Some travellers were delayed after roads leading to the festival grounds, known as Bashville, were impacted by rain.

But by Monday night, thanks to the herculean effort of organisers, revellers were setting up campsites for the three-day festival.

At only 15, Amy Ryan was set to be the youngest performer ever in the Big Red Bash. Her family arrived onsite prior to the rain on the weekend.

“People pay for the mud treatment and we get it for free. Our feet feel great. I saw people just lay on the ground and give up.”

The singer said she came close to slipping over multiple times.

“I had the guitar in one hand, a phone in the other and my cowboy hat fell off from the wind in the deep end of the water,” she said.

Organisers of the festival, held just outside of Birdsville on the edge of the Simpson Desert, had earlier said unseasonal rainfall across Queensland’s Channel Country would have no impact on the schedule.

Around 14mm had fallen in Birdsville from Saturday night to Monday morning, impacting access to the festival grounds, leaving some of the thousand trekking to the remote site 1500km west of Brisbane delayed in nearby towns. 

Photos from the Big Red Bash site – known as “Bashville” – on Monday showed campsites turned to mud and water, and campers donning mud boots. 

Becky Lee, who managed to get on-site before it access was closed, described the scene as a “complete mudbath”.

“But got food, fire, shelter, Starlink and footy. What else do you need?” she said Monday morning.

It is the second year in a row that rain has caused havoc at the Big Red Bash, with a deluge in 2023 forcing major changes to the schedule.

But organiser’s said this year’s bash would proceed as planned.

“We thank all patrons still waiting to roll in for their patience and understanding while we manage around the weather related delays as we aim to keep everyone safe and not damage the festival site,” they said.

“The good news is – no rain expected from Monday onwards. The show will go on, and we can’t wait to rock the Simpson Desert!”

OUT OF THE RED DUST: BIRTH OF THE BIG BASH

Against a stunning outback Queensland sunset in 2013, Aussie country music great John Williamson plugged into a tiny PA on a stage made mostly of pallets on a remote station 1500km west of Brisbane.

He played to a crowd of mostly volunteers and competitors in the Big Red Run, a gruelling 250km, six-day marathon across the Simpson Desert.

The brainchild of Greg Donovan, the impromptu concert set on Adria Downs Station just 35km outside Birdsville, was just a way to thank those who made the marathon possible. More than a decade later, it has become the global phenomenon that is the Big Red Bash, which claims to be the world’s most remote music festival.

Every year, more than 8000 people trek from thousands of kilometres away to the edge of the Simpson Desert for three days of music, art, culture and the now world-famous Nutbush dance world record attempt.

The Big Red Bash competes annually with the Mundi Mundi Bash for the world record of the largest gathering of people dancing to Nutbush City Limits.

The festival has raised more than $300,000 over the past 11 years for charities including Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Australia (JDRF), a cause close to Mr Donovan’s heart after his son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just age 15.

In 2023, campers broke the world record for the largest gathering of people in the shape of a country while donning blue wigs, with more than $70,000 in donations going to JDRF Australia to support research into the auto-immune disease.

Mr Donovan said he hopes the legacy of the Big Red Bash is that it becomes an iconic bucket list Australian experience to bring together people from every corner of Australia, and beyond.

THE GREAT BASH PILGRIMAGE

Seasoned travellers Kerri McConnel and Stirling McConnel set off for a road trip in their motorhome on June 10, and just happened to be less than 1000 kilometres away from the Big Red Bash campsite when they impulsively decided to buy tickets earlier this week.

“When we were sitting in Charleville last week another couple who were staying at the same place asked us if we were going to the Big Red Bash,” Mrs McConnel said.

“We said no, but later that night I said to my husband ‘why not, what’s another 800 or so kilometres?’. In the space of a few hours we brought tickets and here we are now in Birdsville, ready to attend the most iconic concert in the country.

“We’ve just been taking the trip really slowly, stopping in at all the local towns and spending up to support the locals. We’ve done State of Origin and a band at the Betoota Hotel, camped in the middle of nowhere on the Diamantina Development Road, had campfires and slept every night without a single sound to be heard. It just doesn’t get any better.”

For campers like Ed Banks, the journey to Bashville has become an event in itself with around 50 travellers part of their Big Red Bash family.

“It’s very much a family environment. We enjoy the gathering and arrivals as folks come from Brisbane, Cairns, NSW and WA,” he said.

“Wednesday was not enjoyable for us Queenslanders as we lost Game 2 in the State of Origin. We arranged for a big screen and invited adjoining campers to watch the game. The lads helped others with plumbing issues, electrical issues and van issues. We simply ask for a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.”

Travellers have started a new tradition this year: adorning their vehicles in Big Red Bash paraphernalia.

Prior to leaving for the Bash earlier this year, Julie Anne Jury painted her car windscreen with the Big Red Bash logo and the words “Bound for the Bash. 1603kilometres. Brisbane to Birdsville.”

She will be celebrating her 49th birthday at the festival.

Every year, hundreds of volunteers donate their time to help the event run smoothly.

Renai Delaney is one of the many ‘Dunny Angels’, assigned to watch over and maintain the composting toilets on site.

“Bashville bound from Ipswich. Can’t wait to catch up with lots of amazing people. I am volunteering as a Dunny Angel so think of me and aim straight,” he wrote.

Juliette Edwards travels more than 1500km every year for the Big Red Bash. “Type 1 diabetes started it, love for the event and the people kept me going,” she said.

“Highlights are some of the people, the music, the work, the connection with type 1 diabetes and the personal growth the event gives the opportunity for.”

Musician Gary Daglish is currently on a 15,000km journey around Australia before he reaches Bashville this week.

“I left Perth on Good Friday playing gigs at remote country pubs and wineries throughout WA, SA, NSW and QLD on my way to the Bash,” he said.

“Being a musician myself, I play mainly classic covers of some of the artists that will be at this year’s Bash. Since arriving in Birdsville I have had the privilege to host impromptu mini live performances at both the common and the tourist park.”

Who is playing at Big Red Bash 2024?

This year Tina Arena, Jon Stevens, Ian Moss, Colin Hay, Tim Finn, Diesel, Baby Animals, Vanessa Amorosi, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton, Casey Barnes, Shane Howard, Pierce Brothers, Bjorn Again, Mi-Sex, Chocolate Starfish, The Rolling Stones Revue, Furnace & The Fundamentals, Ash Grunwald, Fanny Lumsden, Sarah Mcleod, Haley Mary, Steve Balbi, Amy Ryan, Big Red Bash Band and Allstar Tina Turner Tribute will be performing at the Big Red Bash.

What amenities are available at the Big Red Bash?

If you don’t have a campervan or a caravan you can access composting toilets on-site as well as food trucks for water and food, with Wi-Fi also available for purchase. There are no showering facilities in Bashville, however you can take a shower for a small fee in Birdsville. EFTPOS is available, however it can be limited so bringing cash is recommended.

Where can I find out the latest Big Red Bash information?

The Courier-Mail will be covering all the action live from the Bash. Bashers are also encouraged to download the official Big Red Bash app.