Deep valley in forest,
+ 60 odd gypsies, hippies, pirates and other assorted freaks,
+ freezing cold weather,
+ blazing fires,
+ music to melt your mind and make you mad with passion,
= Rainbow Gathering, Benambra.

(Top pic: KC the dog. Age: 6. Sex: F. Location: wherever Craig is. Talent: singing. Turn-ons: sausages, kids, chasing sparks, weeing on stuff. Turn-offs: rabbits, cats, sitting still. Looking for: hot dog for fun, friendship, and maybe more (?) ;-)

(Below: the good thing about cold weather camping is it brings the tribe together round the fire… and encourages the sharing of body heat at night.)

(Above: the kitchen – hub of any good camp site.)

(Below: so many amazing musicians at this gathering. Thank you, one and all for bringing your hearts, your talent, and your courage. Blues, rock, hillbilly, jazz, folk, reggae, R & B… Playing with you around the fire was almost erotic. Some nights I feel like I left my body. I love you all.)

(Below: I’m usually the weirdo at most parties, but what I love about Rainbow Gatherings is; everyone here is a fucking weirdo! A prayer of thanks to you, oh Flying Spaghetti Monster. Thank you for the weirdos!)

(Below: there is only one track into the camp site, and you better have a serious vehicle if you wanna drive in. Craig’s truck, Milo, is a vehicle with a stern attitude.)

(Below: when I go to hippy gatherings like Rainbow, Confest, etc, there is always a pirate camp. How can you spot a pirate? Pirates like to eat meat, make bad taste jokes, play rock and roll, and sleep late. They’re a motley crew; hobos, musos, black sheep and anarchists. I feel right at home with pirates.)

(Above: breakfast at pirate camp is always a pleasure. Eaten between 11:00 and 13:00, the menu is bound to include coffee, bacon, white bread and a smoke. Just your basic health foods.)

(Above: of course, the kids loved hanging out at pirate camp and stuffing themselves with bacon, instead of eating at the vegan kitchen. They re-named pirate camp A.K.U.B.A.C: ‘Association for Keeping Unicorn Barbies Alive Club’. According to my young friends, the term ‘Unicorn Barbie’ is more politically correct than ‘Pirate’. Awesome kids. The younger generation give me hope for a better and weirder future.)

(Above: on the winding road from Omeo to Benambra, we spotted the ‘dog tree’. Feral dogs are a big problem for the local farmers. They shoot them when they see them, and hang them on this tree. Taking these photos required a high degree of intestinal fortitude.)

(Above: it’s not a Rainbow Gathering without teepees. Benambra had a couple of beauties.)

(Below: the hills around Benambra are full of magic mushrooms. While we were out hunting, we came across this mutant freak. I don’t know what it is, but it seemed to be unique, and nobody had the guts to eat it. *My mate, Dodgy, saw this pic and identified this fungus as a ‘scarlet-kill-you-stone-dead’ or some such thing. Don’t eat these, kids!*)

 

 
>> More stories and photos from Australia.
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>> More about Rainbow Gatherings.