A practical, date-ordered guide to significant public events involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations, active Elders, cultural leaders and First Nations ally organisations. Priority is given to Brisbane and South-East Queensland, followed by selected national dates.
Featured session · Sunday 1 November 2026
Truth-Telling at Mitchelton: Debbie West
Wakka Wakka and Wulli Wulli woman, advocate for women in the courts and prisons
Debbie West grew up in Cherbourg. She survived domestic violence, three years of homelessness, and the removal of her children, then fought Child Safety for six years and won them back. She has spent her career since beside First Nations women in the courts, the prisons, and the child protection system. Hear her story in her own words, and connect with her.
Debbie West’s story, as told to Linda Harnett
Mitchelton Library, 37 Heliopolis Parade, Mitchelton
2 pm arrival for a 2.30 pm start, finishing 4.30 pm · Free · RSVP essential
Cultural advice: her story, and the pages to which it links, name a woman who has died and describe violence and the removal of children.
Priority dates at a glance
Three dates stand out for community connection, cultural participation, and public visibility.
- Sun1NovTruth-Telling at Mitchelton: Debbie WestMitchelton Library, 2.30 pm. Debbie West, an advocate for First Nations women in the courts and prisons, tells her own story. Free; RSVP essential.Read the full listing ↓
- Sun22NovYarning Circle with Aunty Pat Williams11.15 am, Darnell Room, St John’s Cathedral. Uncle Bill’s guest is the Gooreng Gooreng Elder Aunty Pat Williams. RSVP now; only 50 seats.Read the full listing ↓
- Sun6DecTruth-Telling at Mitchelton: Aunty Heather CastledineMitchelton Library, 2.30 pm. The last Mitchelton session of 2026. Free; RSVP essential.Read the full listing ↓
Each of these three deserves protection in your diary.
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Uncle Bill Lemson
Indigenous Business Month Gallery
Foyer, 1 William Street, Brisbane City. The Queensland Government’s Indigenous Business Month display tells the stories, achievements and enterprises of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business owners creating jobs and strengthening communities across Queensland. Free.
Official information →Working with First Nations: Delivering on the Priority Reforms
ANZSOG’s six-week program, led by Geoff Richardson PSM and Professor Catherine Althaus, applies the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms through shared decision-making, community control, government transformation and Indigenous data. Designed for public sector professionals. $2,450 including GST, or $2,150 at the early-bird rate; applications close Tuesday 6 October 2026.
Official information and application →Photo Conservation Workshop at kuril dhagun
Loris Williams Room, State Library of Queensland, South Bank. A free workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, held with the Through Mununjali Eyes showcase: the State Library’s preservation team shares how to store and care for family photographs, and you make a small archival folder to take home. Tea and coffee provided. Free; bookings required.
Official information and bookings →Indigenous Business Month: four free webinars
Online. The Queensland Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism hosts four conversations for Indigenous businesses, buyers, government and industry: growing beyond the first contract, building partnerships, making it easier to do business with government, and pathways to major projects. Free; register for each webinar separately, and go by the Queensland times in the session descriptions.
Official information and registration →Participation, Power and Allyship
The Australian Centre for Social Innovation runs a five-week Zoom course on participation, lived experience, co-design and allyship, with a module on Aboriginal perspectives and principles concerning First Nations peoples, knowledge and Country. Allow an hour of podcast listening and an hour live each week. $672 self-funded or $960 organisation-funded; limited free places for First Nations people, people with lived experience and learners on low incomes.
Official information and enrolment →Youth NAIDOC Ball Caboolture
Horizons College, 2 King Street, Caboolture. An evening for students aged 12 to 18 honouring culture, pride and future leaders, opening with a cultural dance performance and marking 50 years of NAIDOC, with the Elders Award speeches from the young people themselves. Free for youth, parents and guardians; registration required.
Official information and registration →Charcoal drawing with Sam Harrison
Redcliffe Art Gallery, 1 Irene Street, Redcliffe. Brisbane artist Sam Harrison, who has cultural connections to the Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri peoples, shows his methods of drawing with charcoal on canvas, from his work Veteran Tree in the 15 Artists 2026 exhibition, then guides you through the process. Beginners and experienced drawers alike. $25; ages 16 and over; book ahead.
Official information and bookings →First Nations Social Group: have your say
Brisbane, postcode 4127; the venue reaches you on registration. Open Doors Youth Service invites LGBTQIASB+ Mob aged 12 to 24, and their allies, to help shape a new First Nations social group. Free, with food; register through Eventbrite by Monday 26 October 2026.
Official information and free registration →Culturally Sensitive Volunteer Programs: webinar with Graham Toomey
The Centre for Volunteering. Graham Toomey, of the Wurrumunga Clan of the Wiradjuri Nation and the Wongaibon Nation, shows volunteer managers how to build programs respectful of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: spirituality, art and identity, men’s and women’s business, and partnership. One CPD point. Register through Eventbrite.
Official information and registration →Women’s Voices on Brain Injury: Dr Michelle Fitts
The Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland hosts Dr Michelle Fitts, Senior Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research, on what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have lived through after traumatic brain injury from violence, and the support they and their families need. The official page carries the Zoom link. Cultural advice: the seminar discusses family violence.
Seminar details and the Zoom link →From Inspiration to Action: Gladstone’s Shared Leadership Story
ChangeFest’s monthly Lunch & Learn hears how Gladstone’s First Nations working group created Rites of Passage, a cultural graduation celebration for First Nations young people. Tracy Connolly of the Wallaballooa mob and Courtney Morrison of Gladstone Region Engaging in Action Together speak on community leadership and shared decision-making. Free; register to receive the Zoom link.
Official information and registration →Brisbane Screen Activism: the ’80s and now
Queensland College of Art and Design Auditorium, Griffith University, South Bank. The Save Vic Park Barrambin Action Hub screens short films and opens a conversation on activist filmmaking in Magandjin, from the First Nations protests at the 1982 Commonwealth Games to today’s Aboriginal campaign to save Barrambin (Victoria Park) from Olympic stadium development. Speakers include Kamilaroi and Ngemba Elder Uncle Bob Weatherall. Free; RSVP through the Facebook event.
Event details and RSVP →Darling Downs South West First Nations Business Expo
Toowoomba Showgrounds, Toowoomba. The 2026 Olympic and Procurement Showcase connects First Nations businesses with buyers, government and major project partners, with guided tours of the planned showground upgrades, cultural performances, traditional games and youth sporting showcases. Free; registration essential.
