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BEYOND 1. BROOME, WA They say it’s where the outback meets the sea and for IINTERVIEWNTERVIEW PAUL ROBINSON me Cable Beach, Broome, is about as close to heaven as it gets. It’s always a huge event playing there. People travel in from all over the outback and hitting that beautiful beach is always memorable.

2. TEXAS, QLD I came across Texas on a road trip out west and as I turned up the main street, something told me I had to write a song about the place. The little border town is loaded with character and the locals will probably greet you with a friendly “hey yah!”. When the song, Texas Qld 4385, was finally recorded, I went back to Texas with my band and we , tireless drought-relief campaigner, put on a show at the Royal Hotel so the locals could be first to hear their song. will be one of the stars at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, January 15-24. Then the 2008 Australian of 3. YARAKA, QLD Located about 200km south of Longreach, the locals rely the Year hits the backroads to promote his new Planet Clockwise from Country . Here, his 10 favourite outback stages. above: Deniliquin Ute on a bush medical clinic and the Royal Flying Doctor Muster, NSW; Cable Service for their medical needs. We put on a concert to Beach, Broome, WA; raise funds to buy a defibrillator for the clinic and we Yaraka, Queensland; Flinders Ranges, SA; were all amazed when the population swelled from 30 Lee Kernaghan locals to more than 3000, as people travelled out to Yaraka for the show. The little town experienced its first-ever traffic jam that night and, for many, Yaraka is still the centre of the universe.

4. MOUNT REMARKABLE, FLINDERS RANGES, SA The Rock the Mount festival is held each year at the base of majestic Mount Remarkable just outside Melrose at the southern point of the Flinders Ranges. There are great places to camp, set up the caravan or roll out a swag, and the music line-up features all the big names in . A steak and a beer with the locals at the North Star Hotel is a “bucket list” experience. 

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qqa0110_Kernaghan.indda0110_Kernaghan.indd 338-398-39 116/12/20096/12/2009 4:11:454:11:45 PMPM Clockwise from left: indoor rodeo at Great Western 5. KURANDA, QLD Hotel, Rockhampton; Deniliquin Ute In the rainforest about an hour from Cairns, Kuranda Muster; Broken Hill, Amphitheatre will be a highlight of my 2010 Planet NSW; guitar on fire Country tour. It’ll probably be hot and sweaty, and it might rain, so I recommend swimming togs and a drizabone. 9. WESTERN MACDONNELL 6. DENILIQUIN, NSW There is nothing like this on the planet. The Deniliquin RANGES, NT Ute Muster is about as Australian as it gets and, with the My mate Troy Dann introduced me to this part of the utes, music and the country crowd, is always legendary. Territory when I was writing songs for the album. TD choppered us across the ranges bordering Amburla Station and they were awe-inspiring. I’ve never seen so 7. BROKEN HILL, NSW many falling stars as I did sitting around the campfire that Photographers and artists from all over the world come night. It’s an experience that stays with you for life. here for the amazing light unique to this part of Australia. My last two album covers were shot on a station near Silverton. On the road out, stop at the Mundi Mundi Plains 10. GYMPIE, QLD lookout where you can see the curvature of the earth with Walking out on stage to sing to 50,000 people at the the naked eye and marvel at the vastness of the outback. Gympie Muster in the Amamoor Creek State Forest is a heart-pumping, awesome event. You never know what might happen. A few years ago my guitar pyrotechnics 8. ROCKHAMPTON, QLD were put on backwards and I accidentally set fire to The only pub in Australia with its own indoor rodeo arena, my Maton as I was singing This Cowboy’s Hat. After the Great Western Hotel is one of the ultimate concert extinguishing the flames I tossed the smoking wreck out venues on the Australian tour. Everyone up there knows into the audience. There’s nothin’ like a country crowd.  how to have a real good time – it’s the place where Central Planet Country Australian Tour 2010 Feb 4-Aug 14.

RODEO/YARAKA PHOTOGRAPHY: TOURISM QUEENSLAND;BROKEN UTE HILL: MUSTER: GETTY PIP BLACKWOOD; IMAGES; PREVIOUS LEE KERNAGHAN: PAGE KERNAGHAN: RICHARD ACPSYNDICATION.COM; SHARMAN; FLINDERS RANGES & CABLE BEACH: GETTY IMAGES Queensland comes to do what they do so well... party! www.leekernaghan.com

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