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Highandry was organised at very short notice by the Figure 8 crew after Peats Ridge Festival was cancelled. They were going to run their eco-dome as a stage at Peat's Ridge but instead it became a stage at the new festival. Allegedly the name was sarcastic, but in fact the festival was well above water level and free from rain... so much for sarcasm.

They started a quick blog site and started begging a bunch of stuff from all their mates as well as collecting a pretty impressive line-up of bands.

So on Christmas eve I wandered over to the warehouse and started helping get stuff together and spent a week on site preparing and helping run the event in my own small way.

It was fun, I had a great time, and I didn't get too sunburnt. Plus I had my annual swim (I don't like cold water). In fact, I had my annual swim several times because it was so nice. More photos on this page

After hanging the sign next to the main gate. The site plan, version one-ish. Red text is my overlay. Arriving on site at 4:30am on Christmas morning (allegedly this was still christmas eve since we hadn't gone to bed yet. We woke up the mob that arrived before us so we could all go "bleh" together). 10:30 on Christmas morning and we're all awake again and ready to start work. funky steps on the main stage. The story here is that Camp Wollemi folk had organised Assembling the dome. You start from the top and just keep going round and round lifting up about half the dome, adding sections and lifting the next bit. Real pros do it with a sissor lift in the middle and it's faster, but this way requires less stuff and Assembling the dome. Assembling the dome. Getting the bottom sections in place requires a bit of judicious pusing to bring all the bits into alighnment. There's also impressive cliffs above the site. Assembling the dome.Simon is kinda scary. Note the labels on the done bars, those are the key to assembling it all correctly. Assembling the dome.But Dylan is friendly and nice. Just pretend the impact driver isn't there. Assembling the dome. Barry and Simon. Not assembling the dome. Beanie and Dylan test it. Assembling the dome. Once it's all together you need to remove bits for the doors. Assembling the dome. Then nail it to the ground so it doesn't blow away. Desipte the size it weighs under a tonne all up. Tim doing the honours here. 16:30... must be lunch time. Figure 8 run quite late hours. Assembling the dome - putting the cover on. First tie down the edge between the doors. Assembling the dome - putting the cover on. Assembling the dome - putting the cover on. Pulling the cover over the top of the dome. Assembling the dome - putting the cover on. Look, we're official... we have a site office! Moz's campsite number two (first one was next to the site office). Wasp nest just to the right of shot next to the tent. The dome with battery trailer and a couple of small solar panels feeding it. The batteries were pretty much charged when we got on site so this is just powering a drill battery charger... with a 15kW inverter. Later Energy Co-op added another kilowatt of panels to make it work better. Morning meeting to work out what to do for the day. Yes, at 11:30am. There were a few piles of rubbish that we cleaned up... bricks and masonry to the left. Little Tim and I dragging branches and stuff off the stall area. Signs were a major theme for the festival crew. They did lots, especially Clare (sometimes me not being able to write neatly is an advantage). Note one of my bike trailers next to Dylan. Decor stuff. Lots of it. Mostly dumpstered, even the huge black backdrop that's drying here. yay volunteers! Clare laying plates, dinner for 12 or so... Colin the site custodian really got dragged into the thick of it. He lives on site and was unbelievably helpful in so many ways, and I'm sure slept less than most of us. Vicky sewing flags. Beanie's kitchen, defended by Beanie! The riot continues. I might even be able to remember the names (hopefully): Matts, ??, Dave from Fuji Collective, Mouna, Beanie, Phuong, Barry, Colin, Tim Too (wee Tim), Clare, Tim, Jenn, Dylan. The two people I can't recognise from their back... sorry. Kitchen volunteers kept the crew running. So much food, so many people eating. Dinner! Mouna and Vik still sewing. It's 22:30... time for me to be in bed. Everyone else is still cranking along. Another truckload of stuff being unloaded. Barry did quite a few trips to Sydney and seemed to come back with a full truck every time. We used the main stage for storage since it was pretty weatherproof and already up. Signs going up. The main sign being cut. Someone dumpstered huge rolls of sticker paper so we could do really big signs relatively easily. Hula hoop weaving. Hula hoop weaving. The SIGN! Hugs all round. Camp three, 20m or so from camp two ready to move to the bike camping area once Phuong marks that out. :Painting to toilet doors. Composting toilets bought from the Peat's Ridge organisers. Despite only being 10km away in a straight line the Peat's Ridge site is a long drive away. Maurice and some german dude whose name I forget assembling the 1kW solar array next to the dome. Big dome, little dome. "this beautiful spot is not a toilet". The swimming beach. More volunteers punters to arrive. Bomb van in the background that was not expected to leave the site ever, it's trashed. Bikes are such a good way to get around the site. Wiring up the solar array late at night. fairy lights on our tent. They're crappy jaycar solar lights that are very unreliable. I've had 5 sets so far and three have failed - keep your receipts. Site filling up, morning mist. View from the site office/house. more signs, these ones much more decorative now that we have more volunteers. The market stall area. Krishna's under the big marquee. The herbal highs stall. trenching in the power cable between generator and main stage. The compost bin covers a joint in the cables. Bikes arrive! Newtown Bike Club bikes with Tom driving. Katelyn doing yet more signs. The shade zone in front of the