The Isa Street bridge in Mount Isa was closed for several months during 2019 for reconstruction and was opened to the public with a grand opening street party celebration. The new bridge constructed at a cost of $7 million replaced the previous bridge which was constructed in 1932. Despite the heat it was awesome to see so many people walking along the bridge and enjoying the festivities. One of Gumby's co-workers, Sam Wylie, entertained the crowd, singing and playing guitar with his band.  

​Shovel and I were up obscenely early on Friday morning to drive approximately 1,100kms from Mount Isa to Airlie Beach for the wedding of Amy (Shovel’s sister) and Zak. We stopped in Richmond for a steak sandwich at Treats for your Table a locally owned café serving homemade goods from an old weatherboard house on the main street, and arrived into Airlie Beach later that evening at around 9pm, after enjoying a curry for dinner in Bowen. 

​Amy and Zak were married on a private out-of-town beach. In March 2017, Airlie Beach was hit by a category 3 cyclone, known as Debbie, which produced winds of 150km/h and left homes destroyed, with insurance losses totalling almost $2 billion. Two years on it’s difficult to imagine the town had experienced such devastation, as the region is recovering, thanks to the combined support of local residents who rallied together to restore the paradise holiday destination.      

The night started with chilling out on the fresh grass of Alexandra Gardens eating Lord of the Fries for dinner, we then strolled along St Kilda Road, across the Yarra River reaching Margaret Court Arena where Gumby seen me off to let loose to one of my favourite bands, Parkway Drive.
 
I lined up in the cue with 7499 other people, the soundtrack of hard-hitting spring hay fever and smells of excessive nicotine intake surround us all. The ticket gates lifted, security pat downs were done and the sprint up the stairs was in full action, mostly for people to get to the bar or a toilet, or for some to take their mind of being away from cigarettes. I got down to what is called the “mosh pit” commonly known as the floor area, or in this case the tennis court. The first band arrived on stage was called “Thy Art is Murder” a Deathcore band from Sydney. The first sound of the night was an insane roaring vocal and a machine gun like drumming which brought many heavy metal smiles around the crowd. Thy Art is Murder certainly got the crowd warmed up with ear piercing guitar riffs that get your heart racing, its hard edge tone isn’t for the faint hearted and is a lot of fun to mosh along to.
Second band out was a heavy metal group from the USA called Killswitch Engage. Formed in 1999, this band took the metal world by storm with stunning vocal range and killer guitar solos. If you were to take up heavy metal listening, this would be a good place to start. The band creates an amazing atmosphere that anyone could enjoy. Killswitch brought the crowd to life with their perfectly executed music that 7499 people (and me) sang along to, and also some in between music humour from guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.
After Killswitch Engage tearing it up on stage came a playlist of some of Australia’s most popular sing along songs, this included Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Man, Daryl Braithwaite – Horses and John Farnham – You’re the Voice. Without any doubt, all of us sung along to the bottom of our hearts waving phone lights from left to right. The music faded and so did the light, which meant the entrance of Parkway Drive, a metalcore band that formed in Byron Bay 15 years ago. A group of 5 mates that surfed together thought they would put a band together too, after several laps around the country and the world playing gigs and making albums they haven’t looked back. Their music is notorious for explosive hard-hitting breakdowns and fast paced riffs and beats that turn crowds into storms. I’ve seen these guys play in a pub in Cairns, a regional music festival in Townsville, a large hall in Berlin and now a larger than life show in Melbourne. Every Parkway song as usual was just played at 110 percent, alongside that is the audience giving back their effort with crowd surfing and circle pits. From what used to be a wild pub gig is now immense levels of fire, an orchestra, a full upside down rotating drum kit and a full light show to go with it too, its all pretty crazy which I think is great. Although their gig was on steroids, you can still feel the presence of the humble chilled vibes from Winston, Ben, Jeff, Pie and Luke, which make you feel just as close to them as you would be in a pub gig. The curtains dropped and I, alongside 7499 other people were covered in sweat, blinded by fireworks, deafened by noise and heated by flames, that is satisfaction! As I leave the arena and walk outside and find Gumby, I know the highlight of my night is walking home with the love of my life. 

Love was most definitely in the air for the 40th Annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The atmosphere was electric and inclusive, yet respectful with people from a multitude of various backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, sexualities and lifestyles uniting for one hell of a party in recognition of those that marched for equality in 1978. When the parade began, Oxford Street erupted into a cavalcade of music, revving engines, stiletto heels, flashing lights, dance, leather chaps, rainbows, sequins, flag waving, air kisses, colour, gay icons, and of course glitter. There was no happier place in the world than right there in Sydney during the parade. Big love to the family that generously donated their stools for us to stand on, after they left the parade early, to give us a better glimpse and provided us with a dance podium.