Official information and registration →AI and Indigenous Business
Melbourne Business School, 200 Leicester Street, Carlton, and on Zoom. Anaiwan man Professor Peter Radoll moderates an Indigenous Business Month panel from the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership on trust in AI, business practice, and the protection of Indigenous knowledge and cultural and intellectual property, with Andrew Dowding, Professor Nicole Gillespie and Leesa Watego. Register through Eventbrite.
Official information and registration →Women’s Weaving and Yarning Circle
Deception Bay Community Hall, 2 Raymond Terrace (28 October, while Deception Bay Library is closed); Caboolture Library, 4 Hasking Street (4 November); Deception Bay Library, 9 Bayview Terrace (25 November). Learn basket weaving with local First Nations residents and Elders of Yinarr Yarning Circle Aboriginal Corporation. Beginners receive raffia. Women only, for cultural reasons. Free; book your first session, then come along to any session after it.
Official information and bookings →Sharing Stories, Shaping Galleries: behind the new Stories of Country gallery
Theatre, Level 1½, Queensland Museum Kurilpa, corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Brisbane. In the museum’s lunchtime lecture series, Dr Zoe Rimmer, Principal Curator, First Nations Cultures, goes behind the scenes of Stories of Country and the changing approach that places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, knowledge and relationships with Country at its heart: a gallery made with First Nations communities rather than simply about them. Bring your lunch. Free; bookings required.
Official information and bookings →Nyina Budja (Live Strong) Health Equity Conference
Sunshine Coast Convention Centre, Novotel Resort, 270 Ocean Drive, Twin Waters. Sunshine Coast Health and Country to Coast Queensland bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and health-sector voices together on culturally grounded care, community participation and health equity, for people working in primary care. $100, including the 29 October networking event; register by 22 October 2026.
Official information and registration →Black Knowing Seminar: who benefits from research?
Room E557, E Block, Level 5, QUT Kelvin Grove Campus, Kelvin Grove, or online through Zoom. The QUT Carumba Institute brings together Associate Professor Deb Duthie, a Wakka Wakka and Warumungu woman and QUT’s Director of Indigenous Health; historian Thom Blake, author of a history of the Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement; and Anne Walsh of QUT’s Office of Research Ethics and Integrity on the AIATSIS Code of Ethics. Free; register through Humanitix by Monday 26 October 2026, and the Zoom link reaches registered attendees by email on the day.
Official information and free registration →Footsteps First Nations Art Tour with Troy Casey
Meet at Tow Row on the GOMA forecourt, Stanley Place, South Brisbane; finishes at Floriate, QPAC. The Cultural Centre precinct walk with special guest guide Troy Casey, Kamilaroi artist and co-founder of Blaklash. Tickets $29; advance booking required.
Official information and tickets →Nothing to Write Home About
Outer Space, Judith Wright Arts Centre, 420 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. A group exhibition by the Munimba-ja Blak Creatives Collective, curated by Libby Harward, with artists Clea North, Brenda Mau, Lexie Abel, Tanika Orr, Nadine McDonald Dowd, Keely Eggmolesse and Desirai Saunders, developed through Munimba-ja Arts Centre’s artist development program. Free entry, all welcome.
Official information →Dear Son: An Intimate Conversation
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Brisbane; the room has not been announced. Reconciliation Queensland hosts Thomas Mayo in conversation with contributors Lauren Appo, Kaleb Mabo and Isaac Drandic, celebrating the second edition of Dear Son, the letters and reflections of First Nations fathers and sons, and exploring family, identity and knowledge passed between generations. $15 plus a 38-cent booking fee; free for financial Reconciliation Queensland members, who sign in to their account before booking. Limited to 150 guests.
Official information and tickets →Truth-Telling at Mitchelton: Debbie West
Mitchelton Library, 37 Heliopolis Parade, Mitchelton. Debbie West, a Wakka Wakka and Wulli Wulli woman who grew up in Cherbourg, speaks at the independent community series convened by Rosalie Raciti and Linda Harnett. A survivor of domestic violence, homelessness, and the removal of her children, she won them back after six years and has spent her career since as an advocate for First Nations women in the courts, the prisons, and the child protection system. In 2022 her family brought her aunt home to Cherbourg after forty-seven years in an unmarked grave in North Rockhampton. Her full story, as told to Linda Harnett, appears on the series website.
Cultural advice: the session and its linked material name a woman who has died. Free; refreshments follow, and you are welcome to bring a plate to share (easy plate ideas). RSVP essential.
Dance Leads to Chaos: Magandjin
South Bank Piazza, 410 Stanley Street, South Brisbane. Bring A Plate Inclusive Dance Company and The First Creatives bring professional dance artists and a large community cast together in a work on the long history of restrictions on dance and gathering for First Nations people, moving across contemporary, cultural and street dance with music and projection. Registration through the ticket page.
Official information and registration →Understanding Trauma: An Aboriginal Healing Journey
Kedron, Brisbane, venue to be announced. A two day program presented by Janine Cattanach, a Marrithiyel woman, social worker and child play therapist, drawing on the Strong Spirit Model and both Aboriginal and western philosophies: cultural identity, emotional regulation, intergenerational and complex trauma, and healing from an Aboriginal philosophy. Both days must be attended. The content deals with trauma and family violence. Run by WorkUP Queensland, who prioritise registrations from specialist domestic and family violence, sexual violence and women’s health services, so it is aimed at practitioners rather than the general public. Travel support may be available.
Official information and registration →Guwal Jilbay: Yarning Research Conference 2026
CQUniversity Brisbane campus. Redefining Impact from a Black Perspective: a research conference for higher degree and higher education research students, convened by CQUniversity’s Office of Indigenous Engagement. Registrations open August 2026.
Official information →Native Title and Cultural Heritage Law in Queensland
Royal on the Park, Brisbane City. The Mabo Centre’s industry training seminar introduces land rights in Australia, the theory of native title, the future acts regime and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage law, with a close look at Queensland processes. Designed for practitioners working on land and water projects. Ticketed.
Official information and tickets →Weave a River Bracelet
Settlement Services International, 2 Carmody Street, Logan Central. Yugambeh Traditional Owner and weaver Erica Eurell leads a weaving circle where you yarn, connect with Country and make a simple river bracelet; all abilities welcome. Part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Sea Country to Safe Harbour program in Logan. Register through Eventbrite.
