The 20th Annual Bluesfest
Easter Weekend 2009 - April 9-13
Belongil Fields, Byron Bay, NSW

Plenty of people come to Byron each year for the Blues Festival - some come for the first time.

Here’s my ‘early bird’ tips;

1. The Easter long weekend (the Bluesfest weekend) dates fall in the school holidays - this will result in making it harder to find accommodation.

2. The Blues Festival week is a peak season period for Byron Bay, accommodation will be expensive. For budget options, look at camp sites &/or nearby towns & villages (Lennox Head, Ballina to the south / Brunswick Heads up to Kingscliff to the north).

We recommend you visit www.byronbay.com if you want to book direct or www.byronstyle.com.au if you want to use a booking service.

3. As tickets are usually available for months after they go one sale, the order of priority for you if planning to come to the festival should be;

i) Get your group together.
ii) Start looking at accommodation options - secure suitable accom.
iii) Sort out your transportation to Byron
iv) purchase tickets

If you leave this too long you will end up having to do it all at once.

The sooner you start, the easier it will be.

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Australia, Byron Bay, Byron Bay News, Culture, Entertainment

Ziggy Marley, Eddy Grant, Ali Campbell, Shaggy, Arrested Development, Inner Circle and Bonjah will perform at six events nationally and one in New Zealand, kicking off on January 24 in Perth.

Raggamuffin played to more than 70,000 ecstatic fans through February this year, emphatically proving that reggae is alive and well! This year’s event again offers a six hour musical feast of the world’s best reggae artists, with a healthy dose of funk, dub, hip hop and soul. It will be the first ever visit to Australia by Eddy Grant.

So there you have it… seven great bands providing a veritable musical reggae feast, welcome to Raggamuffin 2009! Check out the website www.raggamuffin.com.au for all the details.

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Activity, Byron Bay, Culture, Entertainment

Are you available and in a position to buy your new Australian home in January/February 2009?

Would you like the help of a dedicated team of professionals to find the house of your dreams in Oz?

Phil Down Under is a new property show for Channel 4 in the UK. Location Location Location’s Phil Spencer is searching for British couples looking to set up home Down Under! We’ll do the hard work and find you the best properties your money can afford.

It’s easy to Apply: Visit www.meontv.co.uk/phildownunder and fill out the application form.

Good Luck!

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Australia, Byron Bay

If you’ve seen them before - I’m sure you’ll try and catch their show at the Northern on October 5.

Here’s what their press release had to say;

The Grates’ live shows have now become stuff of legend. Patience’s dancing style has its own patent, Alana’s smile is always infectious and John is the captain of their musician-ship. You never know quite what to expect, as Winter Wonderlands, party balloons and colourful capers fill the stage. Their recent Surprise Parties where the unusual locations weren’t revealed until 48 hours before the show are testimony to the fact that The Grates never stick to the norm!

With their upcoming new album “Teeth Lost, Hearts Won” already getting young hearts a flutter ahead of its early August release, The Grates get ready to give fans a coronary with the announce of a major national tour throughout October.

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Activity, Byron Bay, Byron Bay News, Entertainment

I’ve finally got around to posting it as a PDF;

‘Local Trail’ Antiques & Collectibles Shops in the Byron Bay Region

This is an excellent resource listing the addresses and phone numbers of about 40 shops… plus, if you’re interested you can subscribe to their mailing list and receive the updates.

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Activity, Byron Bay, Byron Bay News

Here’s what the organisers had to say…

What a weekend! In what has been described as the biggest, best Splendour in the Grass ever, over 17,500 music fans congregated over the weekend in Byron Bay to celebrate a musical and cultural extravaganza featuring the very cream of international and Australia music artists, art, theatre, markets, food and culture.

Byron locals The Black Stars kicked off musical proceedings on Saturday and the vibe and the energy never stopped. At the Big Top stage, a cranked up crowd saw Gold Coast teen superstars Operator Please give us a glimpse of our musical future. Leeds funksters The Music and Scottish melody makers The Fratellis, and the world’s hottest new band US-based The Cold War Kids showed exactly why we should believe the hype, while rock gods Gyroscope and The Galvatrons performed storming sets that kept the Aussie flag flying against the bright blue skies. The Living End capped a comeback year with a set of epic proportions before Devo came, saw and conquered with a set featuring their old hits - complete with yellow jumpsuits and flowerpot heads, as if the eighties were reborn.

Over at the Grant McLennan Stage, indie favourites The Drones, powerhouse chanteuse Claire Bowditch and US bearded wonders The Band of Horses sang songs of breath taking beauty and depth. The Polyphonic Spree with their choir of 18, completed the evening with a hands in the air, hands on your heart spiritual experience.

Over at the Mix Up Tent, our socks were rockin’, our buns were shakin’ and our feet never stopped movin’. NZ’s Scribe and Bliss N Eso played music with a message, while Australia’s Pnau, complete with dancing fruit showed us why Elton John had recently become enamoured with their music. The enigma that is Tricky took the crowd on a dark and light musical journey to finish off the night.

On Sunday, the great vibe and brilliant weather continued. At the Big Top, Melbourne’s British India showed why they are Australia’s band to watch, US band Vampire Weekend had the crowd jumping with their afro beat while Liverpool UK’s The Wombats stormed home with a set which made them the most talked about band this weekend. Iceland’s Sigur Ros, whose epic tunes and soaring melodies lifted the audience to a higher place while Wolfmother, held their status as Australia’s top rock band.

