Thanks to Graham and Donna that I house sat for last year I was able to plan for the Bridgetown Blues Festival this year. Graham sends me information about events in WA that I might be interested in and the planets aligned this year to put me in the right area at the right time to enjoy this amazing weekend. And I was lucky enough to share it with some Solo friends…
There were a few of us exploring this beautiful part of Western Australia after leaving the CMCA Rally in Albany so I was joined at Bridgetown by Jolanta, Maggie, Shannon and Kerry – much more fun when you can share these wonderful experiences. And Bridgetown itself is a very pretty town and well worth a visit.
I’d only just arrived at the camping area at the showgrounds ($45 for 3 nights, showers and toilets provided) when I got a message from Janet, who was the caretaker at Salmon Gums when I stopped there earlier this year She saw me drive through Bridgetown and was keen to catch up. Well, that was easy, as it turned out I had camped right next to her! If you don’t remember Janet from my blogs I’m sure you’ll remember her dog, wee Jock, who was the subject of Max the Mad Rooter’s attention!
You could buy a ticket for all the events for the very reasonable price of around $180 but knowing I had some expenses coming up to keep Brutus on the road I opted to enjoy whatever was available for free in the street and pub venues over the weekend. There were plenty of venues and plenty of music to keep me busy! ( Should that be were or was?)
The campground was friendly and the commuter bus that ran continually for only $2 a ride ferried us back and forth to town, as it was a bit of a hilly hike from the main street to the showgrounds. So we’d wander in for a few hours, come back to the camp for some rest and recovery, then hit the venues again for the evening sessions.
The following photos were taken on Friday night at the Freo (Freemason’s Hotel). The first act, Jodie Boni, had a powerful voice and I enjoyed her music as one of the best of the weekend. And it was lovely to see her relaxing at the Cidery on Sunday with her friends and family – very natural.
Saturday was stinking hot so the air-conditioned pubs were the places to be. Steve who was camped opposite me kept me company for the first couple of hours until he went off to the paid venues to see Russell Morris and Diesel while I was happy to enjoy the cool outdoors – and even cooler music – at the Bridgetown Hotel. Mind you, I did cop a bit of flack from the other girls for ‘picking up’ a good looking fella! Later that night it started to rain so I headed home before I turned into a pumpkin and conserved my energy for another full on day on Sunday.
There was still a lot happening in town but we decided to head out to The Cidery for a casual lunch and some more great music – a perfect day. There were 2 different entertainers today but my favourite was definitely Andrew Winton. Loved his music and his friendly chat. We sat at a table right in front of the stage so got to enjoy it all up close and personal.
We didn’t have tickets for the wrap party so made our way back to camp, everyone heading in different directions when we left on Monday morning. What a fantastic weekend – good music, good friends and a great atmosphere.
The Snail Trail 