Top bands rock festival

By Kath Gannaway
MORE than a thousand people enjoyed a night of spectacular entertainment at the Moonlight On The Mountains Roots and Country Festival held in Warburton on 29 December.
Headline rock and blues band The Detonators and the award-winning rhythm and blues band Peter Cornelious Trio from Tasmania drew fans from around Melbourne and country Victoria in a line-up which included bluegrass and rockabilly favourites Fingerbone Bill, Gatorbait and Red Rivers and Nailhead.
The festival, held for the first time last year, is the initiative of Warburton musicians Nathan Elbourne, Angela Hammon, Tony Hammon and Shane Hammon and sponsored by the Warburton Community Bank.
Mr Elbourne said the audience was a mix of locals, holidaymakers and dedicated music fans who follow the roots, blues and bluegrass festivals throughout the year.
He said the motivation behind the festival was to provide a night of family entertainment for the local community and the many holidaymakers who flock to the town over summer.
“Everything is closed up here at this time of year so we wanted to do something for the tourists but also build it into something bigger for the community,” Mr Elbourne said.
“The focus is on family entertainment, and that’s why we keep it really cheap.”
A big draw-card for local people is that admission for children, in fact, anyone under 155cm, is free.
The event is also a fund-raiser for Upper Yarra SES.
SES Deputy Controller Michael Young said unit members appreciated the tremendous effort put in by the organising committee and the support show by members of the public who attended.
“The funds raised here will help us to get the gear we need for our new vehicle,” Mr Young said.
If there was a downside to the night, it was that a large number of people who enjoyed the entertainment and who at some time may benefit from the efforts of their local SES volunteers, avoided paying the $15 entry fee.
“It’s disappointing, and means there will be less money for the SES and more stringent security next year, but it hasn’t diminished the success of the event,” Mr Elbourne said.
“We’ve had some great feed-back and definitely plan to run the festival again in December this year.”