Big Red Bash cancelled!

Submitted: Thursday, Sep 12, 2024 at 17:57

ThreadID: 148562 Views:3803 Replies:8 FollowUps:27

IvanTheTerrible

2025 Bash has been cancelled with the organisers saying they require a breather. The weird thing is the same organisers run Mundi with the same bands and the same equipment but it's not cancelled. Organisers were disappointed with the numbers attending Birdsville but Mundi was booked out to the point there was complaints about it being overcrowded. Is the writing on the wall for The Big Red Bash?

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Reply By: Member - TerritorianNT - Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 18:46

Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 18:46

Thats great news that its cancelled in 2025.
We had cancelled our own Simpson Desert Trip in 2025 because we could only get leave around the same time. But we can go now.
We don't go to the Simpson desert to be crammed in with 10,000 other people, we go for the desert itself.

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Follow Up By: IvanTheTerrible - Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 19:42

Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 19:42

We are the same. We avoid the place like the plague at that time. Also the Birdsville cup.

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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 09:48

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 09:48

That’s amusing, TerritorianNT! Does get very busy at Birdsville Caravan Park a night or two before the Bash, but the Bashers use less than 1 sq km of the Simpson’s 176,500 sq km while at Big Red.
Leaves plenty of room for you, me & others to do our thing.

Birdsville Van Park, night before the Bash. 2021.

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

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Follow Up By: IvanTheTerrible - Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 11:01

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 11:01

Bob
The Simpson and Birdsville Development road is very busy up to a two weeks either side of Big Red Bash.

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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 12:11

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 12:11

I think you would find it a bit busy in town during the bash. Are there not bus services to and from the bash for those who like to plug into power?

PeterD
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 14:26

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 14:26

Quote....."Bashers use less than 1 sq km of the Simpson’s 176,500 sq km while at Big Red.
Leaves plenty of room for you, me & others to do our thing."
And the traffic across the Simpson increases 10 fold and all the dunes are cut up.
Same as before and after the Finke.
Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Batt's - Thursday, Sep 26, 2024 at 15:26

Thursday, Sep 26, 2024 at 15:26

Good to see people with limited holiday times aren't disrupted on their own journey this time as it's quite often a once in a lifetime trip they saved up for.
They can have their fund raising event with the sand dune in the background without the need to close it down using the event as an excuse.

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Reply By: Member - William B - Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 19:33

Friday, Sep 13, 2024 at 19:33

You would have to think that it is a decision made on the money they didn't make.
A breather? If they were making money it would still be on.
We went to the BRB 2 years ago and the Mundi Mundi bash this year and it was a different feel.
Unless there is a artist I wanted desperately to see I won't be going again.
William

Always planning the next trip. VKS-737 mobile 1619

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Reply By: Member - peter g28 - Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 14:13

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 at 14:13

I went to the Birdsville races in 2015...
I got there, 30 years too late..
It took me 5 minutes to cross the road to the toilets from all the traffic going in and out of town from the common.
Helicopters flying people out to the race course..
The crowds and those tucken small prickles...
I felt the Windorah yabbie races were better..

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Reply By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 08:49

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 08:49

We have just come through Boulia a few weeks ago and the local businesses operators were complaining the timing of the Bash has completely changed the success of the Boulia camel races and they are suffering diminished seasonal movement of customers. When we were there the Betoota races were coming up, then Birsdsville and they had already changed the camel race weekend to cope with the effects the weather affected movement of people from the wet bash week. So i suspect there have been issues with the surrounding communities about the impact. They also complained that unlike the races which are all community managed and all funds stay in the local area, the Bash operators are a private business from NSW. They dont like it.
Michelle

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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 09:03

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 09:03

I wonder how it is possible, legally, to run a private money making business that requires 500 unpaid volunteers?
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Peter
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Follow Up By: IvanTheTerrible - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 14:32

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 14:32

Peter_n_Margaret
People are gullible.

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Follow Up By: Member - Jim S1 - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 15:19

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 15:19

I would assume that the volunteers do get free camping and free admission . Just assuming .

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Jim

"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." A fisherman.

"No road is long with good company." Traditional

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Follow Up By: IvanTheTerrible - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 19:44

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 19:44

Jim S1
Is it really free when you have to work?

