The Mundi Mundi Bash is a festival like no other. Think breathtaking views, oz rock legends, camping under crystal clear skies, every kind of bbq’d meat imaginable, and outdoor activities to boot. It’s a three-day festival, held on the open red plains just 40km northwest of the historical Broken Hill region, and mate, if the entertainment doesn’t wow you, I can guarantee the backdrop (beautiful Barrier Ranges) will.

Hosted by the same producers of the iconic Birdsville Big Red Bash, the Mundi Mundi Bash showcases the natural beauty of outback NSW, while raising awareness and funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

After much anticipation and planning, Lee, myself (Stacey), and four of our children set off on an 11 day trip to attend the August 2022 Mundi Mundi Bash. We loved it so much that we returned again this year (2023) and have agreed that it’ll become a annual family tradition. But, it did take a lot of planning, which is why we thought we’d save you time with our review of the event so you can decide if you’ll attend in 2024. Who knows, we may even see you there!

Can you spot us in there?

Stellar line-up of Australian Rock Legends

Without a doubt, the main selling point of The Bash is the three-day live concert. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy listening to some of Australia’s most iconic singers belting out their best tunes in the middle of nowhere, shrouded by the glow of a setting sun? There’s honestly no experience that can compare.

The concert area was well organised, clean, and family-friendly. Was there alcohol being consumed? Yes. Were there obnoxious drunks destroying the ambience of the evenings? No. Just a lot of people who’d driven a long way to sit in their camp chairs with their nibbles, and enjoy some amazing Australian rock music.

No caption needed…just stunning

The 2023 Mundi Mundi Bash Line-Up

There was honestly a rhythm and rhyme for everyone this year. We have six kids, all with varying tastes in music, and I can happily confirm that all of them enjoyed the line-up at The Mundi Mundi Bash this year. The acts included: Icehouse, Hoodo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels, The Waifs, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley, Dragon, Thirsty Merc, Chocolate Starfish, Shane Howard, Jack Jones, Pierce Brothers, Wendy Matthews, Grace Knight, The Chantoozies, Melanie Dyer, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Furnace and the Fundamentals, Mi-Sex, and of course, non other than The Mundi Mundi Band (who crush it every year!).

The 2022 Mundi Mundi Bash Line-Up

The bumper artist lineup in August 2022 included: Midnight Oil, Jimmy Barnes, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Jon Stevens, Daryl Braithwaite, The Black Sorrows, Richard Clapton, Russell Morris, The Wolfe Brothers, Sarah McLeod, Busby Marou, The Rolling Stones Review, Bjorn Again, Mick Thomas, Ash Grunwald, Bachelor Girl, Pierce Brothers, Eurogliders, Mel Dyer, The Buckleys, and Kyle Lionhart.

Jimmy performed to a crowd of Workin’ Class Men (and women) drinking Cheap Wine and singing like Choir Girl(s) to Khe Sanh. To much? You should see my out-of-office email I wrote for this holiday.

Jam-packed program of outback activities

So the concert starts at 1pm each day, but…the activities start at sunrise (literally). Here are just some of the offerings we had access to:

• Sunrise yoga
• Nutbush World Record Attempt
• Mad Max World Record Attempt
• Mundi Undi Run
• Mundi’s Got Talent
• Doggie Fashions On The Plains
• Scenic helicopter flights
• Camel Rides
• Petting zoo
• The Crackup Sisters
• Volleyball
• Dunny door painting
• Stone stacking
• Outdoor film screenings

Food, glorious didn’t-have-to-cook-it-myself food

Look, I’m going to be real: the food at The Mundi Mundi Bash was one of my first selling points. I love me some BBQ’d meat, and I’m also pretty keen on churros with chocolate sauce. Ohh, and I don’t mind a woodfired pizza. Come to think of it, it was really nice to wake up at the campsite, take a short stroll in the fresh air, and get my hands around a freshly brewed coffee, and toasty warm, just-baked bread as well. All in all, there were twenty food vendors at The Bash, selling everything from arancini to kebabs – if you had a hankering for something, it was there.

The food options didn’t end with the food trucks – local businesses also delivered their delicacies. We purchased this incredible platter from The Deli in Broken Hill

CAMPING AT THE BASH

Not gonna lie, camping at The Bash takes us (and I bet others) quite a bit of organisation. Because here’s the deal: you’re camping with 12,000 other people, and to make this work, the rule is once you’re in…you’re in. There’s no ducking up to the shops to grab supplies. Luckily, there are some vendors set up with camping basics you can purchase, and plenty of food trucks if you run out of food. 

We may have been in the middle of nowhere, but it didn’t stop us getting barista coffee and a freshly baked cheese and bacon loaf for breaky every morning.

Now, this campsite isn’t one of those ones where everyone rocks up to a tidy site and leaves it looking like a complete shitfight. When you enter The Bash, you’re given a sticker entitling you to dispose of one garbage bag of rubbish for free – anything more than that is your responsibility. We were concerned, to say the least. I mean, we try our best to be environmentally conscious, but one garbage bag for eight people, for four days…I’m sure you can understand our doubts.

