:: 2012 Riverboats Music Festival

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

The new Riverboats Music Festival is set to rock the mighty Murray River in February 2012. With the Murray River basin flush with new life comes a new Music Festival full to the brim with great Aussie acts and a ticket price that will stoke your musical fires without breaking the bank…so mark your diary for February 17-19 2012 when all the rivers run.

This great new addition to the summer festival calendar boasts a who’s who of the Australian music scene including Lanie Lane, The Audreys (duo), Mark Seymour, Tex Perkins & The Band of Gold, Colin Hay, The Bamboos, Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission, Vika & Linda Bull, Clairy Brown and The Bangin' Rackettes, Benny Walker, Ryan Meeking and The Bride Stripped Back.

Echuca-Moama Tourism CEO Pete White said, “This is a terrific addition to our calendar of events. We have worked very closely with the Festival producer to bring the Riverboats Music Festival to life and are thrilled with the line-up secured for the 2012 event. We look forward to welcoming visitors from far and wide and showcasing Echuca-Moama’s quality restaurants, bars, clubs and attractions.”

Along with the great line up, the festival boasts a setting made famous in the classic Australian mini-series “All The Rivers Run”. It promises to become a favourite with seasoned festival-goers and is friendly for all ages. All of the music action will take place on the banks of the Murray near the heart of Echuca’s historic port precinct, in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by ancient, towering river gums. With paddlesteamers meandering past the Festival hub all weekend, a more idyllic environment for listening to music is hard to imagine.

A diverse range of local food and wine producers will sustain audiences over the weekend, whilst those wishing to soak up the total Echuca-Moama experience can enjoy a relaxed cruise down the Murray on one of the town’s historic paddlesteamers, plus visit a range of award-winning local restaurants and wineries. Being the first port-of-call for visitors to the Murray, Echuca-Moama boasts excellent tourist and accommodation facilities with over 9000 beds available ranging from caravan parks and river-side camping, to 5-star serviced apartments and hotels. It’s all within a two-and-a-half hour drive of Melbourne, too, as Echuca-Moama is the closest point to Melbourne on the Murray.

The Riverboats Music Festival is to be held on the third weekend of February each year and the 2012 dates are February 17-19.
Tickets for the full three days are $75, with day passes at $40 or $25 for the Friday night (children and family tickets are also available).

Echuca-Moama is the closest town on the Murray River to Melbourne, and takes just 2.5 hours to get there by car - just take the Hume Highway out of the city, turn off at Kilmore and follow the Northern Highway to Echuca - it's sign-posted all the way. The Festival takes place at Aquatic Reserve, located right next to the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre.