October 27, 2026 — 7:11pm

The first incredible thing about Rob Hirst’s drum kit is how new it looks. Glistening in the dramatic half-light of the Encore! exhibition at Arts Centre Melbourne, this is the rig that powered Midnight Oil from their Head Injuries era of 1979 to their last shows of 2022.

The black Ludwig kit, “overturned in trucks, thrown off risers, drenched in water and Gatorade”, as Hirst told us soon before his death in January – not to mention thrashed by its owner through hundreds of gigs – still gleams like a million dollars.

Rob Hirst’s daughter Lex, wife Leslie and Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie with the drummer’s rescued kit.…