Justin Schmidt

Justin Schmidt is a Darwin-based creator, producer, and venue builder with over two decades of experience turning ideas into physical and digital spaces where people gather, create, and connect. He is the founder and operator of Bustard Town, a live music venue built by hand in the heart of Darwin, hosting everything from rock and hip hop to DJ parties, conferences, and emerging local artists — alongside a wood-fired oven producing Darwin’s best pizza.

Justin’s career sits at the intersection of technology, community, and creative space-making. He previously conceived and built Lucky Bat, Darwin’s coffee house, saloon and performance space, and spent years as Project Officer for the City of Darwin running the Darwin Digital Hub, where he taught digital literacy and led “Facing Tracy” — an interactive media project marking the 40th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy that engaged thousands of participants and contributed to a National Local Government Communication Award.

Before Darwin, Justin conceived, designed, and operated Horse Bazaar in Melbourne, a digital art bar built around a 15-metre panoramic projection and custom media delivery software, and ran Digital Fringe as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival for five years, securing ongoing funding from Film Victoria and sponsorship from Telstra.

Across every project — bars, festivals, sensors, or stages — Justin’s work follows one thread: building spaces, systems, and experiences that invite people to engage, create, and participate in something real.

Bustard Town
Bustard Town was built by hand to be a space for performance. Set on 1,000 square metres in the heart of Darwin, BT isn’t a single stage but a small village for live music: a full bandroom holding 250 pax; an al fresco garden with its own performance space for something looser and open-air; and a small, intimate room for the shows that need to feel close. Three spaces, three different ways to experience or produce an event.

Bustard Town isn’t bound by genre. On any given week you might find rock, hip hop, DJ parties, conferences, or a lineup of emerging local artists getting their first real stage.

BT also operates a wood-fired oven turning out Darwin’s best pizza.

BT is constantly evolving. Right now we’re building out an MA2 lighting system to bring cinematic, precise control to light across every space in the venue — part of an ongoing commitment to constantly upgrading the technology behind the experience: sound, light, and everything in between.