The Bluewater Country Music Festival will hit the water this year.
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In its 11th year, the festival has attracted the largest number of venues on record with two of them being cruise vessels.
The MV Spirit of Port Stephens and Moonshadow IV will be two of 30 Tomaree Pensinula-based venues that will host performers and entertainers as part of the annual country music festival, which will hit the Bay between June 8 and 12.
Many of the 100 plus artists in the lineup for this year’s event hail from Hunter Valley. Artists from Tasmania and South Australia will also be performing.
To add something extra to this year’s festival, organisers have reintroduced Country Cruises.
“These proved highly successful in the early years of the festival and accordingly have been reintroduced into the 2017 program,” Peter Clough, the business development officer for Nelson Bay and District Business Association, said.
On Saturday, June 10 there will be a Bush Poets Morning Tea cruise on board Moonshadow IV. This will leave from d’Albora Marinas Nelson Bay at 10am and return about noon.
On board the cruise will be award-winning bush poets Murray “Muz” Hartin and Bill “the master of bull” Kearns.
Originally with The Naked Poets, and now with The Four Funny Buggers, Muz performs to big crowds at the Tamworth Country Music Festival every year.
His stories epitomise mateship.
A lifetime lover of traditional poetry, Kearns set out about 20 ago to be a serious writer of verse.
But, alas, he fell into the clutches of a band of Australian bush poets and “totally corrupted”.
He discovered a talent for writing comic verse and an ability to see the weird and warped in seemingly normal everyday situations.
Other bush poets that will perform during this year’s festival include Clair Reynolds, The Rhymer from Ryde – Graeme Johnson – Kerry Sprigg and Peter Mare.
On Sunday, June 11, there will be will be a Country Music Luncheon Cruise on the MV Spirit of Port Stephens.
This cruise will leave d’Albora Marinas at noon and return about 3.30pm, after a luncheon at Salamander Shores.
This cruise will be hosted by well-known and award winning Tasmanian country music artist Gina Timms.
She will provide country music entertainment throughout the cruise and the luncheon.
Tickets for the bush poets cruise on the Saturday cost $46 per person. Tickets for the luncheon cruise on Sunday cosh 466 per person.
For bookings go to bluewatercountrymusic.com or phone 4984 4751.
