Maitreya organisers make first statement in four months

Maitreya organisers seem to have finally give up on their quest to hold future events at the planned site of their doomed 10th anniversary earlier this year.

The Australian festival was cancelled one day before it was due to begin in March after a saga that involved the local council denying the necessary permits and organisers insisting the event would go ahead until the last moment, when they cited poor weather.

Ticket holders who hadn't used credit cards struggled to get a refund and Maitreya said they were planning a replacement event for the AFL Grand Final weekend.

That's this weekend (October 1 to 2) and their four-month long silence has been broken.

"Dearest Maitreya fans it is with great sorrow that we have been unable to get approval from the Buloke Council for any more events at Lake Wooroonook, including the grand final weekend event," a post on the festival's Facebook page reads.

"We hope that now the CEO and Mayor have succumb to public pressure and finally stepped down that this may change in the near future, but for now there is no change.

"This, and the financial outcomes of this years event, all lead to the hard truth that we may never be able to present you Maitreya Festival again.

"We hope that we can bring you more positive news in the future but for now we thank all who have supported us along the way.....no surrender!"

The Buloke Shire Council's CEO and Mayor have recently announced they were stepping down for their roles. Both attracted heavy criticism from the local Charlton community, where the festival was to be held in a rural part of Victoria, for not assisting the festival.

But it looks as though no one has been a winner, with many Facebook commenters pointing out they still haven't received any of their $300 ticket price back.