main stage is up! Barry organising decorations. The poo moovers arrive. Composting toilets from Peat's Ridge made with sawdust and wheelie bins. Colin and Clare The toilet guy doing his thing. (I am really, really bad at names). Two skips cunningly disguised as art. By art? We tried really hard to get people to take their rubbish with them. Decorating the main stage. Punters arriving. So many cars! Vik organising a volunteer.We bought so much bottled water in I was ashamed, but it all went and I spent quite a lot of time refilling bottles and trying to refrigerate them that it seems justified in retrospect. Pity Colin's power bill though, two big fri the first aid tipi. Tipi's were great, the tipi people just rocked up and erected them with no help from us crew, they were magic! Bike club with their tarp and bike rack. Borrowed lifters from the dome erection gear and a lighting pole. Andy out to it. Bike camping area, behind the Dog'n'Duck stage. Some members of the group wanted to be right in amoungst the action. Another solar powered sound system. This one a bit primitive, stroller and a car battery. Paul and Fiona arrive to supply tofu burgers. Much relief, Phuong will now be guaranteed food for the duration. Cafe stall. drummer stall Council and cops having another dicussion (they're the fat ones). After much talk of how non-approved and risky the festival was the crew managed to talk them round to "not forbidden" status. To do list and "what's your favourite adhesive" page. Dylan chose gaffer tape, of course, but not just any gaffer tape, a specific brand and model. There is a plan, and the plan is published. Oooh, look, punters! At last there's entertainment happening. Sign for Tipis and the Gingerbread House stage. Welcome to country by the Lyons family. Matt W doing the intro's. Crowd in front of the main stage. It's hot even at 10am! This guy was good but (as usual) I can't remember his name. Crowd participation. Barry and his hat. swimming was very important. Even I went swimming a lot (I don't usually swim, but it was so hot and the water was so warm I couldn't resist) There's really nice mud for body painting and beauty treatments. Moz about to go swimming. Drummers on the dub stage down by the swimming beach. Fiona and her "love the morning ride" t shirt. I want one! Mouna got sunburnt. It was sunny enough that even people who normally don't get burnt did. Hot! Puong swimming. The wee waterproof camera worked a treat, and there were a few of them around (you could tell coz peo There's really nice mud for body painting and beauty treatments. playing the sitting circle game down by the dub stage and river. playing the sitting circle game down by the dub stage and river. Simon doing a DJ set in the dome. lunch again. 1400 this time! body art - fairy wings this time. a metal band. The surgical sideshow cabaret stage lighting teacosy. "munters crossing" sign where the munters cross. Main entry/exit road runs up the background. Yogo and hanging out in the dome. Yogo and hanging out in the dome. dolly dancing. Cool art made on site with (some) local materials. Bike Club kids selling beers off the binbike. Rapaport playing Rapaport playing Matt W's folks on first aid duty. Lyon's family hanging out listening to us take over their property. El Cee's Designs. real babies don't sit in strollers, real babies use Tonka trucks :) Andy and Dylan. Andy does not believe in using sunscreen. "I love the internet"? Mr Bamboo playing Mr Bamboo playing. WTF MySpace? Teh Suxx! Mr Bamboo playing Mr Bamboo playing Mr Bamboo playing sun going down (at last!) (there is no The) Fuji Collective play. Fuji Collective Using a flash on people dancing is *so* cruel :) At 3am some moron decided to cook two minute noodles next to our campsite and managed to screw up their burner so badly it caught fire and wouldn't turn off. Much gas leakage and running about later it was all over, but we had already gone for a walk to let people who were more awake deal with the problem. Inside the chilled-out Gingerbread House it was all acoustic and laid back. In the US there was excitement. Someone brought a newspaper on site and this was the part we found useful. Morning in the dome. Phuong trying hula hooping with a bike tyre. SEAN stall. maurice from energycoop.com.au and Bike Club Moz with his silly camera and equally silly costume. At least I was cool(ish) and not very sunburnt. Bike club in the heat of the day, stilly hiring out bikes. Gingerbread house. Actually it's a bamboo yurt but, you know. BYO shade. Camping area at sunset when it was pretty filled up. lots of folk camped in amoungst the trees for shade. Sydney Samba School did a wee parade around the site on new year's eve. Mashy Pete carrying records over for a DJ set. Sydney Samba School did a wee parade around the site on new year's eve. LegoKid and his DIY "this is heaps better than Peat's Ridge" t shirt. Sydney Samba School did a wee parade around the site on new year's eve. Sydney Samba School did a wee parade around the site on new year's eve. hanging out in the stalls area as dusk falls. hanging out in the stalls area as dusk falls. Sydney Samba School did a wee parade around the site on new year's eve. the DIY body art zone surgical sideshow puppet performance surgical sideshow puppet performance hula hoop with lights in it. Too cool! hula hoop with lights in it. Too cool! hula hoop with lights in it. Too cool! fire twirling. Fortunately there was only one of them, everyone else bought battery-powered stuff. lighted poi in front of the dome. someone *had* to steal the "munters crossing" sign, it was just too cool to share. 7am on new year's day, there are still people dancing. some people were awake for the first morning of the new year, anyway. Moz likes the new year. Phuong on the wee council-owned ferry on our ride out. Hawkesbury River view. Lots of water ski boats but it was still peaceful enough. The ride up this valley was very nice. Houseboats seem like a great idea in rivers like this one. Moz taking a break.
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