08/05/2026
There’s something pretty surreal about finally sitting still on my own after 2.5 mammoth weeks delivering the onsite event and final clean up as Festival Director
From bump in, to build, to event delivery, right through to bump out and now onto reporting and paperwork … it’s hard to explain the scale of constructing a major festival on a small country cricket oval and turning it into a space that welcomes 7,500 patrons across 3 huge days. Every fence, marquee, cool room, stage, power lead, table, chair, glass, sign and experience is brought in from scratch by an incredibly small dedicated team I have the honor of working beside.
Behind the scenes it takes months of planning, problem solving, late nights, logistics, partnerships and trust. A small but mighty team, backed by an incredibly supportive Board, all working towards one shared goal: delivering real economic impact and destination awareness for our region. This year, over 85% of visitation coming from outside the Grampians.
To my family and support crew - you know who you are and there are far too many to name… THANK YOU. The last few months of “festival mode” are never easy and your patience, encouragement, coffees, check-ins, gifts, thoughtful messages and constant support never go unnoticed. It truly takes a village.
I also had the absolute honour recently of being featured on by the beautiful Kate Meade, which feels incredibly humbling. To be recognised by peers in an industry and role that I genuinely love is something I don’t take lightly and I truly appreciate it.
At the end of the day, I do this because I believe regional communities matter. Festivals and Events matter. Bringing people together matters.
Feeling very grateful, very tired… and very proud and cannot wait to start planning the delivery of our Spring 2026 weddings on the farm 🩷
