Having just wrapped up a tour with The Porch Sessions, Sydney based folk singer-songwriter Tim Hart shares his memorable experience travelling around Australia.

I just finished playing a tour called The Porch Sessions. We drove in camper vans from Toowoomba, covered around 6000km, played 12 shows and ended up at this show in Parsons Beach, South Australia. This was unlike any tour I’ve ever done. Sharni Honor and her team, who run the Porch Sessions, were so professional and amazing. Seeing Australia in this way was a real privilege, although the camping aspect of things took a bit of getting used to for me.

On tours like this there is always a fair bit of waiting around. This shot was taken near Wellington, S.A. waiting to cross the Murray river. This is just before the Murray finally reaches the Southern Ocean and it was pretty amazing to see. As we waited to put the vans on the ferry, we had time for a cheeky throw of the Frisbee which ended up with Stu Larsen (pictured on the left) having to go deep into the reeds on the left to retrieve a stray throw that may or may not have originated from my hand.

We had one travel day between Melbourne and Tantanoola in South Australia, so all four vans headed along the Great Ocean Road. It was pretty magical and so good to see a bit of Australia that is slightly off the beaten track from the normal touring circuit. The guy at the front of this photo is Natsuki Kurai who is an amazing Harmonica player from Yokahama, Japan. He was over here headlining the tour with Stu Larsen.

In this shot we’ve all pulled over to look at a Koala that Natsuki has spotted in the trees. As you can imagine being one of his first times in Australia, this sort of thing was pretty awesome to watch. We are near Cape Otway and Sharni is on the roof of her van trying to get some phone reception, looking a bit Statue of Liberty-like.

I’m a bit obsessed with fishing ports. I don’t know why. Maybe because I like being around boats. I love reading Joseph Conrad novels like Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, or Somerset Maugham novels. There’s a bit of romance to the sailor’s life and it, in many ways, reminds me of touring. You go to heaps of places but don’t always see a lot.

Some of the venues we played on this tour were amazing. They were all outdoors and most of them were people’s houses. This is an old church that has been turned into someone’s home in Tantanoola. Conveniently, it had a massive lawn where we set up and played the gig.

Tim is now gearing up for the release of his second album The Narrow Corner which drops on February 2nd. You can catch Tim Hart on his next tour following the release at any of the dates below:

TIM HART “THE NARROW CORNER” TOUR DATES

SAT 03 FEB | FRONT BAR & GALLERY, CANBERRA ACT

Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

FRI 09 FEB | LEADBELLY, NEWTOWN NSW
Tickets available from www.leadbelly.oztix.com.au

SAT 10 FEB | LIZOTTES, NEWCASTLE NSW
Tickets available from www.lizottes.com.au | 02 4956 2066

FRI 16 FEB| WESLEY ANNE, MELBOURNE VIC
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

THU 22 FEB| BISON BAR, NAMBOUR QLD
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

FRI 23 FEB| THE MILK FACTORY, SOUTH BRISBANE QLD
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

SAT 24 FEB| NIGHTQUARTER, GOLD COAST QLD
Free Entry