A new music festival brings the best of Australian rock and hip-hop to the Old Mount Gambier Gaol.

Adelaide’s festival scene is coming to the Limestone Coast this November, thanks to a new event called Stone & Dust.

The festival will be held on Saturday, 12 November at the iconic Old Mt Gambier Gaol and will be headlined by some of the finest artists of Australian rock and hip-hop.

Amongst these artists are the rock band Spiderbait, hailing from the regional town of Finley in New South Wales, and Perth’s two-time ARIA-winning hip-hop artist Drapht.

In addition to these heavy hitters, hip-hop icon Seth Sentry and Melbourne rock band Kingswood will be performing, as well as both local and travelling supporting acts that are yet to be announced.

The Old Mount Gambier Gaol, which will play host to the festival, is one of the city’s most iconic live music venues, known for hosting some of the region’s largest shows such as the Red Hot Summer Tour in both 2019 and 2020.

Owner James Stevenson says he has been paying close attention to what music is popular with the people of Mount Gambier and is excited to bring in some big acts he knows they’ll enjoy.

“It’s important for me to keep in mind the sort of things the town wants, we have a lot of people in the 30-40 demographic, so bringing in big rock artists will always be a hit,” James says.

While they are keeping the locals in mind, the organisers are preparing for people to come flooding in from across South Australia and potentially Victoria.

“We’d like to think we do get a lot of local attendees, but we are marketing between Melbourne and Adelaide, and to areas in regional South Australia and Victoria,” James says.

“I’d Like to hope anyone can come from anywhere to enjoy the show.”

Organisers aim to attract more than 2,500 people to the event. With early bird tickets selling out within a day of the festival’s announcement and more than 1,400 people already expressing their interest through Facebook, that goal might not be far off.

The event is being hosted in conjunction with Arts and Entertainment South Australia (AESA). AESA representative Harriette Jolly explained that they are investing in this festival to help engage the community in the local music scene, and saw Mount Gambier as a good place to sell the state’s culture.

“Mount Gambier was an opportunity to attract interstate visitors and showcase what our fantastic state has to offer,” Harriette says.

She says AESA has also been focussing on developing its relationships with local organisations in Mount Gambier to engage them in the festival.

“We are engaging with local sporting clubs, and mount gambier community organisations,” she said.

“We have partnered with Jens Hotel on an afterparty and the local caravan park for visitors to camp on the grounds for additional accommodation options.”

The organisers are optimistic Stone & Dust will be a hit. Even though this year’s show has yet to happen, James is already looking forward to running it again in 2023.

“This one is our inaugural one, so hopefully if it goes well, we will keep doing it from next year on,” he says.

Tickets for the event are going for $105, and are available here.