Barmera, South Australia (June 2001 long weekend)

Barmera, 221 km NE of Adelaide, is situated on Lake Bonney. Lake Bonney also marks a memorial to Donald Campbell's 1964 attempt to beat the world water speed record.  A few kms from Barmera you will find the first stone house ever built in the Riverland - the Overland Corner Hotel. It had originally been an inn and coach stop on the first NSW stock route.

We stayed at Kingston-On-Murray about 15 km from Bamera. Kingston-On-Murray is one of the oldest settlements in the riverlands and is now bypassed with the main Kingston Bridge crossing the Murray River and is only a few kms from one of my favourite wineries, Banrock Station. Banrock Station donates a percentage of their profits towards Land Care and environmental studies and they feature a wonderful nature walk and a number of "hides" to view and photograph birds of the area.

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Bankrock Station 
wine tasting area		 View from outdoor 
area at Banrock Station		 Sunset at Kingston-on-Murray Red gums killed off 
with salinity
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River gums at Kingston-On-Murray Ruins of Nappers accommodation 
house		 Overland Corner Hotel - still operational as a pub (c1858) Preservation site of ancient aboriginal lands
Museum1.jpg (34716 bytes) Museum2.jpg (30139 bytes) Museum3.jpg (24406 bytes) barmera is also host to an Annual Country & Western Festival 
Guitar Awards at 
Hall of Fame		 Slim Dusty's Handprint
in the rockey page hall of fame guitar awards		 Slim Dusty poster in Hall of Fame

Annual South Australian Country Music Festival & Awards

Barmera hosts the "Annual South Australian Country Music Festival & Awards".  This was their 23rd Festival and although Tamworth (NSW) is known as "The Country Capital", we preferred the intimacy with the artists and also the non commercialism of the Barmera festivities.  The Music Festival is on for a week however we only caught the Friday to Monday activities and caught up with two of our favourites - Donella Plane and Michael King.

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C & A Cloggers Donella Plane (my favourite country girl) Donella singing duet with Michael King Donella and Swanny
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Maria, exchange student from USA currently attending Glossop School Michael King - check his page on my links page Robyn, Photographer - with Michael King Michael Roycroft & daughter, Raebekah
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Michael Roycroft Donella shows us how to Line Dance Jake Nickolai (17 yrs) from Port Augusta. A sure winner in song and guitar check out Donella's site from my Favourite Link page

One of the nicer aspects of the Barmera Country Music Awards is the non commercialism and being able to chat with the Artists after their shows. Check out the Donella Plane and also Michael King official sites from my Favourite Link page. If you wish to learn anymore of the artists shown on this page, I suggest you visit the CMAA (Country Music of Australia) site.

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Golden Guitar winner Beccy Cole Enjoying the show - Lake Bonney in background Beccy & mum Sue singing "Mother Knows Best" Beccy and mum. Sue used to sing with "Wild Oats" 

It was great to see Beccy (a local Adelaide Girl) return to Barmera to revisit some of her earliest fans. She was also inducted to the Rocky Page Music Hall of Fame - casting her hand print in cement.  One can see where Beccy got her talent from when her Mother, Sue got on the stage to sing with her. 

Well done, Barmera.  You have kept an Australian Music Festival true to form.  Friendly, intimate and commercial free!

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