Today’s blog is not about books or writing.
Instead, I want to share news about our time in Daylesford for the Chill Out Festival, a queer event in rural Victoria which has been running for twenty-eight years. We attended this year.
It’s one of several such festivals which follow the Sydney Mardi Gras in March, so tourists can continue to party elsewhere in Australia. A friend went two years ago and recommended it. We weren’t disappointed.
We saw Marcia Hines do a brilliant set of her own classics along with covers of disco favourites. We caught a brilliant burlesque show and watched Joel Creasey, Rhys Nicholson, and Geraldine Hickey perform their stand up comedy, and danced the night away at the Thick & Juicy party.
But what really hit us was how friendly and community orientated this small town is, especially during the parade which makes its way up and down the main street. This was followed by a fabulous carnival day at Victoria Park.
Daylesford and the surrounding towns boast a large number of queer people, but those who aren’t have no qualms. We were on a road trip and while we travelled to the festival from Melbourne (our previous stop), we heard a rattling sound from our car.
Thankfully we were staying for seven nights and a wonderful mechanic who opened his business back in the 80s, was very friendly. Within days our car was back on the road thanks to Albert and his staff, Deb and Paul. I had my unicorn t-shirt on when we picked up the car, and there were no raised eyebrows. Just a lot of conversation.
We’re keen to return to Chill Out for their thirtieth birthday. Our friend who experienced this festival before us is keen to join us.
And if you happen to be in Australia around March, it’s worth visiting this event. It’s a mix of small town community vibes with big name entertainers, all enjoying the country air.
kevin klehr 