After a pleasant flight, some bad fast food and a few wrong turns off the main road, we finally made it to beautiful Phillip Island for the annual Pyramid Rock. Upon arrival we were greeted by warm, sunny weather, a nice coastal breeze straight off the ocean and a long, snaking line of cars waiting to have their cars searched before entering the front gates. Close to two hours later, our car and every car in front of us had been thoroughly searched by event security and we were allowed to proceed to our campsite. At the campsite, our friendly neighbours from Melbourne had bit of a hard time getting their tents together and with the sun quickly going down, generously offered one to us if we could put it together. I would have definitely have taken them up on the offer if our tent had taken any more than the two minutes it took to set up!

Due to the car searches, we missed the contestant selection for the Rockwiz live show in the Pharoah’s Annex and I was forced to let the dream of being a contestant go after watching it on TV for so many years (insert sad face here!). Brian Nankervis addressed and welcomed us all to the show then away we went. The Rockwiz orchestra were in full swing as Brian, in brilliant MC fashion, introduced the band members and the electric Julia Zemiro. The audience members who were chosen as contestants were revealed to us and what ensued was a star-studded pack of musical guests spanning several generations which included Henry Wagons, Lanie Lane, Jess Cornelius, Jarrod Brown, Ross Wilson and Tim Rogers. The biggest sing-a-long of the night belongs to Ross Wilson, playing Daddy Cool’s classic ‘Eagle Rock’.

On a side note, Julia and Brian have probably heard it before but they must be complemented on their ability to handle a rowdy crowd and playfully deflect any hecklers in the audience. In a festival tent full of (mostly) younger people who have had a gutfull to drink, some tend to shout the answers out to questions and yell out incoherent nonsense; while Julia is playing host, Brian is off to the side of the stage quietly and gently hushing the crowd.

The performances by all musical guests were nothing short of spectacular and each seemed genuinely humbled to be a part of the show. Being a fan of the TV show, it was a shame it only went for an hour and a bit but like all good things, it had to come to an end. Interestingly, on the walk back to the tent we spied a couple of people dancing down one of the camping ‘lanes’ (I guess you could call them that) and thought it would be fun to check out. Turns out that beneath the pirate flag this campsite was flying, between a van and a truck the campers had created a makeshift dance floor underneath a tarp, complete with lights and a DJ elevated on the tray of the truck. How they got all that equipment in, I don’t know - but it was a sight to see. All in all, the Rockwiz live show was the perfect starter to the festival and a great lead-in to the weekend of the new year.