THE ORIGINAL VISION

The original vision of Deliverance emerged from the heart of a man named Bruce (pronounced /bruː/) who wanted all his friends to have a party at his house. Except that his house wasn’t just his house, it belonged to a whole tribe of whacky hardcore hippies bent on building a grassroots community in the wilds of the world. And his friends weren’t just a handful of schoolmates and co-workers, they were a collective of highly-driven creatives making magic happen in transformational spaces across Australia and the world.

The vision was of an intimate single stage gathering where people from diverse musical scenes could come and connect and engage with each other’s music. The plan was not for everyone to be familiar with or necessarily enjoy everything being played, but for everyone to respect each other's time and maybe discover a love for something new. Going hand-in-hand with this musical quest, was an optimistic goal of people having respect for each other as diverse beings and for Deliverance to be an event for making friends, hanging out and having fun.

‍WYTALIBA - A VENUE LIKE NO OTHER‍

Wytaliba is a multiple occupancy community formed in 1979. Since its inception Wytaliba has been home to a diverse community of people from all around the globe and from all walks of life. Wytaliban culture is built upon mutual support, respect and love of place. The depth of the community's story is something that can only be felt and known by getting your feet on the ground. This can be done by coming to Deliverance which is held in the Wytaliba Community area.

The unique nature of this site means Deliverance has some features not shared with other events.  

Because the site is permanently occupied, art created at Deliverance can be long term in both vision and realisation. The energy that is put into the space will remain with the space indefinitely. An intention of Deliverance is to foster mutually beneficial connections between the community of Wytaliba and its visitors. The Wytaliban community is open to both aesthetic and practical contributions to the community area that can be enjoyed by all. Possible projects include: the creation of landscaped camps in the paddock (that groups may return to each year), food production infrastructure, chill spaces and permanent decor.

Wytaliba is home to families, children and the elderly. Deliverance as an event and individuals as attendees have a responsibility to consider this reality when making decisions. This is essential when considering things such as personal safety, music volume, and self-care. More broadly, the fact that Wytaliba is a home means that care for the wellbeing of the site is high priority. The continuance of this event depends upon the goodwill of Wytaliban community members. Take all your rubbish with you. Be respectful of people, animals, plants, tech, vehicles and buildings. If a pile of trash is left behind or a window is broken it is a Wytaliban community member that has to deal with the consequences of that.

As with all collaborative events, Deliverance’s identity grows and changes with each edition. A core way that this growth is reflected is in the musical lineup for each edition. Deliverance is a multi-genre event that intends to showcase contemporary artistry across a variety of genres. Nothing is off the table, however, certain genres have emerged that have set the tone for the socially empowering space that Deliverance aims to create.

‍A NOTE ON FIRE

Deliverance often falls in November each year and sometimes around the 8th. This day has major significance for the people of Wytaliba as it is the date that a catastrophic
bushfire tore through the community in 2019. Sadly our home was the victim of the very real effects of climate change and was almost completely destroyed in the catastrophic bush fires, which went on to sweep the east coast of Australia. We lost around 60 out of 80 homes, and our community is still in recovery from this life-changing event. Initially, there was a tonne of help offered, especially from all our friends in the events industry - unfortunately global pandemic lock-downs and two years of hell-on-Earth, delayed much of the planned rebuilding of homes. Many locals are still unable to return - because we literally don't have places for them to live.

This devastating event has left an undeniable impact on the community, and while healing is underway, there are scars that will take a long time to mend. We offer this awareness to all visitors to our community and invite respect for the power of fire in thought and action.

Please consider this your invitation to be more than just a passive consumer - we welcome co-creation and innovation. This is a party created by loving friends, aimed at friends and friends we don't yet know. A crew party put on by crew, for crew.

For all those who are conscious of their environment, who like good tunes and want to make beautiful things, and who understand that it's the people you share with who truly make a good party - we'd love to party with you!