However, thanks to the many recycling bins placed around The Mundi Mundi Bash, we easily made that one garbage bag work – and now that we’ve proven we can do it, I’m on a mission to improve our rubbish disposal habits at home. And it seems we weren’t the only ones focused on leaving the campsite pristine; when we drove out of The Bash, it was refreshing to see the stunning red dirt of the Mundi Mundi plains return to its natural state.

There’s one major downside to camping out on the plains: the weather is unpredictable. Look, mostly our days were great, but…there was one night a massive windstorm hit and turned the place into a disaster scene. Picture tents and gazebos flying 300 metres away (no exageration), flying fire ambers, kids and adults screaming. It was scary, and it was a hard (sleepless) lesson for a some of people who didn’t secure their campsites well enough. Take this advice from me: when you’re planning the placement of your campfire and camping gear, keep potential weather changes in mind. 

Finer details of The Mundi Mundi Bash

The Mundi Mundi Bash was one of the best organised events I’ve ever attended. We rocked up with a camper trailer, six kids, two dogs, and a whole lot of expectations – these guys met them all.

Before we even arrived, we’d all downloaded The Mundi Mundi Bash app and set our own itineraries. Because the event was family friendly, the kids could safely make their way to activities by themselves – any parent would know the value in this alone. As parents, we didn’t need to split ourselves five different ways to appease the kids – they simply made their way off to activities by themselves. Gold.

Ever feel the need to run through the desert in your undies? Do it. Better yet, do it at The Bash and raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service 

Pet Friendly Festival

Everyone’s invited on this outback adventure! The organisers of Thew Mundi Mundi Bash know that people travel great distances for the opportunity to watch our very own Australian rock legends do their thing, which is why they’ve made an allowance for travellers to bring their (well-behaved) doggos along.

And mate, these dogs get the royal treatment! They’re welcome to do all the things their human counterparts do at The Bash, albeit with a few rules to keep everyone safe.

Speaking of staying safe, the organisers even have Veterinary services set up, just incase you little one needs some extra love.

MUNDI MUNDI BASH APP

Worried about how you might fit it all in? Don’t be. The Mundi Mundi Bash has a purpose-built app to schedule your day. Or if you’re not into doing all. the. things…don’t. Put your feet up at your campsite and relax while others enjoy yoga posing in the desert.

BASH FM

Ever go to an event, get there, and have no effing clue what is going on when? The organisers of The Bash ensure this predicament isn’t possible for their attendees. You can still feel a part of the action from your campsite, thanks to Bash FM – the radio station created specifically for The Bash. Everything from event reminders, campsite tips, interviews, and music was played over Bash FM while we were there – it meant we missed nothing.

The Mundi Mundi Bash Volunteers

There’s really something to be said for the atmosphere of The Mundi Mundi Bash – it’s an inclusive and welcoming community. I guess that comes as a result of impeccable planning and also the fact that everyone travels so far to attend. But there’s another reason it’s so successful…the volunteers.

There are over 500 volunteers who make the event the success it is. Everywhere you look, there’s a volunteer squirrelling around…organising the campsites, concert arena, fundraising events, and cleaning the dunnies…and mate, we need to talk about those dunnies.

These guys are the very reason The Bash is, what it is…thanks guys

The dunny situation

I wouldn’t be doing this blog any justice if I didn’t mention the composting loos. Hands down the most colourful toilet your butt would have ever graced; these things were biodegradable, compostable, and most importantly, clean.

Photo credit

Discovering the Outback Location

Smack dab in the heart of the beautiful Barrier Ranges and the sweeping Mundi plains is The Mundi Mundi Bash – it truly is an incredible sight and experience!

Getting to Mundi Mundi

Mundi Bash is just a short drive north of Broken Hill on Silver City Highway. For a drive to the middle of no-where, the area is actually quite scenic, with plenty of wide open spaces for rest stops and last minute supply stops.

Speaking of supplies…it’s great to support the locals who generously allow us to bombard their tiny town for a few days each year. So we always stop through Broken Hill and grab our supplies before heading into The Bash. This year, we pre-ordered our food through Broken Hill IGA for Click and Collect, and it worked out perfectly. 

Image courtesy of The Mundi Mundi Bash

History of The Mundi Mundi Bash

Founded in 2003 by John Pitts with the intention of promoting local talent and the outback music scene, has grown tremendously since its inception. It now attracts an audience from all over Australia for its spectacular lineup which features a wide range of genres and artists. The festival is well known as being the top destination to experience outback-style live music.

Our review of The Mundi Mundi Bash

We absolutely love The Mundi Mundi Bash! It’s one of the only events we can go to that has enough variety to please every person in our family. It’s well organised, clean, family-friendly, and so. much. fun.

The atmosphere’s incredible, with everyone being so welcoming and cheerful. It really is something to be experienced, and something the organisers and volunteers of The Bash should be proud of.

We’ll be back every year. I can only hope that in years to come our party of eight will get even bigger as other friends and family join in the fun!

Will we see you there next year?

The organisers of the inaugural Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash have announced that they’ll be hosting next year’s Bash on 15-17th August 2024, with tickets going on sale really soon. Guys, next years line-up is killer, so if you’re wanting to get in on the action, I wouldn’t be wasting any time.