PORT BYRON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The grounds of the Old Quarantine Station played host to the inaugural Point Nepean – A Music Experience festival over the Easter weekend.
The event, focused on roots and blues music featured performances by artists from a wide range of the musical spectrum including Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, John Mayer, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Ozomatli, The Waifs, Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars, Taj Mahal, Terrance Simien & his Zydeco experience, Tony Joe White, The Vasco Era, Piers Faccini, Iain Archer and Missy Higgins.
The festival got strong turnout with a sold-out first day and a near sellout on day two, certainly assisted by the and perfect weather for both days of the event. A number of enterprising boaters who moored in nearby Port Philip Bay enjoyed the concert without paying the gate, prompting Michael Chugg to dub them "wankers" according to a report by Aussie news source Undercover.com.
The event was promoted by a consortium helmed ably by Michael Chugg, widely considered one of the pioneers of the Australian music scene.
Despite the efforts of the event's promoters, things didn't go entirely without problems. There was a reported lack of sanitation facilities and traffic problems on the way home despite the efforts to set up a bus system to convey patrons to and from the event. Despite these small issues, promoters are hoping that the successful event will pave the way for future shows to be held at the Quarantine Station which has been little used for decades after first as a decontamination station for arriving immigrants and then Australian troops returning from serving abroad. Due to the historic nature of the park, the duration of the event was limited to two days and the number of attendees was kept well-below the level that could be accommodated by the facility. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
