CMC Rocks has released a statement that outlines the promoters' reasons for shifting the festival to the Queensland venue Willowbank Raceway in 2015, citing lack of transport and reasonably priced accommodation as reasons for the move.

But many outraged punters have voiced their anger on the CMC Rocks Facebook page, annoyed that they had already booked accommodation in the Hunter.

Kelly Brown posted: "They stated at this years cmc that it was definitely staying at the hunter next year and until 2018. Its ok to say suck it up as you not the one who has paid 100s of dollars for accommodation that is non refundable. I dont care its going to Qld but they should keep it in the Hunter for next year and then move it."

Joanne Ayliffe posted: "NOT CONCERNS - ANGRY. A move is fine and I could understand if announcement said moving for 2016, but as accomodation & non refundable airfares are all booked and paid for a year in advance and 6 1/2 months from event YOU say moving!!! DISGUSTED... ALSO HOW MANY COUNTRY EVENTS DOES QLD NEED???? and no I'm not from NSW."

The statement from CMC Rocks reads:

"We understand our move of CMC Rocks from the Hunter Valley to Queensland has met with a mixed reception amongst country music fans. We want to explain to fans the reasons for the move and address any concerns.

When we moved CMC Rocks from Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains (CMC Rocks the Snowys) to the Hunter Valley in 2011, we were met with a similar response. As was the case then, the move to Queensland has been prompted by many considerations, not least of which is the increasing cost of attending the festival. We certainly do not underestimate or lack any appreciation for the support that country music fans have shown to the CMC Rocksfestivals over the past eight years.

Site considerations are always the major determining factor in such a decision. When we moved from the Snowy Mountains to a larger, more facilitated site, it was not because we had sold out and reached maximum capacity, but because we’d seen the growth of the festival inhibited by other factors. When we made the move to the Hunter, the event grew immediately and considerably. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen this growth plateau.

In relation to the current move, some of our key considerations have been:

# Accommodation costs and minimum stay requirements – the cost of accommodation in the Hunter region has risen by as much as 100% between our first event in the Hunter in 2011 and our fourth in 2014. A lot of hotel facilities also introduced a minimum three night stay.

# Camping ground on the Hope Estate – the available camping ground was fully utilised and less than ideal given the limited flat ground available, particularly under wet conditions.

# Access to the Hunter Valley was a minimum of two and a half hours from a major metro airport and the site was not directly accessible by public transport.

# Food and beverage was controlled by the Hope Estate, rather than the festival organisers and we were consistently receiving feedback via our annual festival survey regarding dissatisfaction of options provided.

We’ve sought to address many of these issues as we’ve looked around for an alternative site. The choice of Willowbank Raceway in south-east Queensland will undoubtedly reduce the cost of attending the festival for many, both now and in the future. With four major centres all within 10 to 90 minutes of the festival site – Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich and Toowoomba – there is vastly more accommodation available to our patrons than could ever be utilised. We’re hoping this move will drastically reduce any opportunity for patrons to be exploited by accommodation suppliers.

The new site affords patrons the option of flying in from interstate, international and intrastate. There’s a choice of international airports, in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There’s also rail and bus transport to the site.

The camping area available is flat, vast and in many cases, shaded. For the first time we will offer a “Tent City” / “Glamping” option for CMC Rocks festival-goers which will be tent-style motel-type accommodation.

Furthermore, the festival organisers will endeavor to provide a greater selection of food and beverage options throughout the festival weekend.

In addressing the concerns of fans who have pre-booked their accommodation and travel in and to the Hunter Valley for 2015, we believe that with more than 7 months notice, fans should approach the accommodation providers for deposits to be refunded. We see no valid reason as to why refunds would not be made, given the extensive amount of notice. In relation to airfares, whilst we understand that many lower cost or budget airfares may not be refundable, fans should be able to secure a credit for these airfares to be used for future air travel.

In conclusion, as the festival organisers, we genuinely believe that the new site for CMC Rocks QLD will provide the best festival site we’ve had to date, allowing for greater expansion and more options for entertaining our many thousands of loyal CMC Rocks festival fans.

We look forward to bringing fans another unique and exciting line-up of the best American, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian country music artists as we shape the line-up for CMC Rocks QLD 2015. Stay tuned for more information and full details at www.cmcrocks.com."