“Who’s never been here before?” Uncle Barry Gilson asks during his Welcome to Country. Hands raise across the grassy bowl in front of him, and the Wadawurrung man grins: “Welcome to the family. You’ll never leave this place.”
It really does feel like home. Over two days and nights, Golden Plains transforms a sprawling country farm into an alternate universe: groups of friends in flamboyant costumes dance beneath brightly lit lanterns against a sea of couches dotted around the Supernatural Amphitheatre – the festival’s one stage, known by regulars as “the Sup” – and a few inflatable pools this year, too. There’s a real sense of community: you might run into your neighbour, your co-worker or, as I did, someone you sold a washing machine to on Marketplace. Whoever it is, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile.