At The Mix Up Tent, Katalyst lived up to his reputation of rocking the house right, while other highlights were the UK’s New Young Pony Club, and The Presets, who complete with pink tuxes and bowties showed why they are one of the biggest bands in Australia, with a cranking set.

The GW McLennan Tent continued to showcase the world’s best songwriters. The crowd gave it up for former Go-Between Robert Forster and home grown favourites The Panics, while Mr Ben Lee, with his quirky charm rounded off the night with a beautiful soulful set of soaring beauty.

This year Splendour upgraded their medical response team by using Queensland’s largest provider of first aid services, Emergency First Aid Services, to provide a comprehensive care package for patrons.

Stephen Barnes (Emergency First Aid Services Representative) said, “Most treatments were for minor complaints, such as blisters, cuts and abrasions. A doctor was on hand to care for a few pre-existing medical conditions that presented throughout the weekend, and thanks to this, transports to hospital were well down on last year’s event.”

So as the sun sets on Splendour’s final year at Belongil Fields before we move on to our new home at Yelgun for 2009, we say goodbye to another year of amazing music, incredible vibes and the most fun you can cram into a weekend.

See you next year & thanks for the memories!

Splendour in the Grass Team

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Byron Bay, Byron Bay News, Entertainment

SCHOOL OF PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT AND SPIRITUAL ONENESS

August 31st till September 5th

This training is to discover and develop your psychic skills. You will receive your own ‘psychic life reading’ prior to the start of the training and will find out how you can fully use your psychic abilities. Learn about the 7 chakras, the inner man/inner woman, the inner child and about the higher self. Come to understand how you create your own reality.

Learn how to give your own psychic reading! Become a scientist of the inner world.

Rago Dahlsen has worked internationally as a psychic reader for over 20 years. She has been part of Mystery schools in India and the USA. Now she is very happy to pass on her gifts to you.

Visit their website for more information;

www.byron-bay-health-retreat.com.au

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Activity, Australia, Byron Bay

The Backgammon Tournament is the idea of local backgammon players; Hamish Whetstone, Jake Rozenthal and Neil Young, and like last year, they hope to attract interest from interstate backgammon players but they also hope to bring together all the backgammon players living locally in the shire. “There are many backgammon tournaments played over the internet, but we felt like a real competition between real players sitting opposite each other would be a lot more fun” said Hamish from his Mullumbimby home, where he plays backgammon every week with a group of friends “We hope it will bring together the local backgammon community like it has for the last two years”.

The tournament costs $70 to enter with all entry fees returned as prize money once costs are covered – this is a not for profit event. There will be two days of backgammon competition. Day one is a ‘Swiss Qualifier’ where everyone plays six opponents and then the 16 players with the most wins qualify for a Knockout Final on day two (this is a double-elimination final, which means you are not knocked out until you have lost twice). There will be a state representative competition and on day two there will be a consolation competition for those that didn’t quality and plenty of blitz rounds (small round robin competitions) for those that are knocked out or can only attend for one day.

Contact bbblot@hotmail.com for more information or phone Hamish on 0413 564 838

As Tim from PLANULA Bed & Breakfast Retreat in Byron Bay is a keen Backgammon player and part of the tournament, PLANULA offers 10% off accommodation for tournament participants for any stay including the tournament dates - and if you beat Tim during the tournament (in Backgammon that is) you will get another 10% off - now that’s confidence. But better be quick …

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Activity, Byron Bay, Community, Entertainment

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Byron Bay News

Described by legendary Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe as “the most
exciting festival, outside a capital city…” the Bangalow Music
Festival combines world-class musicians with captivating programming,
delicious food and a festive atmosphere all surrounded by the
sub-tropical beauty of the heritage township of Bangalow, NSW.

Opening on Friday 29 August and running through until Sunday 31 August,
the program for the Festival comprises a colourful and dramatic range of
musical styles, from renaissance song, through the delights of Haydn,
Beethoven, Chopin and Schubert, to the drama and electricity of Hartmann
and contemporary Australian music by Brett Dean, James Ledger (Southern
Cross Soloists’ Composer in Focus for 2008) and Gerard Brophy.

The Festival welcomes several top performers making their debut at
Bangalow this year, including Ian Munro, piano; Graeme Jennings, violin;
Julian Smiles, cello; Kees Boersma, double bass; and young pianist,
Denny Liu, from New Zealand.

Also performing at the Festival for the first time will be Southern
Cross Soloists2, an initiative of Southern Cross Soloists and the
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Students of the same
instrumentation as Southern Cross Soloists are auditioned to take part
in this mentoring program, creating a ‘mini-version’ of the existing
music ensemble, with the addition of a flautist.

Favourite Bangalow guests returning to the stage this year include
guitarist Slava Grigoryan, the renowned Grainger Quartet, violist
Patricia Pollett, the Queensland Choir and members of the Bangalow
Festival Chamber Orchestra.

BANGALOW MUSIC FESTIVAL 2008

Friday 29 to Sunday 31 August

Concert Venues:

Concerts 1 to 8: A&I Hall, Station Street, Bangalow, NSW,

Concert 9: St Kevin’s Church, Deacon Street, Bangalow, NSW

Seating is limited to 300. Tickets range from $45 (single ticket) to
$260 (single nine-concert subscription)

W: www.southernxsoloists.com

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Australia, Byron Bay, Culture