Tyler Redway
AS the spike in popularity for vinyl records continues to grow, a brand new Mount Gambier/Berrin event will aim to take full advantage of the beloved medium’s return this weekend.
The Mount Gambier Festival of Vinyl has called on 15 different record traders both locally and interstate, with some travelling as far as Adelaide and Melbourne, to bring a large collection of records and other media to the keen collectors of the region.
Event organiser Scott Dickson said the idea of the event was to bring some of the rarest and most sought-after records in the country to Mount Gambier/Berrin’s doorstep.
“There isn’t anything like this in the region, there are lots of big fairs which happen in Adelaide and there is even one in Port Fairy where traders can come along,” Mr Dickson said.
“Vinyl records hold a really special place in a lot of people’s hearts because it takes you back to the time where your parents might have had that kind of record.
“There are a lot of memories in that space but on top of it, it’s the quality and the tactile nature of having something there to take out of a box and to drop the needle on it so you can hear it in the way it was intended to be played.
“There will be some records there which you might have seen around the house as a kid, but there will also be some of those really rare records which people are trying very hard to find.”
Mr Dickson said with the return of vinyl records to mainstream media, it had triggered a surge of interest in collecting.
“Record sales have gone absolutely through the roof in the last six or seven years and it has all ridden a wave of success off of it,” he said.
“Everyone is essentially bringing 10 to 14 crates of vinyl so across 15 people you can really see just how many records will potentially be there on Sunday.
“It would take about two hours to really go through everything, so it’s all about coming along, taking your time with it and enjoying yourself.”
Mr Dickson said if the event gained enough interest during the weekend, there would be plans to expand the event’s reach further beyond what it already had.
“The idea is to push it into books, merchandise and all sorts of things to continue growing the idea so we can hopefully start to bring in some bands into a bit of a thing over the weekend,” he said.
“In the words of Molly Meldrum, do yourself a favour and come out to have a dig while having a good day with so many other like-minded people.
“We hope this will be the first of many events of this size and we will be looking to expand this idea in 2025 if this weekend goes well.”
The Mount Gambier Festival of Vinyl will bring its collection of vinyl records to both avid collectors and beginners to the hobby on Sunday July 14 at the Gambier Centrals Soccer Club.
