Seed 2009

June 5th - 8th 

Bellingen NSW

 [Latest Post 01 June 2009]

Dear Friends

The Seed Gathering is happening this coming weekend, June 5th - 8th. This is the first step in building a Burning Man community in Australia and from which a full scale Burn will grow. We hope you can join us on this important occasion. I have just returned from a trip up to the site in the Bellingen Valley to see for myself how things are coming along. We all know that Bellingen experienced another flood this past week but things are back to normal now and I'm happy to say that the site looks great and the land is well prepared for the planting of the Burning Man Seed.

It's certainly a beautiful spot, right beside the river with lots of bushland all around. There is ample space for camping, a few structures including a covered stage area and a sanctuary space overlooking the river, which will be set up with a small PA for open mike performance as well as a projector if anyone has visuals or films they would like show.

The Seed begins on Friday 5th June and carries through til Monday the 8th. On Sunday night we will be Burning the Seed Pod and celebrating the first Australian Burning Man gathering under a bright full moon.

The Seed will be adhering to the principles of Burning Man, and everyone should take the time to read the Ten Principles of Burning Man.

Participants will need to bring everything with them that they will need to survive over the weekend, and must take everything with them when they leave as this is a 'leave no trace' event. There will be nothing for sale and radical self reliance will be the key. We also ask that everyone embrace the immersive experience and therefore enhance it for everyone by isolating yourself as much as possible from the default world over the weekend which means staying on site for the duration of the weekend and turning off your mobile phones (most won't get reception anyway).

In the spirit of Burning Man, be prepared for anything, including rain, sun, cold, random interactions with strangers and acts of spontaneous creation. the nights can be chilly but the days can certainly be beautiful up there this time of year. Be ready for all possibilities and remember if you can ride out a dust storm in a tent at Burning Man, you can deal with anything.

While we will have a communal hearth fire to warm both body and soul, we would like to keep fires to a minimum and ask you to bring gas cookers to prepare your meals. There are composting toilets on site but we ask you to bring a supply of loo roll. There are also showers available to us but there is no hot water at the site.

Things to bring:

Food, enough for the entire weekend
Water and other drinks
Shelter
Bedding
Warm clothes
Camping gear
Chairs
Torch
Batteries
Garbage bags
Gas cookers
Lighting
Loo roll
Gumboots
Dress ups
Musical instruments
Art
Ideas
Positive energy
Common sense

The Seed, like Burning Man, is all about what the participants bring to make the gathering special. The Seed is not for spectators, only participants.

Stay tuned as more details will follow, including directions to the site, in the next couple of days. If you have any queries or suggestions please drop us a line.

All the best, we look forward to seeing you all there.

Phil (Seed Co-ordinator)
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

==============================

[First Post 04 April 2009]

The time of the Burning Seed gathering is rapidly approaching. This is the first major step in initiating a Burning Man community in Australia and we hope you will be able to join us.

The Seed is about getting people together that are interested in Burning Man culture and in organizing the first ever regional Australian Burn. As a Seed gathering it is not intended to be a full scale Burn but rather a forum to begin discussing and planning all aspects of staging a Burning Man festival in Australia and to have some fun while doing it. If you would like to be involved and have input from the beginning of this movement then we would love to see you there.

The Seed will take place from Friday 5th June until Monday 8th June at a property in the Bellingen Valley where we have kindly been given the space to gather. We have a limit for this initial gathering of 150 people, and we would like to start getting an idea of numbers, so if you are definitely coming or are thinking about it, please let us know your intentions. As this is only a small gathering and to be respectful of our hosts, we will only disclose directions to the land in the week before the event. We ask that you respect the limited nature of this gathering by not spreading the word far and wide. We hope that after this initial Seed planting we will be able to hold a larger scale event next year and that when we have gathered enough momentum we can stage a regional Burning Man somewhere in the Australian desert. For now, we hope to have a bunch of great people camping together, sharing ideas and having a good time.

There are no tickets for the Seed, however we are all expected to contribute the regular camping fees asked by the host community of $5 per person per night. There are composting toilets and showers on the site, which is located in a beautiful riverside spot. Otherwise, in the spirit of Burning Man, we are all expected to be self sufficient and self reliant, and to leave no trace when we are gone. If you are not familiar with the 10 principles of Burning Man , you should check out burningman.com to see what it is all about as the Seed will be adhering to these same principles. You will need to bring everything you need to survive over the weekend, including food, shelter and water etc.

For those coming from around the country and beyond, Bellingen is on the NSW mid-north coast, about half an hour south of Coffs Harbour, where there is an airport with regular flights to most major cities. Alternatively it within 6-8 hours driving distance from Sydney or Brisbane.

We hope this email finds you well and happy. Please feel free to get in touch and ask any questions if you need to.

See you out there

Phil (Seed Co-ordinator)
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it