RAINBOW SERPANT FESTIVAL

After Jaimie's cousin Adam traveled some of Australia last year, Rainbow Serpent festival has been on the cards. Only a couple of hours from Lorne, Rainbow is noted as one of the country's best festivals. We get a lift from Jamie's family to Geelong and from there

we take a bus heading for Ballarat a town famous for its gold mining past.

The public transportation in Australia leaves a lot to be desired, coming for the UK we are stunned by the limited services for travel outside of the cities, buses are

infrequent and a train network is near non existent, still, with a little patience and some adventure in your heart you can get by). From there another bus takes us to Beaufort, adesolate little town, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. But as soon as were off the bus we know were in the rite place, as a woman sticks her head out of a parked car nearby - “Hey g'day there, you guys heading to Rainbow? I'll drive ya for forty bucks? . .”. We kindly decline her offer, and take our

chances hitching a ride to the festival site, as were a day early for the shuttle bus.

With the young and beautiful Jaimie on the road with a thumb out and a disgruntled, overheated Storm concealed in the shade of a cafe canopy, cold drink in hand we have no trouble finding a lift. We meet a group of Rainbow veterans, happy hippies from Melbourne who invite us to camp with them once we get to the festival. The festival is amazing, with an emphasis on well being, vibrancy and the psychedelic we feel rite at home. Well versed in festivals as we are, this one was a new experience for us both, given Jaimie's knee was still recovering from a dislocation. So, less hours spent stomping on the dance floor and going crazy

for three days solid (the prices of stuff compared with the UK also shaped our experience hugely). A different experience yes but a refreshing one, for all the festivals we've been to across the world and all the money spent on tickets, in reflection we've only ever scratched the surface of stuff you can do at these things. Yes, it's amazing, who would have thought it, for your £200 theres more happening than sessions at the campsite and the DJ's!! So anyway, we took advantage of being somewhat disabled from the usual routine and got stuck into some of the workshops and talks that were happening. I learnt all about 2012 and “The Awakening” and the 26,000 year planetary alignment, Jaimie learnt all about the health benefits of super foods and raw chocolate, she also got stuck

into a hoola-hoop dance workshop, I made juggling balls and learnt some new tricks, and with the help of a local mushroom speciality . . . we spent hours stomping on the dance floor and going crazy, of course!!

Besides all that mischief and malarkey, we met a lovely bunch of people from Adelaide, all musicians and media folk who besides spoiling us rotten at they're campsite, invited us up to Adelaide for the fringe festival, the largest fringe festival outside of Edinburgh

apparently. So that will be our first proper adventure in the van, a 500 mile journey along the south coast, not bad for a first journey, about the equivalent of Landsend to Edinburgh. leaving this wednesday! Of course we have absolutely no idea who is playing or what there is to

see, but with local hosts / guides and the Womad festival which is happening at the same time as the fringe (which, by the way is called Womadelaide! genius) We're sure to have an

amazing time!