Splendour in the Grass isn't generally Splendour in Swamp.
Right now I'm standing in the Byron Bay campground looking at a path that last night was all mud, but this morning has turned into a swamp.
Some of the water is ankle deep and some of the mud is ankle deep so it's actually very hard to walk around the festival ground.
Last night I was in the main festival ground and it's the same in there as it is in the campgrounds, everywhere is basically flooded.
I managed to avoid a lot of the traffic chaos people have experienced – I was only stuck for two or three hours and managed to get to my campsite at about 4pm.
When I arrived the tent was already set up. I flew down so I couldn't bring very much gear, but I've got my waterproof hiking pants and jacket with me to keep nice and dry.
I was prepared, but I'll probably be saturated by the end anyway.
Others were just getting in at 4am, so these people have been waiting 12 hours just to get in the gate.
Waiting in their cars they say they weren't getting any communication from organisers.
People tell me their friends who were supposed to be coming have just given up and turned around.
Colleagues who are coming for leisure are thinking of giving today a miss because of how crazy the day is.
Other ABC colleagues working at the festival tell me their campsites are flooded and they ended up sleeping in green rooms backstage.
This morning a lot of tents have blown over and flooded. The tents are half under water so all of the stuff inside is ruined already.
But walking around, a lot of the people here still have smiles on their faces, which is surprising.
But it's the first Splendour since the pandemic hit, and I think a lot of people are just excited to be here.
Things will change once the music starts.
There's always a strong sense of community at Splendour but I think that's even more so this time around.
We're all going through this weather event together, we're all walking through the mud and the water and the swamps that have emerged together.
Most people are embracing it, they're thinking: "It is what it is, and we've just got to get through it."
