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Whitsunday Islands and Wintermoon Festival

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in Australia

In Airly Beach we booked a day trip for the fantastic Whitsunday Islands. So the first stop they dropped us off on a small island packed with resort, pool, tennis court, mini golf course, shops and a tiny jungle. At least our lunch was fantastic.

Afterwards we had 90 minutes at the long and popular Whitehaven Beach – with hundreds of other people. I mean the beach was beautiful but again swimming only with stinger suite and the water is brownish. Perhentian Island, you spoiled us.

So a bit frustrated and AUS $ 300 lighter we were looking for a free campground at boulders rock. And then we stumbled across something.

THE WINTERMOON FESTIVAL

So we are driving in the dark on this small little road through heavy forest and suddenly light, hundreds of cars on the side road, tents and campers all over the show and a road blockage.

The guys wanted me to drive inside and Micha just says, ignore them, continue straight. What do you mean go straight, they are telling me to dive on the grass. So I follow and we figure out that there is a festival going on.

After being a bit depressed of the Whitsundays we decide to come back tomorrow morning for the festival. Man we had a great time. Since 16 years this festival is about the Spirit of Folk. And the full moon did the job.

Packed with families and young people the artists perform on three different stages. Different stalls provide you with food, hippy clothes, yoga, shiatsu, taro reading and spiritual things.

They offer workshops and activities such as playing didge, songwriting, writing and performing poetry.

All is kept simple and you sit on the ground or on hey balls. For cooling down you can jump in the creek next to one of the stages. The kids jumping in front of the stage and everybody is just relaxing in front of the stages. In the evening kids sleeping on the picnic blankets and the teens dancing like crazy.

After the last song played we left the festival with a good vibe.