The minister hinted there could be an announcement of assistance next week from Music Australia, the national body set up in June last year.

“We established Music Australia at the request of industry for exactly moments like this,” he said. “So instead of government making random decisions and throwing money around, we actually have a serious look at what do we need to be able to drive long-term sustainability.”

However, he would not be drawn on whether any assistance package would include an indemnity scheme to underwrite ticket sales, something industry figures have requested.

Among the local challenges facing this year’s festival were a deluge at the beginning of the week and off-and-on rain during the first two days, which turned parts of the campground and car park into a lake. Workers in tractors were kept busy pulling bogged vehicles - some spectacularly so - from the mud, and gumboots were the fashion accessory of choice.

However, the rain failed to dampen the crowds’ enthusiasm. The numbers seemed comparable with last year’s turnout, which was down some 30 per cent on pre-COVID attendances of about 100,000.

Of the early acts, Jack Johnson drew a vast crowd of loved-up fans for what was essentially a home gig for the soft-rock superstar. Multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz-funk collective Snarky Puppy drew a smaller but hugely appreciative crowd for their extraordinary musical pyrotechnics.

On Friday, Elvis Costello kitted out in a kilt for reasons that were never fully explained, delivered an underwhelming and often off-key show. Surprise packets included Women of Soul Collective and Yolgnu man Yirrmal, who gave an impassioned performance in a mix of language and English. Here Come The Mummies also demonstrated musical chops, showing they are way more than a mere novelty act.