Festival plagued by rain, ground covered in mud

A popular Australian festival attended by thousands of people has been plagued by rain, with the entire campsite covered in muddy puddles.

About 7000 people are expected to make their way thousands of kilometres across the Australian outback to this year’s Big Red Bash in Birdsville, Queensland.

Located about 1580kms east of Brisbane, the annual event attracts thousands of travellers each year who make the long journey to the edge of the Simpson Desert for three days of music and fun.

This year, festivalgoers have been met with inches of mud as unseasonal wet weather poured down across the region.

On Sunday night, the Bureau of Metrology predicted between 5 and 20mm of rain to go through the festival site seeing event organisers suspend campers from entering until they could assess site conditions.

Authorities closed one camping area in Birdsville which forced people to relocate to a new ground.

The Birdsville Track which runs from Maree in South Australia to the remote town in Queensland was also closed and police set up a roadblock to prevent non essential travel to the area.

An event spokesperson said the access roads and campsites were not too bad considering the amount of rain, and they were hopeful they could let people back in on Monday afternoon.

“This morning the sun is shining and the breeze is expected to pick up. The site is now starting to dry out. You can look forward to a dust-free bash,” the spokesperson said.

The Queensland Ambulance Service shared photos on social media from the festival site show the rain and mud swamping the grounds.

“Around 6000 patrons currently have their boots in the mud camping out at the remote Big Red Bash festival, with another 1000 expected to arrive once the roads dry out and reopen,” the post stated.

“With the sun now out shining and the music starting tomorrow, there’s no dampened spirits to be found.

“If you’re still on your way out to Birdsville, remember to drive safely on the slippery roads and ensure you’re well stocked and prepared to tackle the elements.”

This year’s event is set to kick off on Tuesday with Australian acts including Tina Arena, Jon Stevens, Tim Finn, Diesel, Ian Moss and the Baby Animals.