Official information and registration →DestinationIQ Forum 2026
The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s annual First Nations tourism forum, held within its three-day Tourism Week, on building and elevating First Nations tourism businesses and experiences across the state. Registration required.
Official information and registration →First Nations Enterprises Industry Roundtable
The Queensland Social Enterprise Council gathers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned, led and controlled enterprises, with organisations that back First Nations-led outcomes, to examine the challenges and opportunities facing First Nations social enterprises in Queensland. What you say informs the Council’s advocacy and policy work. One person per organisation, please; the Zoom link arrives 48 hours before. Register through Humanitix.
Official information and registration →Co-design with Aboriginal Communities
The Australian Centre for Social Innovation runs a two-part Zoom workshop with Kaurna and Nharangga woman Jade Kartanya Brook and TACSI co-CEO Chris Vanstone on the mindsets, cultural considerations and frameworks for co-designing with Aboriginal communities, and on practical allyship. $400 self-funded or $600 organisation-funded, with limited free places for First Nations people and other eligible learners.
Official information and enrolment →Reflective Motives: Online Reading Group on Mary Graham
Online, hosted by UQ Art Museum with the Climate Aware Creative Practices Network. A fortnightly reading group around key texts by Elder, educator and philosopher Dr Aunty Mary Graham, including her new book Politics: Philosophical Ordering by Country, in the lead-up to the Reflective Motives two-day gathering in November, where she gives the keynote conversation with Tristen Harwood. Open to all, closed captions enabled, reading ahead welcome but not required. Free; numbers limited; registration essential. Submitted by a reader.
Official information and registration →Native Barbecue Cooking with Chris Jordan
Northey Street City Farm, 54 Northey Street, Windsor. A hands-on class with chef Chris Jordan on cooking a summer feast from native Australian ingredients, opening with a guided walk through the farm. Tickets $115, $103.50 for First Nations participants, $95 concession.
Official information and tickets →Community Conversation with Marlon Riley
At 79 Waratah Avenue, Graceville, Benarrawa Community Development Association welcomes Marlon Riley for an afternoon of listening and respectful dialogue, as he shares cultural knowledge and stories from his own experience of living and working in the area. The afternoon belongs to Benarrawa’s series of community conversations, in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, cultural workers and community members share their personal and professional experience. Free; limited to 24 people, so RSVP early to Paula Callaghan at paula@benarrawa.org.au. If you can no longer attend, tell Paula so someone else can take your place.
RSVP to Paula Callaghan by email →Deadly Funny
Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, South Brisbane. QPAC and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival bring Deadly Funny to Brisbane: new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedians and storytellers in the showcase that launched Steph Tisdell, Kevin Kropinyeri and Sean Choolburra. Ticketed, plus a $7.90 transaction fee. First Nations performers aged 18 and over can sign up for the free comedy workshop at deadlyfunny.com.au.
Official information and tickets →Casey Donovan: This Is Me
Kings Theatre, The Events Centre, 20 Minchinton Street, Caloundra. Gumbaynggirr and Dungutti singer Casey Donovan brings her largest national tour to the Sunshine Coast, with songs from Australian Idol and the musicals in which she has starred, and new material performed live for the first time. All ages; a lock-out applies, so arrive early. Tickets from $34.95 (child) to $79.95, plus a booking fee.
Official information and tickets →Casey Donovan: This Is Me
Empire Theatre, Toowoomba. Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti singer Casey Donovan performs songs from her career on stage and screen, with new original material. Tickets $44.95 for children under 15 to $79.95 for adults, plus a $5 online booking fee; book online or phone 1300 655 299.
Official information and tickets →The 8 Ways Roadmap in a Day
Royal On The Park, 152 Alice Street, Brisbane City. TIPIAC runs a day of professional learning for teachers and school leaders on embedding Aboriginal perspectives through the 8 Ways Aboriginal pedagogies framework, with a Riley Callie resource pack included. $387.79; places limited; sales close at 5.30 pm on Monday 9 November 2026.
Official information and tickets →Indigenous Health Research Seminar: Dr Julie-Anne Rogers and Dr Natasha Lee
The UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health hosts two researchers presenting their doctoral research, followed by questions. Dr Julie-Anne Rogers, a Woppaburra and South Sea Islander researcher, presents the Yilum 6Rs Framework of Recovery, Rediscovery, Reconnection, Regeneration, Resilience and Resurgence, a strengths-based model of cultural continuity and wellness drawn from Woppaburra women across generations. Dr Natasha Lee, a Mualgal, Yidinji, Kullilli and Thunghutti health researcher at James Cook University, presents her Indigenous-led study of the meaning, foundations and place of Indigenous Public Health within public health.
Seminar details and the Teams joining link →The Alliance Conference 2026
Sofitel Brisbane Central. The only national conference convened by an Indigenous-led peak body focused solely on employment and training, on the theme Pathways to Impact. Two streams covering employment services reform and cultural safety, closing with the Alliance Celebration Dinner. A conference pass costs $925, or $1,085 with the dinner, both plus GST; National Indigenous Employment and Training Alliance members save 20 per cent, and groups of eight or more save 10 per cent.
Official information and registration →Community Cultural Yarns: Indigenous Veterans Day
Brighton Wellness Hub, Nineteenth Avenue, Brighton; free parking. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Team of Community and Oral Health hosts a relaxed morning yarn over a hot drink, where you can ask questions about culture and Country without worrying about getting things wrong. November marks Indigenous Veterans Day. Register through Eventbrite.
Official information and registration →Cultural Safety in Practice: First Nations wisdom for safer workplaces
Aboriginal Elder Aunty Munya Andrews and Evolve Co-Director Carla Rogers lead an interactive yarn on racism, cultural safety, respectful relationships and what to do when workplace relationships break down. $86.90 for an individual, with seven days’ access to the recording; team options available.
Official information and registration →First Nations Music Industry Review: online community workshop
Support Act’s First Nations-led national review hosts a yarning-style workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who work, have worked, or want to work in contemporary music: what works, the challenges, and ideas for a more culturally responsive industry. Participants receive an honorarium; responses stay confidential. Register through Humanitix.
Official information and registration →Reflective Motives: two days with Dr Aunty Mary Graham
Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia. UQ Art Museum and the Climate Aware Creative Practices Network host two days of artist-led workshops, shared meals, walks and screenings, with the keynote conversation between Dr Aunty Mary Graham and Tristen Harwood. The Friday reading group listed above leads into it. Free; registration required.
