Day 11: Golconda
Welcome
Yesterday we played our final show of the tour and our first ever show in Tasmania.
Both divisions of The Beths visited The Gorge yesterday morning. The Rhythm Section Division were the first to arrive at this famous Launceston tourist attraction, leaving the hotel for a morning run and jogging to the entrance of the Cataract Gorge, a steep valley where the South Esk River flows into the River Tamar. Tristan and I ran up a very steep hill which after much suffering rewarded us with a splendid view up and down the valley, a rich variety of trees giving way to a rocky river, blue green flowing water, and fizzing rapids. We descended on a zig zagging path and reached the valley floor where we found a huge lawn and a swimming pool, an achievement of the 19th century colonists who drained and dug out a deep swamp to create this tourist-friendly area. There are two ways to cross the gorge at this spot and we chose to use the Alexandra Suspension Bridge, a historic structure that has carried pedestrian traffic since 1904, with a minor hiccup in 1929 when it was destroyed by flooding and had to be rebuilt. The 45-metre main span is narrow, just enough for double file and yesterday it was busy, pedestrian traffic at a standstill as tens of people at a time stopped for photographs.
The Electric Guitar Division of The Beths made it to The Gorge sometime later in the morning, Jon and Liz opting to take breakfast before their outing, unlike Tristan and myself. They chose to enjoy the other method of crossing this rugged waterway, a 450m chairlift which soars above the lawn and swimming pool and then over the river basin to a landing spot high up the far side of the valley.
Tristan and I dined out for breakfast at a café just around the corner from the hotel, a modest establishment that called itself Great Scott, perhaps after the explorer, perhaps after the exclamation. The menu was confronting, two densely printed A4 pages of all caps, barely punctuated, and looking like an attempt at slam poetry. I read it gently, deliberating for a while and settling on a Nourish Bowl which was kale, quinoa, strawberry, avocado, feta, and almonds, tossed with orange maple dressing, and topped with grilled halloumi, balsamic glaze, and a poached egg.
At 2:00pm both primary divisions of The Beths were aboard the festival transfer van along with two auxiliary divisions, those of tour management and live audio. We headed north out of Launceston through the countryside, occasional villages and stretches of housing giving way to farms with livestock scattered behind wire fences, faded outbuildings, and yards filled with the decaying ruins of last century’s automobiles. After an hour we pulled off the highway and continued along a dirt road that plunged into thick forest, a bumpy ride that ended ten minutes later when we saw flashes of vehicles and tents through gaps in the trees and arrived at a clearing that turned out to be the artist area of this remote gathering. We were in Golconda, in the forest, and this was Panama Festival.
Most of the green rooms in this artist area were large canvas tents but we were spoilt, allocated a small wooden cabin with lights and electricity, and finding a lovingly prepared rider inside taking up a good part of the table. The festival grounds were spread across clearings and meadows in this beautiful area of native bush, three small stages to deliver the promised entertainment and many stalls around the periphery offering goods and services like handmade pottery, clothing trading, or energy healing. We made the most of the open space in the artist area, beginning a game of cricket that would go for most of the afternoon and draw in many of the artists as they were forced to walk through the middle on the way to the bathrooms.
Our set began in the middle of the evening as the light began to fade. There was not quite a glorious sunset to bask under but as it grew dark festoons and spotlights began to come on and the area around the stage took on a magical atmosphere. The crowd had turned up with smiles on their faces, heavily costumed, and with a ruthless determination to dance for forty-five minutes non-stop, a procedure we were only too happy to help with. The music came out easily and we played a fun and tight set, ending on a high but also sad to put a lid on such an enjoyable experience.
It was pitch black on the forest road as we left the festival, save for the bright headlight beams of the Toyota Hiace which threw out a sharp, white light, ending abruptly fifty metres in front of us. Small, grey, furry creatures were caught in these beams on several occasions, possums lazily making their way across the road, seemingly unconcerned with the regular transport services making their way along the gravel thoroughfare. Our driver took it carefully, spotting the animals from a distance and gently veering to give them space to cross. An hour later we were back at the hotel, stowing our equipment in their luggage room and heading upstairs to our waiting beds, tired from a day of activities and ready to make our way home back across the Tasman.
Thanks for following along this past couple of weeks. I’ll see you all in April, but for now I’ll leave you with a treat, the latest video from Tristan, sketches from our time in Melbourne and Tasmania.