Community & Business
14 September, 2025
Coo-ee to Coast tour draws 400 attendees
Gilgandra Shire Council’s “Coo-ee to Coast, Windmills to Waves” marketing campaign wrapped up after a fast-paced three-day journey, leaving a strong impression.
Funded by $20,000 from the NSW government’s Destination Country and Outback NSW Regional Event Fund (REF), the campaign promoted the upcoming Under the Gums Festival and Goin’ to Gil Weekend - and by all accounts, it struck a chord.
Over three days, the newly rebranded Under the Gums Bus hit the road, visiting Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, Newcastle, and Mudgee.
The Planning Crew staged 13 activations in total, drawing an estimated 400 attendees. Each stop featured live music, giveaways, Coo-ee calling competitions, coffee shout-outs, spontaneous street activations, and a run club event. Crew members reported enthusiastic engagement, with plenty of passers-by turning into participants once the music and giveaways kicked off.
The trip began locally with the Goin’ To Gil Festival Planning Crew meeting at the Sporties last Wednesday, September 3 with members seeing the new bus signage for the first time. On Thursday the crew visited Tooraweenah Public School where the students gave them and the bus an enthusiastic send off. The it was off to Tamworth via Coonabarabran. Pub ‘Golden Schooner’ giveaways and visitor-centre pop-ups drew curious crowds, many of whom shared the experience online. Some of the crew joined with the Social Trak Club Tamworth for a running and music promotional event.
Then it was on to Newcastle on Friday and The Honeysuckle Hotel lunchtime performance by Abbie Ferris was a major highlight, with locals filming sing-alongs and sharing widely. Lane Pittman also performed live at The Station in Newcastle. Abbie Ferris along with rising country music star Lane Pittman are the star attractions for the long weekend’s Under the Gums music festival. The crew returned via Mudgee on the final stop of their promotional tour.
The campaign’s energy spilled online, with attendees quick to share their experiences:
On Facebook, one Newcastle local wrote: “Didn’t expect a free gig at lunchtime today — Abbie Ferris was amazing! Loved the surprise.” On Instagram, a Tamworth café tagged the Under the Gums account: “Thanks for the coffee giveaway crew — our customers loved it! #GoinToGil.”
A Mudgee attendee posted on TikTok: “Caught the Coo-ee crew at the beach — they had us yelling Coo-ees across the waves. Can’t wait to check out Gilgandra in October.”
Across Twitter/X, photos of the bright festival bus were captioned: “Hard to miss this beauty rolling into town. Gilgandra knows how to make an entrance.”