Official information and registration →Voiceless: Aaron Wyatt conducts the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra
Conservatorium Theatre, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, 140 Grey Street, South Brisbane. Noongar conductor and composer Aaron Wyatt, the first Indigenous conductor of an Australian state orchestra, takes up the baton as the first Indigenous conductor of the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra. He opens with his own Voiceless: Reflections on a Referendum, a personal response to the 2023 Voice referendum, its lead-up and its aftermath. Carina Weder plays Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 closes the program. Concessions for seniors on presentation of ID; book online or phone QTIX on 136 246. Submitted by a reader.
Official information and tickets →Balaangala Art Show
St Mark’s Hall, corner Kullaroo Street and Waterworks Road, The Gap. Balaangala Community Group holds its annual art show fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Restoration Fund for First Nations projects. Come for the art, and meet the people behind the native garden in Yoorala Street.
About Balaangala Community Group →Reconciliation Queensland Annual General Meeting
The Playhouse Lounge, Stanley Street, East Brisbane, as the organiser lists it. Reconciliation Queensland Inc. invites members, First Nations leaders, partners and supporters to its 2026 AGM; voting requires current financial membership.
Official information →Dance Leads to Chaos: Kabi Kabi Country
Saturday at Noosa Botanic Gardens Amphitheatre, Cooroy; Sunday at Kings Beach Amphitheatre, Caloundra; arrive from 5 pm. Dance Leads to Chaos comes to Kabi Kabi Country on its first Queensland tour, with a local Sunshine Coast community cast joining the professional artists of Bring A Plate Inclusive Dance Company and The First Creatives.
Official information and registration →Beyond Awareness: Culturally Safe Practice in our Sector
Toowoomba; venue to be announced. The Toowoomba run of WorkUP Queensland’s two linked workshops, designed and delivered by Leanne Levinge (Kombumerri and Ngugi) and Rona Scherer (Mamu and Eastern Yalanji), with Bowie Solutions on Torres Strait Islander perspectives. For the domestic and family violence, sexual violence and women’s health workforce. $180; register through Humanitix.
Official information and registration →No Waste Jewellery with Amanda Hayman
Fairfax Gallery, Museum of Brisbane, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, 64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City. Wakka Wakka and Kalkadoon woman Amanda Hayman of the First Nations fashion label Magpie Goose leads a hands-on workshop turning Magpie Goose fabric offcuts into jewellery you take home, as Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose marks its first year. No experience needed. Free; no booking required.
Official information →Budjerah: The Gentleman Tour
The Triffid Beer Garden, 7–9 Stratton Street, Newstead. Coodjinburra man of the Bundjalung nation Budjerah launches his debut album, Gentleman, with an afternoon show. Licensed, all ages; tickets through Moshtix.
Official information and tickets →Gel Plate Printing with Jason Murphy
Museum of Brisbane, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, 64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City. Jinibara artist Jason Murphy guides you through layered gel plate prints of colour, texture and found materials, inspired by Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose, and you take home your own series of prints. No experience needed. Free; reserve a place through QTIX.
Official information and free booking →Bangarra Dance Theatre: Horizon
Home of the Arts, Surfers Paradise, on Kombumerri Country. Bangarra brings Horizon, under Artistic Director Frances Rings, through Queensland in November, including The Light Inside by choreographers Deborah Brown and Moss Te Ururangi Patterson. The tour also stops at Mackay on 11 November and Gladstone on 18 November. About one hour fifteen minutes, no interval. Ticketed.
Official information and tickets →Yarning Circle with Aunty Pat Williams
Uncle Bill’s next Yarning Circle. His guest, Aunty Pat Williams, is a Gooreng Gooreng Elder who has given her life to children, families, and community, as a teacher aide, a Community Education Counsellor, and a counsellor to families in detention centres and prisons. Free, with morning tea afterwards; only 50 seats, so RSVP online.
Read about Aunty Pat and RSVP →Indigenous Data Sovereignty: a public lecture
OJW Room, Level 12, S Block, QUT Gardens Point, Brisbane City. Dr Rose Barrowcliffe (Butchulla), Dr Ivan Ingram (Wiradjuri) and Dr Tegan Cohen (Wiradjuri) speak on Indigenous data sovereignty, archives, Native Title records and the regulation of AI, with journalist Karina Hogan as MC and a question time led by Nunukul woman Becki Cook. Refreshments from 4.30 pm. Free; register through Eventbrite.
Official information and free registration →Stitching Stories of Sea and Belonging: a Púuna workshop
Settlement Services International, 2 Carmody Street, Logan Central. Johannah Maza, of Yidinji Malanbarra, Meriam Komet and Irish heritage, leads three days of embroidery, appliqué and storytelling on the ocean as ancestor and Country, with co-lead Lia Pa’apa’a. Part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Sea Country to Safe Harbour program in Logan. Free; register through Eventbrite.
Official information and free registration →QATSICPP Conference and Members Awards 2026
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane. The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak brings together people across the sector, from child protection, youth justice and early years to leadership, advocacy and community services, on the theme Building on Our Roadmaps: Strong Families, Strong Children. Register online.
Official information and registration →Gathering: End of Year Mini Markets
Queen Street Mall Main Stage, Brisbane City. Brisbane City Council’s weekly Gathering program closes its 2026 season with First Nations stallholders alongside the lunchtime performance. All ages, free.
Official information →Indigenous Seniors Games: IUIH Shield 2026
Logan Metro Sports and Events Centre, 357 Browns Plains Road, Crestmead. Deadly Choices and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health host a day of sport, fun and connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seniors. Teams enter through their local clinic’s Deadly Choices team. Smoke, vape, alcohol and sugar free.
Official information →Exploring Indigenous Art in the Classroom
The Hills District Community Centre, 291 Dawson Parade, Arana Hills. A workshop for educators on teaching a hands-on artwork process based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in a culturally respectful way, materials included. Tickets $250 plus booking fee.
Official information and tickets →Football Queensland Murri Cup
Nudgee Recreation Reserve, Brisbane. The inaugural Football Queensland Murri Cup celebrates First Nations cultures through football, with Coles MiniRoos, the Charles Perkins XI talent program and a community stallholder zone. Expressions of interest are open for players, teams and stallholders.
