They were looking for a place to move to from Sydney after they retired, but instead they uncovered a gem.

At first glance, the nearly 100 year old tin shed that sits on the property was something Greg thought they would just tare down.

But on closer inspection, they had uncovered a rustic amphitheatre.

At one there stood a raise floor with spanned the width of the building.

For a farmer, it may have been a place to store hay, but for Greg and Jenny, it was a stage.

Both share a love of classical music, with two of their children studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

For this love of music, came the Craven Creek Concert, an annual classical concert which brings professional musicians together to perform; a feat Greg admits is highly dependent on his daughter, Heather’s connections in the industry.

Heather Lindsay works with the Opera Australia Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, places where she has made a lot of friends, with fellow musicians.

The first concert was in 2013 and consisted of Heather playing the cello, her brother, Augus on the oboe and a couple of friends and has grown from there, either eight musicians filling the stage in this year’s concert.

Each concert is based around a string quartet and over the years, the stage has played host to additional instruments like guitar, saxophone and even a harp.

The venue is definitely rustic with only a few minor alternations to decorate the space. The original timber posts and beams remain, holding up the patch work of tin sheeting. 

“I don’t know why but the acoustic are excellent,” Greg said.

So they aren’t looking to change a thing, other than maybe added in some lights in the future. They can fit up to 110 black folding chairs on the artificial turf covering the dirt floor.

“It’s like woodstock,” Jenny said. “Come and have a picnic by the river and park wherever they want.”

The concerts run in September, mainly for two reasons; one: most of the concert musicians have finished touring and two: less chance of rain, as the tin roof can get a bit noisy.

Greg has now retired with plans for Jenny to follow suit in the near future. Their hope is to grow the concert into a full festival and incorporate more of their neighbours.

“I’d love for it to be a full weekend, with bushwalking, a range of concerts and a variety activities that showcase this beautiful area,” Jenny said.

She also hopes to encourage more of the Gloucester community to come out and experience the high quality music that is playing in their backyard.

At the moment, the concert runs the same program on a Saturday and a Sunday with the show starting at 2pm and finishing up before dark.

For more information about the concerts, visit https://www.cravencreekmusic.com/