Big Day Out
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The flight time between the Gold Coast and Adelaide is almost two hours, but a group of musicians will take a five-day motorbike ride as part of the Big Day Out festival’s quest to raise mental health awareness.

Rock ‘N’ Ride for health organization headspace is an initiative of Big Day Out chief executive Adam Zammit.

Between the Jan. 20 Gold Coast show at Parkland and the Jan. 25 show at Adelaide’s Showground, Zammit will be joined on the ride by Grinspoon singer Phil Jamieson and his model wife Julie, Silverchair’s Chris Joannou, dance producer Paul Mac, Jake Stone of rock band Bluejuice, sportsman Nathan Hindmarsh, MTV VJ Kate Peck and mental health activist Steve Andrews.

They’ll stop into headspace centers in regional towns in four states, joining the locals for lunch, autograph signing, photo opportunities and acoustic sets. They’ll also speak to headspace volunteers about how valuable their work is.

The Parkland show is most likely Big Day Out’s last on the Gold Coast. Starting in 2014 the site will be redeveloped by the Queensland government to become an athlete’s village for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Zammit is scouring the region for alternates. Regional cities Cairns, Mackay and Townsville have already pitched their facilities, and talks have begun with Woodfordia, home of the Woodford Folk and indigenous The Dreaming festivals.