PROGRAM 2023
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST
WELCOME TO COUNTRY
FRIDAY 25 - 6PM - FESTIVAL BRAZIER, APOLLO BAY FORESHORE
WinterWild opens with a Welcome to Country from Eastern Marr Aboriginal Corporation, followed by performances from Wemba-Wemba rapper RidzyRay and other contemporary First Nations artists around the Festival Brazier.
Jen Cloher at The Mech, with Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks, Sid O’Neil, and Outtatime
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 8PM - APOLLO BAY MECH HALL, 21 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY
Jen Cloher (Ngāpuhi & Ngāti Kahu) is a songwriter and performer whose taut, terse brand of rock is charged with the static tension that comes with being an eternal misfit. In I Am The River, The River Is Me – their first album in five years – Cloher finally breathes out. With a cool, unfussy confidence, these songs suggest that home is not found in a place or a politic, but in the community you keep. Inspired by Cloher’s powerful matrilineal line of wāhine Māori, I Am The River, The River Is Me is not urgent, or hurried, but it is vital.
With support from disco-infused space-pop project Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks, Apollo Bay’s beloved singer-songwriter Sid O’Neil, and the soulful vocals of local indie-jazz five-piece Outtatime.
Winter Degustation: Graze
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 7pm + SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 7pm
GRAZE APOLLO BAY, 14 PASCOE STREET APOLLO BAY
A six-course degustation after dark at Graze, showcasing the region’s best produce. Featuring Dama Dama free-range wild harvested venison, free range local duck, Otway Pork, Warrnambool lamb, dessert, and a selection of local wine at bar prices.
Dietry requirements are not available for this event
TAROT AND TAPAS EXPERIENCE
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 7pm
2-4 Noel Street, Apollo Bay, VIC, 3233
Have you ever wondered about Tarot Cards and didn’t know where to start?
The Project Space presents… A mystical and unique evening awaits you as you delve into the magical world of tarot with our TAPAS & TAROT Experience. Great fun for groups and beginners
Included in the evening per person:
45 Minute tarot beginner group class presented by Eldritch Forest.
3 card reading tarot reading per guest.
30 min Sound Journey From Otway Sound Medicine.
A crystal and spiritual paraphernalia showcase and Q&A in-house by Local Business MOONTIDE.
Free Mulled Wine
Delicious dinner tapas selection
A3 Tarot print of your choice to decorate and take with you.
Tarot Handouts to take home
At the venue:
Private Tarot Booth, Tarot and Oracle cards, Sound Journey, seated or standing.
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST
Dawn Chorus: The Midnight Horrors
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST DAWN - EXACT TIME TBC
MEET AT THE APOLLO BAY FORESHORE OPPOSITE THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD BREWHOUSE
A surreal tour of the birds of Apollo Bay (living, dead, mythological, and extinct); at dawn. Start your day with The Midnight Horrors, as they lead you on an arcane and entirely un-educational, psychogeographic birdwalk.
There'll be birds of ill omen. Birds long past. An inner-city pigeon that left work one afternoon, got the first bus down the coast, and is now just sitting on the sand, briefcase resting beside it, looking out to sea.
Walks will go ahead rain or shine.
Note: Contains low impact walking and augury.
QIGONG
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 8AM - APOLLO BAY FORESHORE
Ignite your qi (life force energy) and drop into presence and connection with Apollo Bay’s own Dani Cullen, in this movement meditation practice in the open air, by open fires.
Note: This event takes place undercover but outdoors, so dress warmly. Please bring your own yoga mat.
TIRAKUNA SOUNDS
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 10AM - UNITING CHURCH HALL, 49 NELSON STREET
Experience deep sound and high-frequency energy healing with reiki practitioners and sound healers Daniel Correa and Elysia Bartlett of Tirakuna Sounds. Bathe in the powerful frequencies of gongs, singing bowls, shamanic drums and chimes against the backdrop of a roaring sea.
Note: Please dress in comfortable clothing and bring your own yoga mat, pillow, blanket and water.
Low and Slow BBQ Masterclass
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 11AM - GREAT OCEAN ROAD BREWHOUSE
Brought to you by the team at Barbecue Asylum, this day-long workshop will cover everything from solid fuel cooking methods and fuel selection to fire and temperature management and meat trimming. There’ll be immersive cooking demonstrations of brisket, lamb shoulder, pork ribs, reverse-seared steak and more. Arrive hungry.
