Loch Hart Music Festival was once just a pipe dream of Colac native Jayden Bath.
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Fast-forward just three years and you will meet a happy, albeit tired, event organiser who got to watch the sun set on his second and biggest event.
Nestled at the base of a rolling 200,000-acre farm in Princetown overlooking the Great Ocean Road, the event attracted hundreds of revellers who turned up to bask in the pure joy of live music over the weekend.
"It's been amazing, we're genuinely just ecstatic with how everything went," he said on Sunday.
"We ended up seeing nearly 900 people on site this year which is awesome, we came close to selling out and we came close to doubling last year which is obviously amazing.
"It's been three years of preparation, it was two years to get the first one of the ground and I think we booked our first band for 2019 in December 2018, so we've been thinking about this festival for over 11 months.
"It's just been two weeks of setting up the farm, one week of packing down the farm, and a lot of organising."
Tents, swags and tepees dotted the hills as festival-goers enjoyed the freedom of setting up camp in the lush paddocks surrounding the Kangaroobie campsite.
The rich sounds of the festival's unique and varied lineup floated up the hills to be enjoyed from the amphitheatre or from the comfort of one's tent.
Friday night started off strong with a fun-filled set from the electric Alice Ivy, Baked Beans, Moaning Lisa and more.
Bringing in a celestial Saturday night lineup against a pale pink sunset was Warrnambool export Didirri with his contemplative lyricism and reflective storytelling charm.
Five-piece troupe Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird followed, captivating audiences with their atmospheric, synth-filled indie space-rock set interspersed with the occasional "sad Saturday night ballad" in the words of lead singer Lachy Rose, whose vocals evoked the likes of Simple Minds and Nick Cave.
Phillip Island outfit Alpine exploded onto the stage as the headline act with breakthrough 2012 track Gasoline. Frontwoman Phoebe Baker transfixed crowds with her soaring vocals and larger-than-life stage presence.
On Sunday an early set by Ruby Gill helped ease into the day with the festival closing at midday.
What set the event apart was its approach to sustainability. In an effort to reduce waste and impact on the environment, it partnered with Better Cup to limit single use plastic throughout the site. Food and drinks were served in reusable crockery, with participants rewarded with cash when they returned an item to be washed and reused.
Bath said he hoped the 2020 event would be even bigger.
"Thanks to everyone who came along and hopefully we'll see you all again next year," he said.
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