Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster program announced
The Kimberley’s Ultimate Festival is back in 2023. The Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster will be held 19 – 27 May 2023 in Kununurra, Miriwoong and Gajirrabeng country, in Western Australia’s northwest, with tickets on sale now.
A curated program of special events, from big concerts to lunchtime sessions, station luncheons, comedy, Indigenous culture and arts and family-friendly festivities kick off the East Kimberley’s tourism season.
Leave the everyday behind, hitch the caravan and explore the beautiful, otherworldly expanse of the East Kimberley. It’s a place that grounds you, and its red dust never leaves you. And during the ‘Muster’ it’s where you can dine under a galaxy of stars and wake up with a blissful floating yoga session on the Ord River.
You’ll feel another world away thanks to Kununurra’s big skies, far horizons, distant ranges and fat boab trees just waiting for hugs. The sunsets here are so beautiful, filling the sky with every shade of yellow, orange and red, like standing inside a living kaleidoscope.
A highlight of the nine-day Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster festival is the Aviair HeliSpirit Kimberley Moon Experience headlined by WA’s home-grown Birds of Tokyo along with Toni Childs and King Stingray on Saturday 20th May at the Festival Hub, on the banks of Lake Kununurra and walking distance to town.
Lux or leisure, there are a few ways to experience the Aviair HeliSpirit Kimberley Moon Experience.
For a dazzling, elevated experience, the all-inclusive glamorous black-tie Kimberley Fine Diamonds Dinner includes champagne, canapés, a seated multi-course dinner, and a full bar and dancefloor, ready for you to shimmer and shake all night long.
In the reinvigorated 18+ Muster Bar, find an exclusive area with a licensed bar, delicious food, private toilets and seating options, everything you need for the perfect child-free night out.
The popular and most accessible all-ages ‘Moon’ experience encourages eventgoers to bring a picnic, rug, esky and their dancing shoes for a magical night of music under a star-studded sky.
The stars will twinkle above, but the star talent will be on stage, excited to perform in this special part of Australia.
Starting from independent roots, Birds of Tokyo have become one of Australia’s most popular contemporary rock bands, releasing six studio albums, topping the ARIA charts, winning APRA’s ‘Rock Work of the Year’ five times, and headlining the AFL 2021 Grand Final.
Classic songs like ‘Good Lord’, ‘Two Of Us’, ‘Plans’, ‘Lanterns’, ‘Brace’ and ‘I’d Go With You Anywhere’ have all been top 10 airplay hits and more than seventy Birds of Tokyo tracks have featured on Triple J, making them one of the National Youth Broadcaster’s three most played artists of this millennium.
“The East Kimberley is a truly special part of the world and I’ve been lucky enough to visit once before so I know the band can’t wait to meet the crowds and explore the region while we’re up there,” says Ian Kenny, frontman of Birds Of Tokyo.
Emmy Winner and three-time Grammy nominated recording artist Toni Childs is a celebrated singer/songwriter known for her powerful voice, inspiring independent spirit and crafted storytelling. With fans in over 50 countries around the world, Toni has produced a list of international hits such as ‘Don’t Walk Away’, ‘Stop Your Fussin’’, ‘Walk and Talk Like Angels’, ‘Zimbabwe’, ‘Where’s the Ocean’, ‘Many Rivers to Cross’, ‘I’ve Got to Go Now’ and ‘Because You’re Beautiful’, to name a few.
With a career spanning over 40 years, Californian-born Childs, who recently became an Australian citizen, has been performing since she left home to become a musician at 15 years of age.
For Childs, it will be her first visit to Kununurra but not to the region, and she says she can’t wait to get there, meet some locals and hopefully explore some more of the East Kimberley.
“There’s something magical about the untouched land and swimming in the wild,” says Ms Childs.
“The East Kimberley is such a special place; the energy of the ancient country is soothing, stirring and uplifting. I can’t wait to mix that with my music at the Kimberley Moon Experience.
“Get ready, I’m comin’ for you! Get ready to be loved up and leave with a little extra something-something in your step,” Ms Childs says.
With one foot planted in history and another firmly in the future, King Stingray is Arnhem Land’s hottest musical export. The band took out the enviable title of #1 Most Played Australian Track on Triple J, for their accidental lockdown anthem, ‘Get Me Out’.
Other unmissable events in the program include Comedy in the Park, held for one night only at the Festival Hub on Wednesday, 24th May; the line-up of comedians will be announced soon.