MEET THE MAKER: APOLLO BAY DISTILLERY
SATURDAY 26
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Sympathy for the Devil: A Rolling Stones Tribute
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 2PM - GREAT OCEAN ROAD BREWHOUSE
A Rolling Stones tribute featuring local bands and visiting WinterWild artists, curated by local community music legend Michelle Fillmore. Expect to hear all of your favourites plus some deep cuts performed with a twist.
Cold immersion and breathwork with Mark Kluwer
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 12PM & 3PM
Reconnect – with yourself, with others, with your environment – in this transformative two-hour session of guided breathwork and cold immersion led by expert facilitator Mark Kluwer.
THE WILD FEAST
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST 4PM - APOLLO BAY FORESHORE
Rug up and gather ‘round the fire to mark the close of a deep, dark winter in the Otways.
There’ll be pans of local seafood and vegetable-laden paella, low-and-slow smoked meats, fresh pasta, fluffy bao, warming soups and more. Warm your hands with a mulled wine, and choose from a range of local craft beers from Otway brewers Prickly Moses and cocktails from the Apollo Bay Distillery.
Leslie D. King and the Trembling Shakes will bring some soul-soaked rock’n’roll, joined by some very special guests. Stay after sunset to witness the festival’s signature outdoor performance, The DogWatch.
Estelle Shircore Barker: House Concert
SUNDAY 26 AUGUST 4PM - VENUE TO BE ANNOUNCED UPON PURCHASE
Apollo Bay’s own concert pianist presents a solo recital performed on the grand piano in an intimate house setting. Inspired by WinterWild, Estelle Shircore Barker has created a diverse program which traverses from the fiery to the ethereal and from the eclectic to the deeply moving. Featuring works by Brahms, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and more.
Dusk Chorus: The Midnight Horrors
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST DAWN - EXACT TIME TBC
MEET AT THE APOLLO BAY FORESHORE OPPOSITE THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD BREWHOUSE
A surreal tour of the birds of Apollo Bay (living, dead, mythological, and extinct); at dawn. Start your day with The Midnight Horrors, as they lead you on an arcane and entirely un-educational, psychogeographic birdwalk.
There'll be birds of ill omen. Birds long past. An inner-city pigeon that left work one afternoon, got the first bus down the coast, and is now just sitting on the sand, briefcase resting beside it, looking out to sea.
Walks will go ahead rain or shine.
Note: Contains low impact walking and augury.
THE DOGWATCH
SATURDAY 25 AUGUST 6PM- APOLLO BAY FORESHORE
At the throbbing heart of WinterWild is fire. And nothing embraces, sculpts and worships fire quite like The DogWatch.
Witness this large-scale outdoor performance around the Festival Brazier. Incorporating fire, pyrotechnics, movement and song, The DogWatch features a horde of local artists, performers, dancers, musicians and Apollo Bay stalwarts. A passionate, eerie performance that goes to the dark heart of the Otways in winter.
Dane Blacklock & the Preacher’s Daughter at the Mech, with s p o r e s and MELT
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 8PM - APOLLO BAY MECH HALL, 21 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY
Surrender to the desires of the flesh with Australia’s premiere satanic gospel experience Dane Blacklock & the Preacher’s Daughter. In this decidedly wicked aural and visual extravaganza, the message is simple: follow your bliss, cast off your shame, and revel in the sublime, feral beauty of it all.
With support from s p o r e s, with their blend of lazy disco, anti-fascist slo-core, lackadaisical noise punk for the apocalypse, and Otways psychedelic trio MELT, who’ll have you diving down a rabbit hole of dirty and hypnotic heavy riffs covered in fuzz, dreamy licks, dirty bass and driving drum beats. Prepare to be melted.
MOONGARDEN
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 10PM - APOLLO BAY SAILING CLUB, 10 BREAKWATER ROAD, APOLLO BAY HARBOUR
Say a bittersweet farewell to winter at MoonGarden. Dance under a blanket of stars by a raging ocean, with some of Australia’s best alternative electronic artists. Headlined by Harvey Sutherland DJ, with Milo Eastwood and Post Percy.
