What makes a winning mullet? Dean Southwell talks to the woman behind Mulletfest to find out.
Photography Kevin Bull
TAKE 92 magnificent manes and a woman determined to bring smiles and tourists to her Hunter Valley community and you have Mulletfest, an event with a heart of gold.
Last weekend, as the town of Kurri Kurri sweltered, the 2024 Mulletfest grand final celebrated the iconic hairstyle at an event sold as the nation’s biggest “party out the back”.
It was the culmination of more than a dozen heats around NSW as well as in Rockhampton, Darwin, Perth and Canberra.
What makes a winner? Competitors are judged on the cut and condition of their hair, their photos and how they fit the various event categories.
But you need that certain something to impress the judges, so competitors faced interviews that rated charity or volunteer work highly.
A mullet also needs to work a crowd. So Bayley Martin-Pyke, who travelled from the Port Stephens area, was right on the money when he strutted up to the stage with an entourage, banner and Bailey Zimmerman’s New to Country blaring to win the rookie category. Sydneysider Anton Medvidovic gave his wife a lot of the credit for his overall win because she applied argan oil to his hair.
The heart of gold: Event founder Laura Johnson said she was proud of an event that could easily be dismissed as a celebration of bogan culture.
Johnson’s family had run the Chelmsford Hotel in Kurri Kurri since 1993. As publican in 2017, she saw how hard the closure of the local aluminium smelter and collieries had hit her community.
She wanted to do something to make her community smile, so the pub hosted the first Mulletfest in 2018. She has since sold the pub, although it still hosts a Mulletfest heat.
She also wanted to support brain cancer research after the death of a friend. Mulletfest has raised about $35,000 for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
The 2025 event, which starts with heats at Canberra’s Summernats, will also support the Black Dog Institute.
The winner of Mulletfest 2024 is annouced:
