Put Yr Boots Up For All The Best & Stupidly Creative Doof Sticks We Spotted At Golden Plains

We’ve shaken off the hangover, washed off the dust and picked all the black snot out of our noses which means the return to Golden Plains Festival has finally come to a close. It’s been a long three years without the perfect autumnal hoon and it seems that in that time everyone’s gotten really creative with hot glue guns. How do we know? Because the level of artistry that went into everyones’ doof sticks this year was unmatched.

Day one began strong with some doof sticks that were simple, yet effective. Like this happy little traffic cone guy — no bells or whistles but I saw him everywhere.

I love how much this one is a real day-to-night doof stick. It sparkles in the sun and still catches the lights from the stage at night. A true hoon beacon.

Honestly, I think everyone hated the Monday after Golden Plains so ol’ Garf isn’t alone in that perspective.

A beautiful, wholesome twist on the doof stick — a woof stick featuring who I assume is the human’s beloved pooch.

Chippies, they’re good for doof sticks and festival sustenance.

This was the first of multiple golden planes at Golden Plains. I heard someone on the radio claiming they had one that fit 12 people but if it was this, it’s definitely a Spruce Moose situation.

IT’S ME AS A PARTY BABY!!!

I spotted this syrup-only Squishee Bart Simpson earlier and tracked down the owner to get a better shot. If there’s anything that’ll get you powering through until the end of Four Tet’s set at 4am its mainlining sugar.

I basically ran across the width of the Supernatural Amphitheatre to take a photo of this expertly-created blobfish. We love the blobfish. All hail party blobfish.

Brendan Fraser won an Oscar mere hours after Golden Plains wrapped up so I’m taking this doof stick as a premonition.

Delicious. Perfection.

I saw this Eye of Sauron lit up out the wazoo later on in the night and it looked incredibly powerful. Bonus points here for chucking on a cheeky few bottlecaps and essentially turning this doof stick into a largerphone.

Full respect to those who brought Francis Bourgeois into the ‘sup this weekend. As he deserves.

We’re also now getting into the night where doof sticks start lighting up and coming into their full power. But it also meant that my photography became, for lack of a better term, pretty fucking dogshit. Apologies in advance.

This jellyfish kept appearing near me throughout the weekend and its tentacles consistently made me jump because it felt like a little spider on my back or something.

Now this was a masterpiece. At one point during Bikini Kill, I turned around to look back at the crowd littered with doof sticks and saw this amazing 4 Corners piece. I asked the bloke how he made it and he said it was all hand-moulded. Unreal, love it.

I think this Bertocchi ham takes out the best on ground for me this year. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just perfect.

The next morning on Sunset Strip (where everyone crowds in to cheer the sun down over the horizon) I spied this very cute game for punters. Spin the wheel, do the thing. I would absolutely be trying to land on number three every time.

Another interactive moment was this bathroom-based crew who encouraged people to share their shower thoughts by writing them down on a bit of paper and submitting it in the little box. Would love to know what secrets lie in that little chest.

A quick change of pace from the doof sticks because I absolutely have to share some of the toilet art at Golden Plains and Meredith. It’s extremely underrated and nobody bloody talks about it — maybe to keep it a cute surprise for your mid-set dunny run.

But I stepped into this one which was called the “Order of the Transcendental Golden Temple” and kinda just wanted to have a sit and think for a while.

Big props to this carrot, which I assume is a nod to Fitzroy’s own Carrot Man.

I dunno who this guy is but I love him.

And finally, a delicious sweet treat doof stick to round out the weekend.

Yep, that’s a whole-ass croquembouche. I give it plate-smashing 11/10.

Sure, there may have been a severe lack of Mr Bean doof sticks this year but I’ll forgive that — let’s just make sure Bean and Teddy show up at Meredith in December, yeah?

Image: Aunty Meredith / Benjamin Fletcher