Imagine being at a resort – and all of the people staying there are lesbians…

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This year over 1000 women, including 21 International visitors and 13 women from WA made their way to Queensland to attend the third annual Girlfest.  Ruth Marshall, dedicated girl-party enthusiast, was part of the sandgroper contingent there to party with Australia’s answer to the famous Dinah Shore Weekend held in the States.

Girlfest 2008 was held at the Hyatt Resort at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast, North of Brisbane.  The venue was fantastic, with there were several pools dotted over the resort, a top class golf course, driving range, tennis courts, fitness centre, beach and pool, all in a natural tropical setting.  The birdlife was abundant and the resort even had a resident family of kangaroos.  The accommodation options varied – we had a two bedroom apartment, with two bathrooms and a lounge and dining area and our balcony overlooked a beautiful, picturesque garden. I thought that it was even better than the previous Girlfest venue. 

This year’s entertainment was top class too. It all started on Friday night with the Comedy show. Gracing the stage were Meshel Laurie as the Mistress of Ceremonies; the winner of Triple J’s Raw Comedy comp in 2000, Fiona McGary; Sally Kimpton – another fine Australian comedian; Gina Yashere – English comedian now living in LA, and last but not least yet another great Australian comedian, Julia Morris.  This was Julia’s second visit to Girlfest, and she said that it is one of the best gigs to do as the audience just gets it!  The comedians, get this, were actually funny and made a great start to a big weekend.

Saturday’s line up at  the Village Square Pool included Not bad for a girl, Nat Allison Band, Michell Parsons and two great sets from Finding Stella.  This was the second time Finding Stella, and easy on the eyes lead singer Chris Snyder, have performed at Girlfest, and they really rocked the crowd.  If you don’t know about Finding Stella, they’re a  lesbian fronted band from San Francisco – check them out at www.myspace.com/findingstella. 

Saturday night saw the Dance Party kick off, with the ID studio dancers entertaining the crowd.  The music was retro for the first part and then changed to more dance party beats later. If this wasn’t your scene, you could seek out the Chill Bar and Live gig venue that were on offer as alternatives. With Fosters being one of the sponsors, the beverages were very reasonably priced – a perk enjoyed by many!

Sunday – if you didn’t have a sore head –  some great acts performed poolside, including Beth Preston, Cat and the Headband, Dallas Frasca, Jayne-Ann Power and Liz Stringer.

Sunday night brought more entertainment – there were two films to see, or you could go to the beach for a bonfire or hang out at the chill bar. 

Girlfest, organised by Nikki Madden and her trusty team of pink girls,  is a fantastic experience…  If you haven’t been, mark it on your calendar now and save your pennies for next year.