ConFest is an alternative bush campout festival held in the south-eastern states of Australia, normally twice a year at New Year and Easter. The name 'ConFest' is a concatenation of the words Conference and Festival. The first ConFest was held in 1976 on a property at Cotter River near Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. It was initiated and organised by the then Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Dr. Jim Cairns, his private secretary Junie Morosi and David Ditchburn. It was intended to bring together the various subcultures of the alternative movement, and was billed as "An Exploration of Alternatives".