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A lot of festivals chase scale. Greg Donovan chased a feeling: live Australian music under huge outback skies, surrounded by people who actually talk to each other. I’m Cheryl Lee, and I’m joined by Greg, the founder and organizer behind the Big Red Bash and the Mundi Mundi Bash, to unpack how a remote desert idea turns into one of the biggest events in Outback Australia. The surprising part is where it begins: fundraising runs for his son Stephen’s Type 1 diabetes, a John Williamson moment on Big Red, and a spark that said, “What if more people could experience this?”
We get into the real mechanics of building an outback music festival from scratch: learning production costs the hard way, pushing through early losses, and the career turning point that came with redundancy after decades in insurance. Greg shares how booking major Aussie acts helped the Big Red Bash find its audience, and why the Mundi Mundi Bash near Broken Hill was created to be more accessible for caravans, motorhomes, and travelers who want red dirt magic without the longest haul.
The conversation goes beyond the lineup into what makes these events feel like a community: Big Blue Day for mental health fundraising with Beyond Blue, world record attempts, bush dances supporting the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and a culture of costumes that ranges from Tina Turner to Mad Max.
We also talk Mad Max filming history on the Mundi Mundi Plains, what surprised Greg most about touring artists, and the economic boost the festival brings to towns across the region.
If you love Australian music, outback travel, and the behind-the-scenes reality of festivals that survive tough years, hit play, share this with a friend who needs a road trip, and subscribe plus leave a review so more listeners can find Still Rockin' It.
What is all the Mundi Mundi Bash goss? Let's find out!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
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