SUNDAY 27 AUGUST
Group SOMATIC SOUND WALKS
SATURDAY 27 & SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 8AM
Go on a guided walk through diverse and wild soundscapes with Winter Wild ’21 Artists in Residence, Claire Lefebrvre and Zoltan Fecso. These walks are an opportunity to experience a unique perspective of The Otways, through the practices of focused listening and somatic movement.
Groups will be led along specially created routes that highlight the sonic richness and variety of their environment. There will be prompts along the way to explore different ways of listening and moving through space.
Wild Feast
SATURDAY 13 + 27 AUGUST 4PM - Festival Brazier
Roaring fire-pits and char-grills, bubbling cauldrons and giant smokehouse barbeques….this is how we celebrate the end of the deep, wild dark of winter on the Otways coast!
Food tastes so much better cooked in the great outdoors so rug up and join us for a Wild Feast around the fires, featuring cauldrons of local seafood bouillabaisse, giant paella pans, smokehouse style meats, fresh caught char-grilled seafood on the hibachi, and seasonal local veggies buried in the coals. Warm your hearts and hands with a mug of mulled wine, a range of Prickly Moses dark ales, and an Apollo Bay Distillery whisky in a hot toddy or gin cocktail. Designed by Long Prawn.
You need to book your free place through the link website bellow.
This event is assisted by The Cultural Tourism Accelerator Fund + Regional Arts Victoria
ESTELLE SHIRCORE BARKER HOUSE CONCERT
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2PM + 8PM - Location TBA upon ticket purchase
Apollo Bay’s own concert pianist presents some of the greatest classical and romantic works composed for solo piano, performed on the grand piano in an intimate house setting. Inspired by WinterWild, she has created a dynamic program of Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt, featuring works which dance between tranquility, introspection and fiery intensity.
Estelle is in her Honours year at the Sydney Conservatorium and has recently returned from further overseas study and performances in Italy, Germany, Estonia and Switzerland. She is a passionate performer with a diverse career as soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist and orchestral pianist. We are delighted she has made herself available to perform in every WinterWild.
THE DOGWATCH PART-2
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 6PM
At the throbbing heart of WinterWild is fire. And nothing embraces, sculpts, worships and glorifies fire quite like The DogWatch. This is the event that the festival begins and ends with - that defines it, energises it, enflames it.
This year’s theme centres around the Sirens - those mythical creatures, half-woman, half-bird with an irresistibly haunting song that lures sailors onto the rocks of their island piled with bones.
The DogWatch will once again be directed by Roderick Poole, a veteran of outdoor spectacle, his works having been performed in over 40 countries. He will collaborate with Eloise Wood and WildHoney Performing Arts, along with a horde of local artists, performers, dancers, musicians, and Apollo Bay stalwarts. This will be a passionate, eerie performance that goes to the dark heart of Apollo Bay.
This event is assisted by Creative Victoria and Regional Arts Victoria and the Australian Government’s Festivals Australia
Finucane & Smith’s WinterWild Diva Dive
SATURDAY 13 NOVEMBER 9PM - Apollo Bay Mech Hall
“Sublime to subversive, hot to hilarious, outrageous and unforgettable" ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Times UK
For the decidedly grown-up. Packed to the rafters with global glamazons, wild art, sequins, feathers, fans, and breath-taking songbirds, Finucane & Smith return to Apollo Bay to unleash the Diva Dive. A heady cocktail of low-cut, high art, gothic queens, butoh, and burlesque, all to a soundtrack to die for.
From the unstoppable creators of the world’s most awarded provocative variety, having played to 600,000 fans in 18 countries, won13 awards and barnstormed the longest tour of Variety since the Gold Rush; Finucane & Smith know how to mix a party!
With satin drapes, velvet tables, and twinkling lights, grab your friends, dust off the silk ties and fishnets, and get ready to dive down!
Winter just got Wilder.
This event is assisted by Creative Victoria and Regional Arts Victoria
LEAH SENIOR + SID O’NEIL
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 8PM - Apollo Bay Star of the Sea Church
Two intimate performances from Leah Senior and Apollo Bay’s own Sid O’Neil
Leah Senior silences audiences with her ethereal vocals and vivid lyricism. Hailed by critics as a divine masterpiece, her latest album The Passing Scene is a charming expansion on her previous two records lilting between springtime baroque-pop and 70's folk. The Passing Scene effortlessly weaves together themes of impermanence, the natural world, loss and ultimately hope. Leah Senior’s vocals have the clarity of British folk diviner Sandy Denny whilst her songwriting style ranges from contemplative folk to a playfulness likened to Paul McCartney.
