Falls Festival Lorne Site Listed For Sale

Victoria’s original Falls Festival site, located in the stunning Lorne area off the Great Ocean Road, has been re-listed for sale.

The Australian Financial Review reports that the stage, toilets, showers, and all-weather outdoor power points remain on site. The site, which previously covered 59 hectares, has seen some investment from festival owners Live Nation, who added 9.5 hectares in two adjoining lots.

The 68-hectare lot has been listed for the price tag of $2.5 million, with expectations between $2.25 million and $2.5 million, plus GST. The property will be for sale until Wednesday, 5 March.

Live Nation reportedly tried to sell the property for $4 million in 2023.

Ray White Rural Victoria Director Jason Hellyer, the sales agent for the Falls Festival property, said the Lorne site is likely to go to an education or tourism operator. The Great Ocean Road attracts more than seven million visitors a year.

“It truly is magnificent when you walk across the grounds, but who will the buyer be? In my view, it’s an educational group, a camping site group, a glamping group,” Hellyer said.

Lorne was the Victorian host town for Falls Festival from its inception in 1993 to 2018, accommodating more than 15,000 music lovers at the annual New Year’s three-day festival. In 2019, the Lorne event was cancelled due to the bushfire risk of the horrific 2019-2020 bushfire season. In 2020 and 2021, all editions of Falls were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.

In 2022, the Victorian edition of the Falls Festival moved to the city and was held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The event hosted big names, including Arctic Monkeys, CHVRCHES, DMA’S, Lil Nas X, Peggy Gou, Spacey Jane, Jamie xx, and more.

Reviewing the festival for The Music, Cyclone Wehner commented that the event “was a surprising success – so much so that it should become permanent.” You can read our full three-day review here.

Falls Festival organisers announced the event would go on hiatus in 2023, and it didn’t return in 2024. So far, there’s no word as to whether it will return this year.

Previous editions of the festival have hosted massive names like Iggy Pop, Silverchair, Blondie, Violent Femmes, Jack Johnson, Modest Mouse, Kings Of Leon, Gotye, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Public Enemy, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, and many more.