Crown Land supports Mundi Mundi Bash, grazing, wind farm, and films
Diversity is the key for a property near Broken Hill which has grown a reputation as a perfect place in outback NSW to host everything from grazing, music festivals and wind farms to blockbuster film productions.
Belmont Station, located on a Crown Lands Western lands lease near Silverton about 40km from Broken Hill, came alive from 17-19 August when an estimated 12,000 people converged for the Mundi Mundi Bash music festival.
The property welcomed the crowds of guests and a host of entertainers, with the likes of Icehouse, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels and Kate Cebrano taking to the stage.
Among the festivities, a reported 6,594 people gathered as part of the festival to break the world record for the most people performing the Nut Bush dance.
The event greatly benefited the local economy with visitors enjoying the best the Broken Hill region had to offer, purchasing their necessities over a jam-packed week of festivities, and packing out accommodation and camping sites like Penrose Park reserve and Menindee Lakes Caravan Park.
The Mundi Mundi Bash is not the only party using Belmont Station, with its lease holders predominantly using the land for grazing merino sheep for over 40 years.
Despite going through a 5-year drought followed by floods, Belmont Station has kept its options open as one of the most diverse pieces of Crown land in NSW.
Belmont Station is also home to the Silverton Wind Farm and diversified its interests further last year as a temporary home and filming location for the soon to be released film Mad Max Furiosa.
The Silverton Wind Farm has become one of the most effective of its kind in Australia, with the western border of the property sitting at 120 metres above sea level, accompanied by Mount Mundi Mundi sitting at 400m above sea level.
Filming of Mad Max Furiosa saw up to 1,000 crew use the property for up to two months, providing a perfect outback site for filming and a production base for marquees for stunts, make-up and costumes.
Belmont Station leaseholder John Blore said the diversity of uses had allowed for flexibility during changing times.
“It’s a very beautiful area here but at the same time can be quite harsh. We went five years without being able to run livestock because of drought and the landscape can change drastically from drought to flood,” Mr Blore said.
“The Mundi Mundi Bash has sold out which is fantastic and there is still room to expand the event in years to come if the promoter wishes to do so. We have been lucky to have these opportunities arise and we welcome any more ideas for the land in the future.”
Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said it was terrific to see Crown land being used in such a diverse way in outback NSW, supplementing grazing with events, film making and wind farming.
“These activities not only support the leaseholders but also local businesses, our energy grid, outback culture and the tourism industry by drawing even more visitors to the Broken Hill region,” Mr Kamper said.