Karuah

Karuah is a beautiful town on the banks of the Karuah River, 15 m above sea-level. It is 205 km north of Sydney and 51 km north of Newcastle via the Pacific Highway. Occupied by the Worimi Aborigines prior to European settlement the area was initially known as Sawyers Point. Lachlan Macquarie named the river the Clyde. However, the indigenous place-name, thought to mean 'native plum tree', was later adopted for both waterway and township.

By passed by the Pacific Highway in 2004, Karuah has reinvented itself as a welcoming village for travelers north and south. From the short "driver reviver" stop to that short break or well-earned holiday, Karuah has a diverse range of accommodation and businesses capable of servicing every travelers needs.

Karuah River Of Music Festival

I think anyone who has driven up or down the coast has memories of stopping in at Karuah. It was one of those highway towns. You'd fill up the car and, if you were lucky, dad or mum would let you run around the park or paddle in the river. The highway no longer goes through Karuah, but the park and river remain.

Driving through Karuah and seeing how beautiful it is and how it's set up with hotels and caravan parks a plenty, we got to thinking how much fun it would be to do a little festival over by the river where occasionally we could dip our feet.

So, inspired by the Guildford Banjo Jamboree, we set about creating a community festival where residents, musicians and music lovers could gather to share the air and fill it with music and laughter.

Previous Festivals

Some shots from last year's festival...

And a few photos of the 2009 festival...