On Thursday, 25th May, get ready for the toe-tapping, boot-scooting Johnny Cash Tribute Show that includes the greatest hits of The Man in Black as performed by Monty Cotton, whose voice has been described by the Edinburgh Spotlight as being so close to Johnny Cash’s that with your eyes closed, you’d think it was the real Cash singing himself.
The music doesn’t stop there. Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse performon Sunday, 21st May, at Art in the Park, in a rare performance that connects and captures audiences through the power of song. Theirs is a fresh, modern interpretation of ancient music and stories, singing in the language of her Noongar people – connecting one of the world’s oldest languages with our youngest audiences.
The stunning outdoor exhibition Art in the Park on 21st May showcases works from the region’s incredible creators. Wander around and appreciate the prints, paintings, photography, screen printing, fabrics, sculpture and wearable art on display as the sun sets, turning the sky from blue to orange. Stay for a drink and a bite to eat as the captivating music of Gina Williams and Guy Grouse moves from the background to the main performance.
Captivation continues at Storytelling Night as Miriwoong Elder David Newry hosts a cultural night around a campfire of storytelling expressed in a number of forms, including the spoken word, movement and song, presented by the Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre (MDWg) on Tuesday 23rd May at the Festival Hub.
A powerful cultural performance full of sound, story, intercultural collaboration and reconciliation, the premiere of The Journey Down is on Friday 19th May.
There are more cultural experiences with the Waringarri Arts Centre, including the popular Corroboree Under The Stars on Monday 22nd May, the Waringarri Art Centre Experiences and the newArt, Culture and Cuisine, both held on various dates.
Interwoven during the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster are early morning Yoga Boats, the perfect way to wake up, re-energise and take in the beautiful surrounds of Packsaddle Lagoon.
There are free Lunchtime Festival Sessions at the Festival Hub from Tuesday to Thursday (23rd to 25th May) and sophisticated ticketed day-time dining events at the Exclusive Bullo River Lunch and Station Tour on Tuesday, 23rd May.
Two sporting events join the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster program. The Gibb Challenge sees over 350 cyclists tackle the Gibb River Road from Derby through the vast savannah to Kununurra and the 29 kilometre Ord River Paddle with 40 competitors on identical kayaks racing from the Lake Argyle dam wall along the upper Ord River River to finish on Sandy Beach.
The Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster celebrates the local East Kimberley community with a free heart-warming showcase at Horizon Power Party in the Park with joyous song, dance and music performances on Friday 26th May.
Don the denim and grab a cowboy hatfor the Top End Mustering Rodeo, which closes the festival Saturday, 27th May.
The WA Government is a proud supporter of the event through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Roger Cook says that the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster is a much-loved event.
“The Ord Valley Muster is a highlight on the Kimberley’s events calendar, and the 2023 festival will be no different with another huge line up,” says Minister Cook.
“This iconic event attracts thousands of visitors to the region and provides a significant boost to local tourism and hospitality operators.
“I encourage all those booking their tickets to take the chance to lock in a tourism experience – such as a cruise on the picturesque Lake Argyle or a guided tour through the otherworldly Bungle Bungle Range – and make it a truly memorable and exciting visit,” Minister Cook says.
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan says the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster is a truly brilliant event.
“The Ord Valley Muster sparkles like a Kimberley diamond,” MinisterMacTiernan says.
“We are proud as always to be sponsoring this event and very happy it will fire up again in 2023.”
Ord Valley Events Chair Sophie Cooke says that she’s excited to announce the event program and bring the Muster back to Kununurra after it was cancelled in 2022 due to the pandemic.
“We’re thrilled with this year’s line-up of extraordinary talent and events,” says Ms Cooke.
“We’ve intentionally curated a program of events to suit every kind of local and visitor, something for all ages, for those that like exclusive experiences to those that love a free festival, for those who are enchanted by Indigenous experience to those that love a laugh and a good sing-a-long.
“We introduced the Festival Hub for the 20th anniversary event in 2021, and it was a huge success, not surprising as it’s the perfect location for a festival – across the road from many major accommodation options and a short walk into town.
“After missing a year, as a Board, we’re very excited about the Ord Valley Muster 2023 and proud to be taking it into its third decade with an offering that’ll suit every kind of festival goer,” says Ms Cooke.
Tickets on sale: www.ordvalleymuster.com.au
