Bust out your finest coastal cowboy gear, Australia’s biggest beachside country music party is back. In 2025, the Groundwater Country Music Festival is bringing one of its strongest line-ups yet.
This month, some of the finest Australian country artists (and a couple of international guests) will come together on the beautiful Gold Coast for one of the strongest line-ups the festival has put together to date.
Leading the charge is the mighty Troy Cassar-Daley, who has won just about every award imaginable for his brilliant 2024 record Between The Fires. He’s been a cherished part of the Australian music landscape for 35 years and this latest record shows he still has plenty left to say.
Another local big gun headlines the Friday night of the festival, as Brad Cox drops by to take us through tracks from his great new record Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions as well as crowd favourites from across his esteemed career thus far.
Closing out things on the Saturday is the excellent Nikki Lane, whose return to Australia is good news for fans and those who are soon to become obsessed with her.
The Nashville-based singer is the only artist at Groundwater namechecked in a Lana Del Rey song (waiting for TCD reference on the new album), but more importantly she’s one of the most exciting voices in Americana today.
Look beyond the headliners and you’ll find a stack of local favourites who are not just making some of the best country music in Australia, but work that stands up globally. Are we biased? Sure. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Head out and see Lane Pittman or Tyla Rodrigues and tell us we’re wrong. Try arguing against the brilliance of alt-country duo Minor Gold or emerging storyteller Sara Berki. Catch Casey Barnes and The Pleasures in full flight and try to not be proud of the music our artists are bringing to the world.
It’s a stacked line-up across many stages, with country music in every shape and form on display for those who love it.
Groundwater Music Festival, proudly presented by ABC Country, takes place in and around Broadbeach from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 October.