Official information and expressions of interest →Colour, Country and Connection with Beth Thompson
Broadbeach Community Space, Mermaid Waters. Wulli Wulli artist Beth Thompson leads a painting workshop on colour, memory and abstraction inspired by landscape, drawing on Indigenous perspectives of Country, with Auslan interpreter Sofia Andersen. You take home your own 16 by 20 inch painting. Free; register.
Official information and registration →Gatherings here in Brisbane and South-East Queensland that fall beyond the rolling window, listed early because they are worth putting in the diary now.
Truth-Telling at Mitchelton: Aunty Heather Castledine
Mitchelton Library, 37 Heliopolis Parade, Mitchelton. Aunty Heather Castledine speaks at the last 2026 session of the independent community series convened by Rosalie Raciti and Linda Harnett. A Kamilaroi-Kooma Elder and long-serving Aboriginal Co-Chair of Reconciliation Queensland, she began Brisbane’s Boundary Street to Boundary Street walk in 2009. Free; refreshments follow, and you are welcome to bring a plate to share. RSVP essential.
Water Has Many Colours: with Aunty Shirley Collins
Settlement Services International, 2 Carmody Street, Logan Central. Pitta Pitta and Kalkadoon artist Aunty Shirley Yumala Collins guides you across a world map of water places, then you draw a water place special to you. Part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Sea Country to Safe Harbour program in Logan. Register through Eventbrite.
Official information and registration →Beyond Awareness: Culturally Safe Practice in our Sector
Ipswich; venue to be announced. WorkUP Queensland’s two linked workshops, led by First Nations facilitators, cover history, truth-telling, culturally safe practice and relationships with community; attendance on both days is expected. For the workforce of specialist domestic and family violence, sexual violence, and women’s health and wellbeing services funded by the Queensland Government. Register through the organiser.
Official information and registration →National Indigenous Juvenile Justice Conference
Gold Coast. Indigenous Conference Services gathers Elders, youth advocates, policymakers, researchers and justice, health, education and community workers to confront the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the justice system, under the theme “Healing, Empowerment, and Reform: Culturally Grounded Solutions for First Nations Youth in Juvenile Justice”. Elders and young people share the lunch tables, and a networking dinner cruise follows. Paid registration.
Official information →National Indigenous Substance Misuse Harm Reduction Conference
Gold Coast. Indigenous Conference Services brings together health workers, community organisations and researchers on harm reduction in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Call for papers open; ticketed, registration required.
Official information and registration →First Nations collections workshops for schools
State Library of Queensland runs two Microsoft Teams sessions for classes. Secondary students examine First Nations technologies and the Rights and Freedoms movements; primary students investigate Country, colonisation and the effects of the pastoral industry. Teachers register their school; bookings close 30 minutes before each session. Free. The collection materials may include images and names of people who have died.
Official information and bookings →Festive Florals with Blak Botanics
Aboriginal Art Co, 1/23 Anthony Street, West End. A morning of festive making with Nadine McDonald-Dowd, Yuwi woman from Mackay and founder of Blak Botanics. Tickets $80, materials included; book in advance.
Official information and tickets →Bubbles & Baubles at Aboriginal Art Co
Aboriginal Art Co Gallery, Unit 1/23 Anthony Street, West End. The not-for-profit gallery’s annual fundraising evening, with live music, market stalls, drinks and canapés, and an auction of baubles decorated by local First Nations artists; bidding opens the week before and winners are named on the night. Proceeds fund exhibitions, artist development and cultural programs. Ticketed; no refunds.
Official information and tickets →National Indigenous Closing the Gap Health Conference
Hilton Hotel, Gold Coast. Elders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, community leaders and researchers on holistic wellbeing, health equity and community-led solutions, grounded in culture and connection to Country. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →National Indigenous Chronic Diseases Conference
Hilton Hotel, Gold Coast. A separately registered conference from the same organiser, running alongside the Closing the Gap Health Conference above on the same dates, on chronic disease prevention and care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Confirm which programme applies before registering.
Official information and registration →GATHAA NAIDOC Next Gen Market
Caloundra Library, Sunshine Coast, on Gubbi Gubbi Country. GATHAA, founded by Elder and bushfood pioneer Aunty Dale Chapman, gathers First Nations artisans, bushfood producers, musicians and workshop leaders once a month at a different location. The December market closes the year with a NAIDOC Next Gen theme for young people. Free entry.
Official information and stallholders →Yulunga Games for young people
Mortimer Road Park, 174 Mortimer Road, Acacia Ridge, meeting at the picnic shelter near the playground (14 December 2026); and Wakerley Park, 74 Dianthus Street, Wakerley (17 December 2026). Children and young people aged 5 to 15 play traditional games of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a Brisbane City Council Chillout session. Bring a hat, shoes and water. Free; booking essential through Kids Sports (0414 872 299).
Official information →Kambu Health Children’s Christmas Carnival
Ipswich Turf Club, 219 Brisbane Road, Bundamba. Kambu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health invites its members, patients, clients and the parents and guardians of jarjums to a community celebration. Free; a current 715 Health Check with Kambu is required to attend.
Official information and registration →Woodford Folk Festival
Woodfordia, 87 Woodrow Road, Woodford, on Jinibara Country, about an hour north of Brisbane. Six days and nights across more than twenty venues, opening with the Opening Ceremony and closing on New Year’s Day. First Nations artists, storytellers and cultural educators run through the whole programme, which the festival launches at 9 pm on Saturday 17 October 2026. Ticketed, with camping on site.
Official information and tickets →Survival Day Ceremony at the Benarrawa
Gather at the bronze canoe near Simpsons Playground, Graceville Avenue, Graceville. Members of Benarrawa’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Solidarity Group lead a simple ceremony celebrating the survival and continuing resilience of the First Peoples of this country, especially those who lived, gathered, raised their children and cared for the waters and lands along the Brisbane River and the Benarrawa, now named Oxley Creek. The ceremony recognises that this land was neither settled peacefully nor acquired justly. Free; all welcome. An annual event of Benarrawa Community Development Association.
Official information → Email the organiser, Paula Callaghan →Truth-Telling at Mitchelton: the 2027 season opens
Mitchelton Library, 37 Heliopolis Parade, Mitchelton. The independent community series convened by Rosalie Raciti and Linda Harnett opens its 2027 season, meeting on the first Sunday of each month from February to December; the convenors name the guest closer to the date. Free; refreshments follow, and you are welcome to bring a plate to share. RSVP essential at truth-telling.online.
