A farm gate near Grafton in Northern NSW will swing open on October 28 to allow an estimated 500 music fans to the first Clarence Valley Country Muster – a festival that’s capturing the imagination of people across the nation.

The open-air muster will run until November 3 on a property at Calliope (pronounced Kell-Eye-Oh-Pea) near the historic river port of Ulmarra – about 13 kilometres north of Grafton.

It won’t be just a feast of country music led by legendary headliners Ted Egan and Terry Gordon, an inductee into the coveted Entertainers’ Roll of Renown, the muster will also serve up country hospitality including a canteen packed with mouth-watering, home-grown produce.

Qualified chef Peter Watters, who runs a farm near Calliope, will be tempting hundreds of pallets with the best of locally-produced beef, vegetables and fruit.

Muster organiser Wendy Gordon owns the Calliope property that will host the ground-breaking muster.

“The response has been fantastic,” Wendy says. “I believe that guests from all over Australia will not only relish the work of the performers, but will enjoy the country fare and the hospitality that only the bush can deliver” .

“The area around here is rich in history and has opened its arms to a country music muster that will become an annual event. I have no doubt about that.”

And there can be no doubt that a raffle over the week-long festival will also attract plenty of interest. Internationally-acclaimed Queensland artist Peter Hill has donated an oil painting to the cause. The $3000 landscape painting called Green Valley will hang on someone’s wall after the event. Proceed from the raffle will go to the Ulmarra Public School.

The first Clarence Valley Country Muster begins with a meet and greet and walk-ups from October 28. The main event is on November 1, 2 and 3. It coincides with Grafton’s famous Jacaranda Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors to the Clarence Valley every year.

Details of the muster are available from Wendy Gordon on 0432 741947

(email: [EMAIL=This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[/EMAIL] www.cvcmuster.com.au www.facebook.com/CVCountryMuster (updated daily).