Northern Territory's One Direction & The Good Vibes Of Barunga Festival Day Three

I don't really know what the hell is going on but I'm awoken unceremoniously by people hooting and jeering at 2am, then what sounds like a bulldozer bashing into the side of my demountable at 7am. Yeesh.

Today's agenda is more or less like yesterday, with Justine Clarke's sunshiney voice kicking off the morning in an uplifting way once again. She's got a few different songs in her arsenal this morning but they're just as cheery as we'd expect. Me? I need a coffee and the line is about 30 people long. Something I've noticed about Barunga Festival's demographic is that there are no snobs - the coffee line is tragic enough to warrant conversations between strangers, and it's not the first time I've seen this happening either. Heaps of people have brought their dogs (world's best conversation starter since forever), families merge as their children play together... the whole event just seems like a happy, inclusive, positive place. I witness Courtney Barnett run back to the coffee line to say worriedly, "I forgot to give you my name, I think" and the barista say embarrassed, "It's cool, I got it" and tell her current customer, "Had to play it cool but I knew who she was." So cute.

The women's basketball carnival is kicking on at the courts - they play less aggressively than the boys yesterday but they all play barefoot and are awesome considering. It's five-a-side from two Ngukurr Bulldogs teams and they score frequently and flawlessly. 

Under the trees in the culture park, men are whittling away huge logs for their didgeridoos. I've missed the part where they've hollowed out the logs (that sounds like the trickiest part) but they're smoothing away the outside and have their logs propped up on a fire. 

At midday (yep, in the heat of the day), myself, Myf, Courtney, Jen, Serina Pech and about 25 others gather to head out on the walking tour of Barunga, led by two Jawoyn Junior Guides. Though they stumble to explain various parts of the community to us, seeking help from their school principal, it's lovely to see the town they've grown up in through their eyes. We're shown the health centre, the school, the corner store, church and more, and after each explanation the cheeky pre-teens' go-to line is, "Follow me please, tourists." Scathing and hilarious. We're shown natural antidotes for scabs, how to use the paperbark trees to make a bed and blanket if you're lost in the bush and what's safe to eat. At the end of the tour, it feels like we've all become buddies and Courtney takes a Polaroid of our two young guides with the group. They're so stoked they snatch the Polaroid right off Courtney and she has to demand them back: "Hey, I want one of you guys to take home!" Definitely a heart-warming afternoon bonding with other festivalgoers. 

At 3pm, the main stage is cordoned off for the spear-throwing contest. First we have the children's division, some from Barunga and others from Darwin, all making it look SO damn easy. Pretty sure my spear would land flat on the grass. The two smallest dudes Jai and Cyril have managed to throw their spears the farthest and between the flags, and it really is thrilling to watch. The men's division follows (it's apparent it's not a sport for the ladies) and it's full of "ooooooh"s as they each have their throw at the fake kangaroo between the flags. A man finally hits the kangaroo square in the crotch and takes home the spear-throwing crown. 

To kick off main stage proceedings for the night, we're treated to heaps of traditional dancers once again - a beautiful sight as the sun sets and the bats once again flurry across the sky. As I start watching, the Islander dancers are in the circle, wearing beautiful green and white floral dresses, leis and accompanied musically by four musicians on guitar and percussion. The crowd-pleasing Funny Dancers from Shalom Christian College in their rainbow afro wigs, tutus and risqué dancing are once again a massive hit with their happy house version of the Zorba The Greek theme song. 

In an exclusive performance for Barunga Festival, Gurrumul plays a set of never before played electronic tunes tonight. With a double bass, sample pad, drums, keys and guitar backing him, it's a lush wall of sound foregrounded by his ethereal vocals. To finish, he's joined by ongoing collaborator Manuel Dhurrkay for a song. Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher follow on the main stage tonight, Courtney kicking off her set first with a stripped back Elevator Operator. Jen and their drummer Bree join for killer renditions of a cover of Everything Is Free, Dead Fox and Mother's Desk. The mosh is filled out with a bunch of local Barunga kids on the barrier - it's fantastic to see them discovering what may be new music to them too.

Over on the APRA Stage they're running over an hour behind, with Brissy artist Fred Leone kickstarting things with some slow reggae/soul tunes at the riverside stage. Katie Noonan - not officially billed on the festival - plays a short set starting with Emperor's Box, clad in leggings printed with Aboriginal art. The stripped back keys-and-guitar setup works well with her fragile voice, particularly in Sweet One, a song she wrote with Sia "before the wig and she was uber famous". Noonan's got a beautiful habit of adding a story to introduce each story, making each song more poignant - this goes for Never Know Your Luck, a song about a "girlfriend who came home to an empty house and a Dear John letter after eight-and-a-half years". Serina Pech is back for round two playing a different set of tunes tonight, without leaving any of her sass behind. She starts her set with an R&B ditty called Wanna Groove, followed with her current single Sugar Muffin.

Wildflower are rocking out mainstage in the meantime - man, they have a lot of rabid fans! Fronted by three amazing ladies, Wildflower's band are groovy, tight and evidently look like they're having a blast. Our surprise guests tonight are Courtney and Jen on Kabbari followed by a group of dancers later in the set. B2M come on stage to chants of their name and they're like One Direction to this crowd - all funky basslines, dance moves, harmonies and an all-white uniform. They sing beautifully in both their native tongue and English but either way, their songs are met with screams, claps and/or both. Muli Muli La and You Are The Only One incites huge singalongs, the latter a song about appreciating the women in your life. 

The throng of kids in the mosh are going wild for The Lonely Boys. People are telling me they're the premier Aboriginal pop punk band around but they seem more rollicking rock'n'roll to me - shredding down pat, snappy drumbeat, the works. I'm Coming Home is a crowd favourite, and the Boys bring out singer Caiti Baker for the track. There's children on shoulders, arms hung over the barrier, all stoked to finally see tonight's headliner. 

After a veeery long day, I head to bed on my very first Barunga Festival. It's been a blast - the camaraderie up here is second to none and everywhere I've turned I've bumped into someone I've been introduced to who's keen for a chat. Many of the sets have featured the same talented musicians on drums, double bass (Skinnyfish's Michael Hohnen himself) and piano, all known in NT for their musical prowess. Skinnyfish have made me feel part of the family each step of the way and what could've been a really daunting weekend away here became anything but. I've discovered a couple of artists to keep an eye on, but even more so felt like I've become mates with them. All that's left is the long drive back to Darwin.