All 2027 Truth-Telling dates →Uncle Bill’s Yarning Circle: first session of 2027
The first of five Yarning Circles in 2027, followed by Sunday 14 March, Sunday 25 April, Sunday 23 May and Sunday 20 June 2027. Uncle Bill names his guest closer to the date. Free, with morning tea afterwards.
All 2027 Yarning Circle dates →Walawaani Conference 2027
Boulevard Room, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Grey Street, South Brisbane. The Walawaani Conference gathers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, clinicians, researchers and community on palliative and end-of-life care. Registration open.
Official information and registration →Joe Geia Band: Sing for the Black
Guugu Yimidhirr and Kaurareg songwriter Joe Geia tours his double album Sing for the Black, four decades of songs and activism: the Armitage Centre at the Empire Theatre, Toowoomba, on Friday 19 February 2027, and the Ration Shed Museum, Cherbourg, the next day. Times and tickets to be announced by the venues.
Tour announcement →Portraiture workshop with Tori-Jay Mordey
Fairfax Gallery, Level 3, Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City Hall. Thursday Island-born First Nations artist and illustrator Tori-Jay Mordey, the Museum’s artist in residence, leads a small portraiture workshop in the Creative Series, for all levels. Tickets $55, MoB members $50; book ahead.
Official information and tickets →Regular, low-barrier gatherings running through October and November, all free with no bookings required unless noted.
- Every MonYarn Up Nambour Community Centre, 2 Shearer Street, Nambour, Mondays 3 pm to 5 pm. All First Nations people and their families are invited for a BBQ, a yarn and an activity, strengthening culture, connection and community. No bookings required.
- Sep–NovThe Gathering series Queen Street Mall Main Stage, Wednesdays 12 to 1 pm. Free First Nations performance, storytelling, food and culture: Muralappi Arts with Jessica Skeen (30 Sep), Toni Janke (7 Oct), Zayne Hall (14 Oct), Blak : Story : Song, co-curated by Yalanji artist Deline Briscoe (21 Oct and 4 Nov), native foods and healthy cooking with Destiny Dewis (28 Oct), Benjin Maza (11 Nov), Georgia Corowa (18 Nov), and the End of Year Mini Markets (25 Nov). All ages; no bookings required.
- Oct–DecFirst 5 Forever Jarjum Stories Brisbane City Council libraries: Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street, 10.30 am to 11.15 am (18 Nov, 16 Dec); Carina Library, 10.30 am to 11 am (13 Nov; book by phoning 07 3407 1873); Mt Ommaney Library, Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre, 171 Dandenong Road (12 Nov, 1 pm to 1.45 pm; 11 Dec, 10.30 am to 11 am). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, songs, rhymes and play for children five and under. Free; no booking needed at Brisbane Square or Mt Ommaney, but places are limited.
- MondaysWeaving on Yarun Bribie Island Library, 1 Welsby Parade, Bongaree, the last Monday of each month, 10 am to 12 pm (26 Oct, 30 Nov). Drop in with local First Nations residents and Elders to learn basket weaving and share conversation, a partnership with the Pumicestone Indigenous Education and Employment Council. Free; no booking required.
- Every FriUnity in Community with Uncle John Graham Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, 1711 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads, Fridays from 11.30 am, for about 1½ to 2 hours. Elder Uncle John Graham welcomes you on the land of the Yugambeh language-speaking peoples: a casual half-hour yarn while everyone settles, then a Yarning Circle he leads, with cultural knowledge, story, and room for your questions. Free; no booking needed. Space is limited, so schools, organisations and larger groups contact Jellurgal first. The Jellurgal page offers SMS notice of any change to the schedule.
- Last FriToowoomba Black Coffee TAFE Cafeteria, 100 Bridge Street, Toowoomba City, last Friday of the month, 7.30 am to 8.30 am (30 Oct, 27 Nov). A relaxed Indigenous business and community networking breakfast coordinated by Adam Wenitong of Adapt Mentorship. Free; RSVP requested.
- Oct–DecBlack Coffee across South-East Queensland Indigenous business and community networking over coffee. Logan: The Eve Cafe, Ivory Parkway, Greenbank, Thursday 22 October 2026, 9 am to 10.30 am. Brisbane: Powerlink Queensland, 72 Toombul Road, Virginia, Wednesday 28 October 2026, 7.30 am to 9 am. Sunshine Coast: Local Social Cafe, 5/354 Mons Road, Forest Glen, Friday 30 October 2026, 10 am to 11.30 am (RSVP required). Brisbane: Anzac Square Courtyard, 140 Creek Street, Brisbane City, Thursday 5 November 2026, 10 am to 11.30 am. City of Moreton Bay: MAJOR Training, 5 Nolan Drive, Morayfield, Tuesday 10 November 2026, 7.30 am to 9.30 am (RSVP required). Logan: The Coffee Club, Village Square, 18 Commerce Drive, Browns Plains, Thursday 26 November 2026, 9 am to 10.30 am. Purple Army Christmas Gift Drive, collecting toys, school supplies and vouchers for families affected by family and domestic violence: Redcliffe Dolphins Leagues Club, corner of Klingner and Ashmole Roads, Redcliffe, Thursday 3 December 2026, from 9.30 am; and The Cross Bar Terrace, Easts Leagues Club, 40 Main Avenue, Coorparoo, Tuesday 8 December 2026, 10 am to 11 am (RSVP required for both). Free.
- Nov–DecNyeumba-Meta Book Club Logan City Council Libraries’ monthly book club for adults, talking together about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, now in its second decade at Logan Central. Nyeumba means teaching or learning in Yugambeh; Meta means house in Torres Strait language. Logan Central Library, 26 Wilbur Street, Logan Central, in the Nyeumba-Meta reading area, Tuesday 10 November and Tuesday 8 December 2026, 10 am to 11 am. Beenleigh Library, Crete Street, Beenleigh, Tuesday 17 November and Tuesday 15 December 2026, 11 am to 12 noon; book online for Beenleigh. Free.
- 12 Nov, 17 Dec, 14 JanThrough Mununjali Eyes showcase tours kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland, Level 1, South Bank. Free First Nations-led tours of the Wayne Coolwell showcase on Thursday 12 November 2026, Thursday 17 December 2026 and Thursday 14 January 2027, each 11 am to 11.30 am. The showcase itself runs until Sunday 17 January 2027. Registration required; the showcase contains images of people who have died.
