Nashville, TN - On September 9, 10, and 11, 2005 – over 500 Australian participants are set to invade Music City, USA for the 9^th Annual Australian Festival at Centennial Park. Among these will be more than 25 Australian musical acts, 100 Australian government and business representatives, over 40 Australian Trade Products (Food, Wine, & Travel) with an additional 20 Australian retail based exhibitors, and upwards of 200 athletes to compete in Australian Football, Netball, Cricket, and Rugby. Heading up this Australian "Dream Team" is the famous Australian petting zoo, featuring kangaroos, wallabies, kookaburras, emus, sheep, snakes and lizards, and even a real live dingo! The admission fee is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and children 12 and under (children 2 and under admitted free).

The Australian Festival consists of 6 key areas representing Australian life - Kids Down Under, Music Down Under, Sports Down Under, The Australian Expo, G'Day Cafe, and the Australian Pavilion (with Jackaroo's Pub and the Woolshed Workshops).

"The Australian Festival is the ultimate showcase of the Land Down Under," says Festival director and founder Peter Beare. "Over nine years of developing this event, we now have produced a complete Australian community in our 3 ½ acre Australian Festival design. I am so proud to see such an international celebration in > Nashville and to get the opportunity to put everything we love about Australia into three action-packed days."

Festival Week will kick off on Tuesday, September 6, with a concert for the children patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, followed by several musical industry showcases and school events, leading up to Thursday night's "G'Day Nashville" welcome event at the Select Inn at Vanderbilt. The ANZACC National Conference will take place on Friday morning at the Select Inn, with the Food, Wine, and Travel Trade show (new this year to the Festival) highlighting Australian products and services on Friday afternoon at the Australian Pavilion. Additionally, the G'Day Mates Schools program (an annual favorite among local school children) will be held Friday morning at Centennial Park. Then, at 3:00 pm. Friday, Centennial Park will become "Official Australian Soil" as the 9^th Annual Australian Festival opens to the general public.

Other major events include the Gum Trees Gala (the official social event of the festival) at the Australian Pavilion and Saturday morning's Kanga Kids Walk, which coincides with the Children's Hospital's Health Fair to be held at Kids Down Under. Saturday night will be the musical event of the weekend when The Gathering Australian Homecoming Concert presents one of Australia's greatest singer/songwriters (to be announced in early July). The Gathering, which is the "official party" of the Australian Festival, takes place at the Australian Pavilion.

To sum it all up, a family visiting the Australian Festival can sample some authentic Australian Tucker (food and drink), listen to some awesome Australian talent on various music stages, visit with a kangaroo and cockatoo while playing in Kids Down Under, plan that "dream vacation" to the Land Down Under, have a taste of some fine Australian wine, attend a didgeridoo workshop, browse some great Aussie merchandise or kick back and enjoy some of the fastest and exciting contact sports in the world. The Australian Festival offers something unique for the whole family.

The Australian Festival will also be hosting the 2005 ANZACC National Conference (including Food, Wine, & Travel Trade Show), the Kanga Kids Walk, and the G'Day Mates Schools program.

For more general details about the Australian Festival please visit - http://www.australianfestival.org

Come Say G'Day!