THE music's fading, the hangover's receding and the dust settling as Australia's biggest bush bash – Gympie's National Country Music Muster – starts packing up this morning.
An easy peace will then return to the Amamoor forest after another record week of music, crowds and drinks.
More than 25,000 fans packed the site each day through the weekend, helping the Gympie Apex Club's fundraiser edge toward the $10 million mark over 25 musters.
"It's the biggest crowd ever, for sure," organiser Brian Sansom said yesterday.
"It's too early to know the final tally but it's been a great way to celebrate the 25th year."
Helping celebrate over the festival's six days were a cavalcade of established stars, would-bes and wanna-bes.
Rocking headlines were supplied by the likes of Lee Kernaghan, Adam Brand and Jimmy Barnes.
Adding musical light and shade were the likes of Troy Cassar-Daley, Graeme Connors and Pete Murray.
There were the sweet-fresh charms of the audacious Audreys, the hard-driving, high school mob Branded plus the philosophical compassion of Neil Murray and Shane Howard among more than 120 performers.
For this silver anniversary the Webb Brothers, the three-man country band that began the whole business, were back on stage.
And now on the country track is Sinead Burgess, of Beachmere, just 15 and armed with a recording package having won the week's Maton talent search.
Yet as much as the music, from blues to bluegrass, country rock to true-blue country, there were the crowds which stirred the dust and added the atmosphere.
