From the eight hopefuls who made it through to the first round after the Dubbo auditions in March, five were at the airport at the crack of dawn yesterday nervously awaiting the next stage of their quest for musical stardom.

While the group contained an eclectic mix of musicians, including pop princesses, country balladeers and soft-rock gods, they all had one thing in common - the dream to become Australia's next big talent.

After arriving in Sydney about 8am the group were shuttled to Australian Technology Park where they were required to sing two songs of their own choosing before the famous Idol panel of Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Ian 'Dicko' Dickson.

While already an idol to many a Dubbo teenage girl with an impressive resume that includes a stint as drummer of Twenty20 and a recent performance in High School Musical, Dubbo College Senior Campus Year 12 student Mat Harris said this was a different story.

"Yeah, it's a bit different to all the stuff I've usually done so I'm just trying to control my nerves," he said.

Jo Hyndes, 29, said she will be relying on her vast experience that dates back to her musical debut as a six-year-old running about the house performing in front of family to get her through the experience.

"Music's been a life-long passion of mine since I was a little girl but I've had a few years off to look after my daughter so hopefully this could be the break I need to start a career in music," she said.

So, what are their chances against the best NSW has to offer? While the contestants remain cautiously optimistic, many know they are in for a tough time.

"It's going to be tough, that's for sure," Jarrod Creamer, who has chosen to sing two of his own songs, said. "But if you go in and do your best, you never know what could happen."

jeremy.scott@ruralpress.com