A very healthy 700 plus audience came into Rex Smeal Park to enjoy the inaugural Douglas Rock 'n Blues Bonanza organised by Radio Port Douglas from 1pm on Sunday 23 May. 

The Port FM team organised a line-up of four great acts to perform through the afternoon giving the crowd some well earned top quality rock and blues.  Good friends of Port Douglas, Wizard and Oz returned from Melbourne to get things off on the right mark.  And Johnnos Blues Band don't need asking twice to drive an audience to a climax.

Johnno actually answered the many questions he's had about what he's been doing since his Blues Club closed by bringing on stage a group of young guys that he has been teaching.  And man!, did they blow the crowds away? And there was us thinking Johnno would have just been sitting around mourning the loss of his beloved club.  Not a chance, he's been teaching and spreading the word and the word is the 'Blues", good on you Johnno. 

The music was so good that even a Dugong, grazing along the shoreline, off Island Point, took a break to surface and enjoy the music, obviously an animal with blues roots!

The superb Bex Marshall delayed her trip home to UK after her stunning performance at The Cairns Blues Festival to help out when Jessie Dean Freeman had to pull out at the last moment because of finger injury.  Bex Marshall is a quite unique talent and this was a wonderful opportunity for the Douglas region to see her perform and their reaction said it all.  The final band The Flying Libido's took the excitement up to yet another gear before the 6.30 pm end came to a great afternoon on a great afternoon. 

The music, the weather, the company and the setting - It doesn't get any better than this.