Travel

The NAIDOC Week Events in Each State That You Need To Know About

Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

naidoc week events
Photo: Cassandra Hannagan

NAIDOC week exists to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme, ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’, is designed to celebrate the many who have driven and led change in our communities over generations—they have been the heroes and champions of change, equal rights and even basic human rights.

This NAIDOC week, there are hundreds of experiences across Australia to immerse yourself in. For the ultimate inspiration, we have collated this list of cultural experiences to enjoy this NAIDOC week, all across Australia.

New South Wales

National Indigenous Art Fair
Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 3
Circular Quay
This year, the art fair will be a celebration of contemporary Indigenous Australian art, design, culture and bushfoods and has a two-day festival program running alongside the event. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres from 22 remote communities across Australia will bring their artworks to Sydney to exhibit alongside more than 25 Blak Markets stallholders.

Michael Reid Art Bar First Nations Exhibit
July 3-10
Pyrmont
The newly opened Michael Reid Art Bar is showcasing, DESTINY, by the late Mr Wanambi, a revered Yolŋu artist and leader. The exhibit showcases the diversity of the artist’s material processes and shines a light on his expression of Yolŋu culture through the distinctive motif of schooling sea mullets. 

Sydney Seafood School Indigenous Cooking Demonstration
Monday, July 4, 6-8 pm
Pyrmont
Sydney Seafood School is hosting its inaugural First Nations Seafood class, featuring the talented Luke Bourke, sous chef at Rockpool Bar & Grill, in partnership with the National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI). In this special demonstration and tasting, Luke will be cooking with local seafood, and native ingredients including warrigal greens, lemon myrtle and Davidson plum.  As part of the demonstration, guests will be treated to a range of delicious drinks provided by Indigenous-owned brand, Sobah Non-Alcoholic Beverages, as well as wines by Unico Zelo. 

NAIDOC Up Late
Saturday, July 2, 7 pm-11 pm
Barangaroo Reserve
ARIA nominated singer-songwriter and eclectic musical icon Moju will headline the night with an exciting set of restorative jams. With three releases under their belt – Native Tongue (2018), Ghost Town (2019), and O.K. (2021) – this cult indie artist is as prolific in the recording studio as on the touring circuit. Mo’Ju will be joined by Ziggy Ramo and late R&B electro-pop artist Cloe Terare will bring soulful music to end the evening.

Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony
Sunday, July 3 from 10 am
The Rocks
The Welcome to the Country will be given by a traditional owner of the land to acknowledge and show respect to First Nations custodians past and present.

Aunty Barbara McGrady Photo Exhibition
July 2 – August 9
The Rocks
Go see this photo exhibition by one of the First Nations’ leading photographers showcasing a collection of empowering images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

Classic Indigenous Films at Laneways Cinema
Ends Thursday, 23 June
The Rocks
Watch a selection of classic films by Indigenous film directors including The Sapphires, and The Final Quarter.

The Bligh & Barney Reserve
July 3 from 10:30 am – 12 pm
The Rocks
Visitors can create their own traditional wooden boomerang or learn the ancient art of weaving. For those not able to make it down, Online Virtual Tours will also be available with experts who can teach the local history and heritage of the Gadigal people.

A Taste of Culture and Heritage
The Rocks
NAIDOC Week is also a great time to try out the Indigenous-themed menu items that retailers at The Rocks offer on the regular. Pony Dining will be demonstrating their mastery over fire, using it to add a touch of flavour to every single dish on their menu, as well as serving up kangaroo skewers with artichoke chips and pepper sauce. The Australian Heritage Hotel offers a modern twist on traditional Indigenous meats like kangaroo and crocodile with ‘Aussie pizzas.’ Leading whiskey bar The Doss House is putting together a Native Platter of kangaroo prosciutto, wild boar salami, blue cheddar, bush chutney and native fruits and nuts.

Victoria

NAIDOC in the City
Sunday, July 10
Federation Square
Celebrate NAIDCO week at Fed Square. The event features live performances from leading Aboriginal musicians and entertainers, and activities for the whole family – including story-telling by Elders, arts and crafts, and food tasting from our First Nations-owned restaurants.

‘Get up, Stand up, Show up’ NAIDOC Walk/Run/Ride/Roll
Newtown, Geelong
Join a Mob Run along the Barwon River, starting at Balyan Sanctuary. There will be a BBQ lunch provided after the race.

Sunday Market
Sunday, July 3, 10 am – 4 pm
Hamer Hall
A showcase of incredible art, craft and culture to celebrate the launch of NAIDOC Week 2022, the market will proudly, and exclusively, feature First Nations traders and businesses. Stall holders include Clothing The Gaps, Haus of Dizzy, The Koorie Circle and many more.

Queensland

Nana Magic, Tilly and Friends
Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at 10 am
Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre
Celebrate NAIDOC Week and join the fun with special guests Nana Magic, Tilly and friends! Children, parents and carers will join an unforgettable outback adventure with lots of singing and dancing and learn important environmental messages along the way.

NAIDOC in the Park
Friday, July 1, 4 pm – 8:30 pm
Shang Park
Head down to Shang Park for a free event featuring a movie screening, sausage sizzle, face painting, a jumping castle for the kids and a colouring-in competition. There will also be Indigenous dancing and opportunities to celebrate all things NAIDOC week.

ACT

MEGAfauna: Myths and Legends
July 1 – July 31
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Step back in time on this family adventure trail to meet the enormous creatures that inspire myths and legends, art and culture.

Culture on the Move: Traditional Weaving Workshops
Wednesday, July 20, 10 am
Banksia Centre, Australian National Botanic Gardens
Join Ronnie Jordan a Kalkadoon Pitta Pitta woman, who will share her traditional ecological knowledge with you. Ronnie is a qualified professional weaver and artist and has delivered weaving and art workshops to government agencies, community groups, schools, events and corporations. You will learn an age-old school using raffia and natural fibres.

Northern Territory

Deadly Cup Carnival
Sunday, July 3, 9:30 am
TRL Stadium, Marrara Sporting Complex
The 2022 Deadly Cup Rugby League Carnival will be held on Sunday 3rd July at TRL Stadium, in Larrakia Country (Darwin). It’s a free NAIDOC event that celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture promotes health and well-being and showcases the Rugby League talent from across the Northern Territory.

IBA X Desert Knowledge NAIDOC Pop-Up
Wednesday, July 6 – Thursday, July 7
Desert Knowledge Precinct, Alice Springs
Join IBA and Desert Knowledge Centre for a day of workshops, keynotes and market stall pop-up shops to celebrate NAIDOC Week. Check out the stunning artworks on display from local Aboriginal artists and shop products from local Aboriginal businesses, taste bush foods, and get creative.

South Australia

The Lake of Scars Film Screening
Sunday, July 3, from 2 pm to 3:30 pm
Chaffey Theatre
Six years in the making, a groundbreaking Australian documentary dealing with allyship and reconciliation, environment and archaeology will be screening at the Chaffey Theatre.

Art Exhibition THREADS by Kat Bell
Wednesday, June 22 – Friday, July 8
Chaffey Theatre
This exhibition showcases a story of life, dreams and memories intertwining, entangling, and unravelling like threads of knotted course hairs on the tail of a wiry old beast.

Western Australia

NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition
Friday, July 1 – Tuesday, July 19
Linton and Kay Galleries
Explore this exhibition of paintings by selected Aboriginal artists who, over generations, celebrated country and First Nations’ culture in their art

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Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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