:: Whittlesea Country Music Festival 2010

By: Carmine Pascuzzi; pictures by Matt Deller

Just one year ago, many people from across the Whittlesea and Kinglake regions had prepared to enjoy the Whittlesea Country Music Festival on February 7, 2009. The festival was cancelled due to the devastating bushfires of Black Saturday.

The first anniversary of Victoria’s devastating Black Saturday bushfires was a very solemn moment across the affected communities. There is still a lot of spirit and determination in the fire-affected Whittlesea and Kinglake areas, so much so that the people brought back this local community tradition in its tenth anniversary year, the Whittlesea Country Music Festival was back

In the past year, the people of Whittlesea and its surrounds have worked hard to rebuild their lives, their livelihoods and their community traditions. With it came a tremendous line-up of country music stars who were happy to travel long distances and join in the spirit of the occasion. Leading Australian country music star Troy Cassar-Daley, fresh from winning six Golden Guitars at the Australian Country Music Awards, The McClymonts and James Reyne, were among the names headlining this year’s weekend-long event.

The Festival, held during the period February 12-14, boasted over 45 acts, including spectacular performances by James Reyne, Troy Cassar-Daley, The McClymonts, Catherine Britt, The Flood, Felicity Urquhart, Jetty Road, Amber Lawrence, Travis Collins, The Hamonators, The Distance, Matt Walker and many more.

It was a momentous weekend for the festival and the home grown spirit.

For pictures from the event, click here