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Follow Up By: Member - Jim S1 - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 19:57

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 19:57

No, not really. But it must work for some.

Cheers
Jim

"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." A fisherman.

"No road is long with good company." Traditional

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Follow Up By: Garry L - Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 22:28

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 at 22:28

"I wonder how it is possible, legally, to run a private money making business that requires 500 unpaid volunteers?"

Very similar to ( albeit non private ) the Australian Government making money off 15 million reluctant tax paying volunteers - the workers do the hard work and the business owners reap the rewards !

Gazz

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Follow Up By: Peter J4 - Monday, Sep 16, 2024 at 07:25

Monday, Sep 16, 2024 at 07:25

The logistics for Mundi Mundi would be much simpler and far less given that Broken Hill is 30 km away and then then well connected to major centres to cart the infrastructure if it wasn't available in BH.
Much better for such big crowds as they don't do the damage to roads and infrastructure like the BRB.

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Follow Up By: Member - Bigfish - Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 at 19:10

Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 at 19:10

Peter_n_Margaret ....Australia would stopw working as a country tomorrow if all the volunteers just quit!!!!!! The country as a whole depends on the hundreds of thousands of selfless volunteers...

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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 at 19:44

Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 at 19:44

Yes I understand that. We have a long history of volunteering ourselves, but this is a private company who's aim is to make a profit for the owners. That is a bit different from most volunteering efforts.
People can and do make their own judgements as to the worth of their volunteering, but I did wonder about the legalities of actively employing people in this way.
Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Member - Bigfish - Friday, Sep 20, 2024 at 06:49

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 at 06:49

I was under the impression that the people received a pass to the show, accommodation and food. I suppose if they are happy to do the job then the govt should keep its nose out of their affairs. . If the volunteers where abused or cheated then thats another story. . Many volunteers work for govt agencies that rely on these people to exist. I wouldn,t go near the BRB for a million quid...let alone volunteer...BUT..many of the volunteers turn up year after year so they must enjoy it. Private , public or govt organisation...volunteers are necessary but often not appreciated enough when organisations officers are making hundreds of thousands and volunteers...stuff all!!!

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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Friday, Sep 20, 2024 at 08:21

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 at 08:21

.
Spot on Bigfish.

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Allan

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Follow Up By: Tony W - Monday, Sep 23, 2024 at 07:05

Monday, Sep 23, 2024 at 07:05

Bigfish,

Volunteers do get free camping, but no food or accommodation other than a spot to camp in 250,000 sq kms of desert.

Of course, people know what they are signing up for, so it's a free world.

The issue is that the BRB owner attempts to promote itself as a charity, which it is not.

This page promotes giving back, but the RFDS donations are made by the attendees, not the company operating the event.

https://bigredbash.com.au/giving-back/

Some people might not care and be happy to get free entry which is $729 per person plus $179 per car to enter plus $15 to exit if you need to do so early.

So, arguably, you get $1,000 of "value" in return for your time.

Having suffered the traffic and inconvenience to others across the whole area twice, I won't miss it.

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Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Monday, Sep 23, 2024 at 17:44

Monday, Sep 23, 2024 at 17:44

Bigfish in fairness they don’t actually say they are a charity just that they support charities.

We accidentally got caught in Birdsville a few days before it started this year when doing the Hay River track, couldn’t get out of the place quick enough.
I get that some people like these type of events but they are not my thing

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Follow Up By: Michael H9 - Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024 at 14:00

Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024 at 14:00

Paying $1k to spend a weekend in knee deep mud, using porta loos......sounds like a hoot.

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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024 at 14:21

Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024 at 14:21

.
It seems that it is a "hoot" for about 8 thousand people.
But not me!

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Allan

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Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 at 07:06

Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 at 07:06

Me neither.

Macca.

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Reply By: RMD - Monday, Sep 16, 2024 at 19:20

Monday, Sep 16, 2024 at 19:20

I think the local gatherings and functions like camp drafts and local activities are great and are LOCAL. I go to the outback wherever it is, to see the amazing land and it's people. To go to Big Red for a beer can festival and have what some call music "artists" and thousands of people to tolerate isn't many people's cup of tea. Birdsville is a popular place to visit,, all good.

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