{"id":207737,"date":"2018-05-02T00:10:20","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T14:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=207737"},"modified":"2020-08-04T12:45:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T02:45:14","slug":"aussie-spirit-shines-through-at-muster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/05\/02\/aussie-spirit-shines-through-at-muster\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Spirit Shines Through At Muster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This year’s Spirit Of The Bush Balladeers Muster offered guests five days of camping and non-stop music from more than 50 dinki-di Aussie performers, including Chris Strohfeld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May 2, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reopening of the $23 million Waltzing Matilda Centre may have been great news for the tiny western Queensland town of Winton but its impact was felt 1200km away in Boondooma.<\/p>\n

The Waltzing Matilda Centre was destroyed by a fire in 2015.<\/p>\n

Its reopening was marked with a $2 million, four-day Way Out West country music festival featuring 100 top US and Australian artists.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Way Out West was held just a few days before the start of this year’s 18th annual Spirit Of The Bush Balladeers Muster at Boondooma Homestead so the number of caravanners was down as a result.<\/p>\n

The Boondooma Muster featured a line-up of more than 50 Australian country music artists, walk-up acts and bush poets who performed over five days from April 25 to 29.<\/p>\n

It also offered guests displays of vintage machinery and antique cars; camp oven cooking; an array of exotic food and goods stalls; and the camaraderie that comes from camping out in the western South Burnett at one of the region’s most iconic historic homesteads.<\/p>\n

The Muster is organised by Buddy Thomson, the president of the Boondooma Music and Heritage Association, with the help of a committee and about 50 volunteers who come from \u201call over\u201d to help.<\/p>\n

It usually attracts 400 to 500 caravanners every time it runs, and is one of the Homestead’s major annual fund-raisers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year, caravan numbers were down to 300, \u00a0which Muster organisers have attributed to the Waltzing Matilda Centre’s reopening.<\/p>\n

Even so – and including day visitors – the Homestead played host to about 800 guests over the five days who enjoyed the usual good humour and warmth of the event, along with pleasant April weather.<\/p>\n

They also got to participate in Boondooma Homestead’s Anzac Day commemorations on April 25, and a bush church service on the muster’s final day, Sunday, April 29.<\/p>\n

Buddy was unperturbed about this year’s visitor numbers.<\/p>\n

What was more important, he said, was that loyal regulars had a great time and everything ran smoothly, including an improved sound system that got its first try out this year.<\/p>\n

The Homestead’s next major event will be its annual Scots In The Bush celtic festival, which will run on August 16-19.<\/p>\n

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