The weekend saw us heading from Clinton, a busy suburb in Gladstone Qld, all the way to rural QLD. Having left from Newcastle it meant five days of driving; three days to get there, and two between each gig. With the caravans on the back (which handled the trip with no issues whatsoever), it meant that we had to go slightly slower than usual and by the fifth day the kids were well and truly over being in the car.
We arrived in Clinton on Friday afternoon exhausted and in need of stretching our legs. We set the caravans up out the front of the Harvey Road Tavern where Catherine was playing and got to work setting up. The night was long, but it was made better with the resident face painter who kept the kids entertained while Catherine and Ben talked logistics with the staff. The night ran well with two support acts opening up for Catherine. Katelann Maree and Amanda Heartsong, who Catherine mentored in the academy made the drive to come out and play and stayed with us over the entire weekend.
Amanda Heartsong
Amanda Heartsong was first out for support. With her long wavy hair out and dressed in Kasey Chamber’s poetry line, Amanda looked naturally at ease as she took the stage. Her music followed; a constant beat of classic covers with a few originals thrown in to keep the audience chatting and enjoying the night.
Katelann Maree followed. Katelann’s music tells the story of her life through the tumultuous and vulnerable to the confident and resilient on the other side. Her vocals reflect that. Katelann wipes the stage with her soft and alluring sound and blows the audience away with her captivating strength.
A measly four hours’ drive from Clinton and we ended up at the Star Hotel in Eidsfold. The place where the roads meet from North, South, East and West. Eidsfold was a beacon, a meeting place for everyone. And that’s exactly the vibe it has. When we pulled up at the hotel, we were immediately greeted by Kinta and Rick, their three children and their dog Flossy and they showed us their grand plans for the night.
Katelann Maree
They’d organised the road to be closed off and a jumping castle to be bought in. There was ice cream and a BBQ, a hot food truck and a coffee truck. Catherine’s gig was turned into a full-blown family event for the whole town to enjoy. Exactly the aim of the Bush Pubs Tour and what Kinta and Rick are trying to achieve after taking over the running of the pub.
After being shown around we were able to settle into our Jayco caravans for some down time until the show began. Music began in the late afternoon with Richard Waterson and if you closed your eyes, you’d swear you were listening to Chris Stapleton. A fantastic voice and person, Catherine was enthralled by the Brisbane musician, who’d come out to support Eidsfold.
The next day we didn’t want to leave. We slowly said our goodbyes to Kinta and Rick and headed North-East to Bucca. A small two-hour drive compared to previous days, which was a nice change.
Rick and Kinta, Eidsfold Hotel
Bucca Hotel
We came into Bucca completely taken by its beauty. We crossed the local water hole where several families picnicked, while the kids played in the water and headed up the hill to the Bucca Hotel. As we looked up the hill we were greeted by a full pub and music already playing and we couldn’t help but want to be part of it.
We parked the vans at the back of the pub overlooking a tree filled valley and headed inside. The gig was a great end to an awesome weekend. The crowd was friendly and ready to dance, and the food was delicious. Even the staff and publicans joined in on the fun.
The next morning, we started the day off with some exercise lead by Katelann, who’s also a personal trainer and owns Miles Golden Gloves in Miles QLD. We followed it up with a relaxing swim in the freshwater hole before making our way back to the vans to plan out our next week on the road.
See you at the pub!
Exercising at the water hole at Bucca