- 25 Oct, 22 Nov, 28 FebQAGOMA First Nations Art Tours Gallery of Modern Art, South Brisbane, Sundays 25 October and 22 November 2026 and 28 February 2027, 11.30 am to 12.10 pm. Robert Preston, Public Programs Project Officer, of Kiwai, Kulkalgal and European descent, leads a 40-minute tour of the stories, histories and cultures in the Gallery’s Indigenous Australian Art Collection. Free; places are limited and bookings are required.
Selected national events that may justify travel, online participation or local ally programming.
- 1–31 OctIndigenous Business Month Nationwide. A month-long showcase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business leadership, on the 2026 theme Local and Connected. Queensland gatherings appear on the Business Queensland events calendar through October.
- 5 DecFirst Nations Allies Virtual Summit Online, Saturday 5 December 2026, 11 am to 1 pm in Brisbane. Barayamal marks International Volunteer Day with two hours on culturally respectful allyship: cultural awareness, respectful engagement, community-led support and the role of allies and volunteer organisations. Free; speakers to be announced.
- 10 DecFirst Nations Economic Forum: Access to Capital Online, Thursday 10 December 2026, 12 noon to 4 pm in Brisbane. Barayamal’s national forum on the barriers to capital for First Nations businesses and communities, with Elders, entrepreneurs, researchers and policy leaders on lending, investment and community-controlled capital. Free.
- Confirm the final start time, venue entrance and ticket or registration status on the official page.
- Check accessibility, transport and parking information directly with the organiser.
- Use the event organiser's preferred terminology and acknowledge the host community.
- For community networking, arrive early and prioritise respectful conversation over promotion.
Gatherings outside South-East Queensland that are significant enough to be worth the journey. Advance registration is recommended for all of these.
Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday First Nations Business Expo
Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, Mackay. The region’s Indigenous Business Month expo connects First Nations businesses with leaders and buyers in the public, private and community sectors, sponsored by North Queensland Bulk Ports and Mackay Regional Council. Free; register.
Official information and registration →Cairns Indigenous Small Business Connect
Civic Room and Courtyard, Cairns Regional Council, 119–145 Spence Street, Portsmith. A Far North Queensland Indigenous Business Month gathering for Indigenous small business owners to meet, connect and trade ideas. Register.
Official information and registration →Big Talk One Fire Festival
Munro Martin Park, Gimuy/Cairns. UMI Arts presents its 19th annual First Nations cultural festival: traditional and contemporary dance groups from across Far North Queensland, a First Nations art market, culture, craft and dance workshops, and activities for children.
Official information →DanceRites 2026
The Forecourt, Sydney Opera House. The ninth DanceRites, the national First Nations dance competition, brings eighteen groups to compete in Song Cycle, Cultural Dance and Wild Card categories before First Nations judges, for a $50,000 prize pool. The program includes a tribute to the late Rhoda Roberts AO. Free.
Official information →Desert Mob 2026
Araluen Arts Centre, 61 Larapinta Drive, Mparntwe/Alice Springs. Araluen’s annual exhibition of new work by Aboriginal artists of Central Australia enters its final fortnight, with works for sale in person and online. Adults $8, concession $6, family $20; free for Northern Territory residents.
Official information →Mapoon Start Up Business Workshop
Mapoon Indigenous Knowledge Centre, 27 Brown Street, New Mapoon, on Western Cape York. An Indigenous Business Month workshop for anyone in Mapoon starting a business. Register through the online form linked from the Coexistence Queensland listing.
Official information and registration →Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan: 40 Years Celebration
Pullman Reef Cairns, 35 Wharf Street, Cairns City. Mookai Rosie began by caring for women from Cape York, the Northern Peninsula Area and the Torres Strait who travelled to Cairns to give birth, and now offers health-supported accommodation, primary care, maternal health and social and emotional wellbeing services. Its fortieth anniversary brings a gala dinner and a conference with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss and Yvette Roe, chief executive of the Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights; the Mookai Made social enterprise launches at the conference. Ticketed.
Official information and tickets →Majority Rule: Michael Cook
Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah, NSW. Michael Cook’s photographs picture an Australia where Aboriginal people are the majority, placing the same Indigenous man again and again in train tunnels, buses, monuments and city streets. They pose questions rather than verdicts.
Official information →Truth-Telling Workshops in Cherbourg
Ration Shed Museum, 19 Barambah Avenue, Cherbourg. Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council and the University of Queensland host community conversations on Cherbourg’s history, experiences and future, including a UQ information session on research ethics. The Council invites Cherbourg community members, with morning tea and lunch provided. RSVP to the Mayor’s Executive Assistant on 07 4168 1866.
Official information →NSWICC The Summit 2026
Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, on Wonnarua Country. The NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce’s flagship gathering of First Nations business owners, corporate partners and government. Full and single-day passes; ticket sales close on 2 October 2026 unless sold out earlier.
Official information and tickets →National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Conference
National Convention Centre, Canberra, on Ngunnawal Country. NATSIAACC’s inaugural national conference brings Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care providers, Elders and policy makers together, with a social event on the evening of 3 November. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference 2026
Optus Stadium, 333 Victoria Park Drive, Perth. WAITOC, the peak body for Aboriginal tours and experiences in Western Australia, gathers Aboriginal tourism operators, retailers, academics and agencies for three days on innovation, leadership and cultural strength in travel and tourism. Full registration covers every session, the Welcome Function and the Gala Dinner; day and gala tickets are also sold.
Official information and tickets →Elders Morning Tea at Cherbourg Council
Cherbourg Council Chambers, 22 Barambah Avenue, Cherbourg. Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council invites community Elders to an informal morning tea to share concerns, knowledge and guidance ahead of its monthly floater meeting. Enquiries to the Council on 07 4168 1866.
Official information →National RAP Conference and Indigenous Governance Awards 2026
Adelaide Convention Centre, Tarntanya. Reconciliation Australia’s national gathering of Reconciliation Action Plan organisations on the theme All In for Reconciliation, in the year it marks 25 years of the movement and 20 years of RAPs, closing with the Indigenous Governance Awards. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and tickets →People, Culture and Country
Queensland Museum Tropics, 70–102 Flinders Street, Townsville. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across North Queensland show wearable artworks on their culture, stories and connection to Country, made with local First Nations artists and mentors: 24 artworks from 23 schools, by more than 280 students. Free.
