform at the desert based festival along with a host of all-time Australian music greats including ARIA award-winners The Living End, Richard Clapton, 1927, Kasey Chambers and Wendy Matthews, as well as Neil Murray, Busby Marou and many more.
Those attending the Big Red Bash will be able to detour into Lake Eyre on their journey to Bashville (suggested routes are on the Big Bash website), and Birdsville is one of the most accessible points from which to see Lake Eyre by plane or helicopter, with the Lake only 20 minutes away by air.
The Big Red Bash delivers a jam-packed program of outback activities in addition to the stellar music bill – from comedy and outdoor film screenings, to scenic helicopter flights, dune surfing, beach volleyball and camel rides.The event also plays host to the Australian Outback Air Guitar Championships, Fashions in the Desert and the RFDS Bashville Drags, which sees festival-goers race a 500-metre dirt course donned in drag. Both the Fashions in the Desert and Bashville Drags events raise much-needed funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The Big Red Bash can be accessed via road vehicles, scheduled and charter flights, and bus tours. The event does not sell alcohol, but ticket-holders are permitted to bring their own food and alcohol on to the event site. In addition, there will be a range of food vendors selling both hot and cold food and beverages at the event.
The Big Red Bash also has dog-friendly camping and concert areas. However, when buying tickets, attendees will need to register their dog to attend. Children aged 11-and-under are also able to attend the event for free.
Local rain and the recent cyclones up north mean there will be amazing conditions on the way to and around the Big Red Bash site this year – see below release for further information. It will not however affect access to the Big Red Bash as water cutting off towns will drop equally as quickly as it has risen. The only spot that may possibly be impacted is a stretch of desert access near Lake Eyre which may be closed and require a detour (further advice on this will be released closer to the event date). The Bash site itself is a closed valley system and does not receive water run-off, so is only affected by heavy local rain. The long-term forecasts are predicting a normal winter weather pattern which is typically dry.