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In short:
The Wynnum Fringe Festival has resurrected an old travelling circus tent that was once used for parties in outback Queensland.
The Augathella Spiegeltent will be deployed across Australia for festivals and other live events.
What’s next?
The Wynnum Fringe Festival runs from today to Sunday.
A ramshackle tin shack in the middle of outback Queensland has been given a new lease of life and will soon be transformed into a mobile party tent for festivals and events around the state.
The Augathella Spiegeltent was built by the Queensland Government in 2009 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Queensland’s independence from New South Wales.
This is a circus tent built in the style of a shearing shed and was used for parties across Queensland until 2013.
The crowdfunding effort aims to completely refurbish the Augathella Spiegeltent to become a mobile venue. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
The building, which has been left derelict and dilapidated in the small town of Augacela, 750 kilometres west of Brisbane, will reopen tonight at the Wynnum Fringe Festival.
ABC Radio Brisbane is a supporter of the Wynnum Fringe, which runs from today to Sunday.
Festival founder Tom Oliver has launched a crowdfunding campaign to restore the portable venue to its former glory.
So far, they have raised $100,000 of their $500,000 goal to completely renovate the building.
Festival organisers Jillian Jacob and Tom Oliver hope the tent will be a hit at Wynnum and elsewhere. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
Mr. Oliver said his parents stumbled upon the building while driving through Augacela.
He said the plan was to get the band back on the streets, touring various towns and hosting events for Australia’s struggling live venues.
“The most amazing part of this story is that 1,300 live venues have closed across Australia since the start of the coronavirus pandemic,” Oliver said.
“The Wynnum Fringe Festival was launched as a recovery event in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a very difficult period for the arts, tourism and hospitality industries.
“Our vision is that the Augustella Spiegeltent will be a place where the community gathers.”
Jillian Jacob has been scouting talent for the festival for more than four years. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
Jillian Jacob, Aboriginal producer of the Wynnum Fringe Festival, will open the tent and display local Aboriginal artwork.
As the festival’s talent scout, Ms Jacobs is responsible for finding Quandamooka artists to showcase their best work.
“Most of us are related, so it’s easy,” Ms. Jacob said.
“I invited several emerging artists this time to help them stand out.”
