Brad Cox and Troy Cassar-Daley are headliners for the 12th annual Groundwater Country Music Festival, to be presented October 17-19 on the Gold Coast.
“I’ve played Groundwater Country Music Festival quite a few times over the years — huge crowds all with one thing in common, their love of country music,” comments Cassar-Daley, who collected five wins at the 2025 CMAA Awards, lifting his total to a record-busting 45 Golden Guitars.
This festival “has the ability to bring out massive international acts, putting our established and young, up-and-coming artists right there alongside them,” he continues. “What I love about Groundwater is the way it brings the community together — on the streets, on the verandahs, in the parks — it’s packed with love. I can’t wait to come down to play.”
Between The Fires is Cassar-Daley’s 12th and most personal album to date. Recorded at the home of his late mother in Halfway Creek, northern New South Wales, the album opened at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart and won for best country album at the 2024 ARIA Awards.
Cox, meanwhile, signed a new record deal with Warner Music Australia in late 2024. A product of Jindabyne in NSW’s Snowy Mountains, Cox made his mark 2018 with his self-titled debut album, which housed the singles “Red Light”, “Too Drunk to Drive”, “’Lake House” and “Water On The Ground”. Cox went on to win the Toyota Star Maker competition at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. His third studio album, Acres, arrived in 2023 and cracked the ARIA Top 10, peaking at No. 7.
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Announced this week, the 2025 Groundwater Country Music Festival lineup also features US artist Jackson Dean, Shane Smith & The Saints, The Wolfe Brothers, teen star-in-waiting Lane Pittman, 2025 Toyota Star Maker winner Felicity Kircher, and Queenslander Sara Berki, who returns for a second performance.
“There’s something very special about Groundwater, with its mix of surf, sun, country music,” Berki comments. “There is no other country festival quite like it.”
Groundwater Country Music Festival is produced by Experience Gold Coast and supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
“We’re building something special here — a celebration where country music thrives annually by the beach,” comments festival director Mark Duckworth.
More artists for the 2024 edition will be announced in due course.
