[6] Following a drought in 1943, the station manager, J. D. Kelly, sold off 7,100 sheep from the property, leaving a flock of 9,000.
The government decided that this prime grazing land – which had been so well managed with stock rotation, compared to aerial photographs of the adjoining properties – would not benefit from renewing the Crown Lease.
Schutz & Associates (valuers from Adelaide) assessed the property on behalf of McLeod for compensation.
[16] "Mundi Mundi Plain Station" (sic) is described as "an iconic film location", covering an area of around 69,000 ha (170,000 acres), with 24,000 ha (60,000 acres) of the property lying in the adjoining state of South Australia, approximately 41 kilometres (25 mi) west of Broken Hill and 142 kilometres (88 mi) north west of Menindee, situated just outside of Silverton.
[17] Belmont Station been the location of many films as well as television ads, music videos, and fashion shoots since the 1980s or earlier.
[18][19] The last scenes of Mad Max 2 are filmed at the lookout, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert also used the location.
[19] Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, directed by George Miller and released in 2024, was filmed on Belmont Station.
Icehouse, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels, and Kate Ceberano all performed at the festival, and it was reported that 6,594 people participated in breaking the world record for the most people performing the Nutbush dance to the Ike & Tina Turner song "Nutbush City Limits".
A five-year agreement with the leaseholders was signed in 2023, enabling the organisers to build some permanent structures, such as composting toilets.
[21] Daryl Braithwaite, Vanessa Amorosi, and Tim Finn were the headline acts, along with The Living End, Ian Moss,[25] Chocolate Starfish, Björn Again, Shane Howard, Casey Barnes, Ash Grunwald, and others.
[24] Another festival is scheduled for 2025, featuring Diesel, James Reyne, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton, Baby Animals,[25] Missy Higgins, Hoodoo Gurus, The Cat Empire, Birds of Tokyo, Kasey Chambers, Leo Sayer, Rose Tattoo, Chocolate Starfish, and many others.
[21] The event is an example of "agritourism", with the leaseholders diversifying to increase income to offset the costs of drought, a constant threat in the region.