Sid O'Neil is a person who plays guitar and piano and sings. He has his first-ever highly anticipated solo album coming out. He plays all of the instruments on it apart from some synthesizer and sampler by Mikey Young.
MOONGARDEN
SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 9PM - Apollo Bay Sailing Club
WinterWild’s closing ceremony – Come and dance by the water under the moon with some of Australia’s best alternative electronic artists including Big Yawn (live set) Sleep D and Post Percy to close out the 2022 festival in style. Special guests still to be announced
SLEEP D
Sonic explorers, label heads, pillars of the Melbourne underground, Sleep D explore the rave unconscious - driving rhythms, hypnotic bass, worlds of echo and the hazy bliss of the morning after. Childhood friends with Iraqi and Maltese lineage, the duo and their coveted Butter Sessions label have ushered in a new era, sensibility and productivity to the city that raised them.
BIG YAWN
Melbourne quartet Big Yawn make experimental electronic music by fusing a wash of sweeping synthesizers, heavily refracted vocal sampling, motorik style percussion and disorientating dub FX. The band takes musical inspiration from artists like Hiroshi Sato, Hype Williams, Shinichi Atobe and many more.
SUNDAY 28 AUGUST
Yoga with YEP!
SUNDAY 14 August 11am - Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club
Wind down your WinterWild weekend with 75 minutes of serene yoga and live music beside the sea. Experimental group Yep! will provide a soothing improvised soundscape of swirling guitar, drones and strings whilst local yoga instructor Liz Murphy guides a relaxing session of asanas and meditation.
Yep! formed early last year when Apollo Bay locals Ella Summers and Seamus Fillmore self-recorded the sparse and peaceful ’10 Minutes of Yep!’ EP, a collection of sweet folk songs and ambient interludes. Since then they have been joined by cellist Xiao Xiao and pianist Lachie Smith, finding and creating new sounds and experiences.
Liz is a nature, ocean and music lover, passionate about sharing the life affirming practices of traditional Hatha Yoga. This session will combine a gentle flow of movement with the vibrational rhythms of the music to optimise a meditative and deep healing experience.
All ages and experience levels welcome, BYO yoga mat.
Walking On Country
SUNDAY 29 AUGUST 10AM - Apollo Bay Community Hall
Panel Discussion. How do we walk together on Country to give voice to truth, healing and reconciliation? This year’s Reconciliation Week theme is 'Be Brave. Make Change'. Given all that has been lost, and all that has been taken, how do we bravely make the changes that are critically necessary to heal the land and its people? How do we approach the coming referendum on a Voice to Parliament with respect and trust, and fully value each other and our cultures?
Join a panel of Indigenous leaders including Associate Professor Dr. Michael-Shawn Fletcher, a Wiradjuri man, paleo-ecologist and biogeographer, and Dr. Jack Pascoe, a Yuin man, ecologist and Research Manager at the Conservation Ecology Centre at Cape Otway, as they challenge us to open our hearts and minds and genuinely share this business of reconciliation and healing country. Facilitated by Richard Cornish.
Includes morning tea.
MARCHING IN YOUR SLEEP
SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 3PM - Apollo Bay Community Hall
An incredible tale of survival told in song, Marching in Your Sleep describes the decade long journey a boy takes embarking with his sole possession, a harmonica. In a search for his brother, he encounters the harsh realities of armed conflict and cold war. Written by Andrew Vincent Melzak, the narrative set in 1940s Eastern Europe covers the remarkable events in the life of a young man whose gift for music changes his whole destiny. This new work compiles a backdrop of historical footage to retell a story that no longer has a living voice.
‘Vini’ Melzak delivers a 50-minute performance combining live instrumentation and vocals with an original soundtrack and archival photographs. He envelopes the audience in a multi-layered song-scape with mesmerising results.
LIVE AT THE CEMETERY
SUNDAY 28 at 4PM - Apollo Bay Cemetery
Apollo Bay Historical Society Cemetery Tours
Walk among the dead, led by one of Apollo Bay’s own lively characters, Bob Knowles. Learn about the lives, shipwrecks, and trials of these pioneers who rest with a world-class view.
Includes a reference book as a souvenir.
Limited numbers.