Castlemaine State Festival and V/Line win State award for partnership...

Photo credit: Mili Wijeratne (left to right) Peter Collyns - Qantas, Martin Paten - Castlemaine State Festival, Gary McClure - Castlemaine State Festival, Nicola Reynolds - V/Line, Ursula McGinnes - V/Line.

Castlemaine State Festival and V/Line have won a prestigious Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) Award in Victoria, announced on 15 September 2009 at the Sofitel in Melbourne.

The AbaF Awards honour the best relationships between business and the arts. Castlemaine State Festival and V/Line won the QantasLink Regional Award for the best partnership that provides people in regional areas with access to arts and culture.

Castlemaine State Festival and V/Line connected regional train travel and arts events, by launching and staging the inaugural Quiet Music in Churches series this year, sponsored by V/Line. The series consisted of ten concerts in four venues over nine days, bringing world-class musicians to Castlemaine.

Scheduled in church venues within easy walking distance of V/Line's Castlemaine station, and timed to fit around V/Line's timetable, the music series increased festival attendance and outbound train travel from Melbourne.

The partnership contributed to increasing train travel to regional Victoria, and supported the Festival’s progressive efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. It is estimated that 7,500 train journeys were made by people visiting the festival.

The partners now go on to the national finals of the AbaF Awards, announced on 15 October.