1993 — Meredith History

1993 came around and this time the crowd doubled again.

This was the year, Meredith historians agree, that the Festival really pricked the consciousness of fun-lovers everywhere.

Word of mouth brought people from Sydney, Adelaide, Tasmania and even from the heavens (two brothers flew in by helicopter, complete with esky and tent).

A bigger stage, a bigger PA, the best bands around and that start-of-summer-excitement were the ingredients for two of the best days on the entertainment calendar.

Camping started to get serious, this was the year the celebrated ‘Compound’ was formed ‘over the back’. The site had two distinct camping areas; the outer ring around the Amphitheatre which was closest to the gate, and the hilly area over the back of the stage. The Compound was formed by a circle of cars and tents strategically arranged to deter would-be droppers-in dropping in so the high priests of a certain scene could relax unbothered. The Compound lasted many years, and from The Compound many a musician wandered down to the stage to play their set. The Compound made a huge and vital contribution to what Meredith was, and is. We salute you, The Compound.

Is it still going? We know some of its constituents still attend Meredith, do they form a compound? Or has The Compound fractured?
Please email Aunty Meredith if you know the answer.

Fresh off the set of a film that couldn’t have predicted its own legacy in Australian cinema at the time, was a certain 1976 Japanese model Hino Freighter, still half covered in chipped powder pink paint, and known affectionately as ‘Priscilla’.

Shortly before she hibernated for 30 years in a Ewingar paddock, she carried The Whitlams safely to and from The Sup’ – but not without a little bogging, for good measure, of course.

This was also the year that the World Famous Meredith Gift was conceived.

It all started when one of the bands was late to arrive. What do we do, we wondered. Have a race involving the patrons. Winner gets cold beer. Someone wandered to the front of the stage as this was being announced and asked what they’d win if they did it in the nude. MORE cold beer, of course.

The following year the race was held again – as it was a talking point from the year before – and several people got nude, completely on their own accord. The year after we had to limit entry to only fully nude people, as there were so many people wanting to run.

Who Played?

The Affected Icecream Hands The Plums Ripe The Fat Thing Housewives' Choice Powder Monkeys Guttersnipes Fireballs Billy Baxter Loin Groin Kipling Ensemble Seaweed Goorillas NKS Jamm Spiderbait The Whitlams Hoss

Poster

Playing Times