Less-than-ideal phone reception aside, Cloonan is not wrong. With an impressive lineup from local and beyond, and a picturesque location, Healesville Music Festival is a stunning event on the music festival calendar.
Though the festival is a unique opportunity for the Healesville music community to come together, it’s a unique chance for music lovers from across the state to discover a new chapter of Victoria’s vibrant music community.
“We have some incredible musicians that make the Yarra Valley their home and we have some great venues that are supporting them. There’s a real trend towards taking advantage of our beautiful surroundings and it’s the relaxed vibe at local wineries and distilleries that people really gravitate to,” Cloonan, one of the festival’s organisers, says. “Somehow the tunes are sweeter and the wine is perfect when you’re looking out across the vines to the mountains.”
The festival was dreamed up nearly ten years ago by a group of Healesvillian musicians, fuelled admittedly by some of that aforementioned wine. Due to a lack of gig opportunities in their hometown, these local artists were playing festivals in similar smaller towns, such as Yackandandah, Maldon and Newstead, and they loved it.
“We loved how these small towns supported their festivals, the sense of community, the amazing music and that somehow just being out of the burbs made everything a bit more magical, and we decided that we could do it here in Healesville,” Cloonan says.
It began humbly, with a free one-day event in a local part, featuring a few local bands, before blossoming into a multi-venue camping festival. Though the festival still values and features local acts, the lineup now features a range of bands from around Australia, and even overseas.
Now in its ninth iteration, the festival’s focus is on community involvement, an angle that highlights its roots. “It comes back to the initial festival dream and what we loved about the festivals in other small towns. There’s such an incredible community spirit in those towns and we wanted to bring that to Healesville,” Cloonan says.
“When a whole town’s behind an event it is completely energising and is felt by anyone that comes to the town. It’s about people being excited to live where they do and wanting to be part of an event that showcases their town.”
The festival bars will serve a range of locally produced beer and wine, encouraging patrons to explore the township, and visit Healesville breweries, distilleries, such as festival supporters Watts River Brewery and Innocent Bystander.
Alongside the live music, Healesville Music Festival runs a range of workshops and programs, featuring a range of other musicians and industry professionals. “It’s about being more than a listener, it’s taking away an experience that’s personal and maybe picking up a few handy tricks along the way,” Cloonan says.
Not just for the young-at-heart, there’s a huge program for the young-of-body. Impressively, all patrons aged 13 years and younger are welcome at all ticketed festival events, and even to camp, free of charge, in an effort to keep the festival family friendly.
“If we can get people along to experience the joy of live music then this will have enormous benefits, not just for them but for every venue that supports live music. And if our festival can help foster the love of live music in our kids then we’re winning,” Cloonan says.
Cloonan’s love for the Healesville music community is evident in her every word, and it’s a love that clearly permeates the entire community. The festival is completely run by volunteers, and funded by sponsorship. Its mere existence is proof of the passion for music that runs through Healesville.
“It’s diverse in its genres, and incredibly supportive. There’s a great culture of looking out for each other, supporting community events and sharing the gigs. We all try to get out to each other’s shows and we love giving our younger performers a chance to shine,” Cloonan says.