Official information →Koori Mail Indigenous Art Award 2026
Lismore Regional Gallery, 11 Rural Street, Lismore, NSW. Lismore Regional Gallery and the Koori Mail newspaper present the finalists of their biennial national award: 37 artists in the Major Award, for $20,000, and 5 in the Youth Award for artists aged 18 to 25, for $3,000, judged by Yorta Yorta curator Dr Kimberley Moulton.
Official information →Men’s Info Day for International Men’s Day, Cherbourg
Cherbourg. Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council lists a Men’s Info Day on men’s health and wellbeing for International Men’s Day. The Council has yet to publish the venue and time; phone 07 4168 1866.
Official information →CATSINaM National Conference 2026
Alice Springs Convention Centre, Northern Territory. The national gathering of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →Rise Strong, Lead Deadly: Indigenous Leadership Summit 2026
Sydney Masonic Centre, New South Wales. A national leadership summit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across sectors. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →Pathways to Safety for First Nations Children Forum
Grand Ballroom, Amora Hotel Adelaide, 233 Victoria Square, Adelaide, on Kaurna Country. The second national forum, run by Aventedge with the National Indigenous Network Initiative, brings lived experience to keeping First Nations children safe, and closes with an On Country workshop at the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, Warriparinga. Pricing on the forum site.
Official information →IAHA National Conference 2026
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The national conference of Indigenous Allied Health Australia. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →NACCHO Members’ Conference 2026
National Convention Centre, Canberra, on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation gathers its members on the theme Grounded in Culture, Driven by Community, with the National Youth Conference running from Monday 30 November. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →Community-Driven Changes in Tackling Family and Domestic Violence
Gold Coast. A national gathering on community-led prevention and response, bringing together survivors, advocates, service providers, researchers and community leaders around survivor leadership and cultural responsiveness. This conference deals with family and domestic violence. Ticketed; registration required.
Official information and registration →Celebrating 20 Years of Helem Yumba
Rockhampton Leagues Club, Rockhampton. Helem Yumba Inc. marks two decades of cultural healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families with an anniversary gala: dinner, entertainment, recognition of past and present staff, board members and supporters, and dancing. Ticketed.
Official information and tickets →Deadly Choices Oztag Carnival
Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct, Woods Road, Nikenbah, Hervey Bay. A free carnival with Open Mixed social and competitive divisions for players aged 14 and over. Players must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and hold a 715 Health Check from the previous twelve months; teams of up to fourteen register by Friday 13 November 2026. The day runs smoke, vape, alcohol, drug and sugar free, with lunch for every player.
Official information and team registration →Stories of Country: Queensland Museum’s new First Nations gallery
Level 2, Queensland Museum Kurilpa, corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Brisbane. A new permanent gallery on the wisdom, songlines and artistic expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Queensland, told with communities. Its two opening exhibits: Quinkan Country, the stories, knowledge and rock art of the Laura community on Cape York, set among its sandstone escarpments; and NGURBAY/To Go Home, a culturally significant canoe removed from Country in 1873 and held in the museum’s collection, now reunited with the Bagirbarra people and the waterways and stories to which it belongs. Free; all ages. The museum advises Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian South Sea Islander visitors that the exhibition contains images and names of people who have passed away.
Official information →Warrajamba: Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
Museum of Brisbane, open to 22 November 2026. An artist-in-residence project by Quandamooka artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins exploring Country, culture and connection. Free.
Official information →Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose
Museum of Brisbane, open to 31 January 2027. An exhibition celebrating First Nations-owned fashion label Magpie Goose and the stories woven into its designs. Free.
Official information →Hearth by Cheryl Leavy
Queensland Museum Kurilpa, Level 2, South Bank. Kooma and Nguri writer Cheryl Leavy answers the museum’s collection of hearth nodules with film, storytelling and poetry, made from a fire she lit on Kooma Country beside Wallam Creek near Bollon, raising questions about collection and repatriation. Created through the inaugural Queensland Museum First Nations Fellowship. Free.
Official information →kau-in kau-in blood blood: Judy Watson
Pine Rivers Art Gallery, 130–134 Gympie Road, Strathpine. Textile, video and print works by Waanyi artist Judy Watson from the City of Moreton Bay Art Collection draw attention to underrepresented histories of Australia and the enduring presence of First Nations people and culture. Free; all ages. Her artist talk runs on Saturday 10 October 2026.
Official information →Creative space: Tracing the edges
Pine Rivers Art Gallery, 130–134 Gympie Road, Strathpine. Artists Lexie Abel and Libby Harward invite you to reflect on Country, time, memory and the histories held in place through hands-on tracing and layering activities, in the gallery’s First Nations in focus program, alongside Judy Watson’s kau-in kau-in blood blood. Free; all ages.
Official information →Gulbuuygu: Hope Vale x QUT Fashion
QUT Art Museum, Gardens Point, Brisbane City. Gulbuuygu, a Guugu Yimithirr word meaning “together”, marks eight years of collaboration between QUT Fashion students and artists of the Hope Vale Arts and Culture Centre on Cape York: garments and textiles, the works on paper behind their designs, and paintings by Hope Vale artists. Free; final fortnight.
Official information →Art Box for Kids: Shannon Brett
Gallery 1.4, Gallery of Modern Art, South Brisbane. A hands-on exhibition for children built around the work of Wakka Wakka, Butchulla and Gurang Gurang artist, designer and curator Shannon Brett, whose fashion label LORE draws on First Nations stories of community and family. Children design their own fashion model and outfits with patterns meaningful to them. The artist video is captioned with Auslan interpretation. Free.
Official information →Blak Creatives Exchange: (BE)LONGING
Redcliffe Art Gallery, 1 Irene Street, Redcliffe. Emerging First Nations creatives from Munimba-ja and Blak Creatives interpret the City of Moreton Bay Art Collection through connections to culture, kin, self and Country, and through experiences of displacement, loss and renewal. Free; all ages.
Official information →Michael Nelson Jagamara: Possum Stories
FireWorks Gallery, 9/31 Thompson Street, Bowen Hills. Paintings from 2000 to 2019 on the Possum narratives at the heart of the Warlpiri artist’s cultural knowledge, prompted by conservation of his ten-metre Possum Dreaming at the Sydney Opera House, with collaborative works with Imants Tillers. This listing names an artist who has died.
Official information →Through Mununjali Eyes
kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane. A photography showcase of five decades of work by the late Mununjali journalist and photographer Wayne Coolwell, now extended to Sunday 17 January 2027. Free; guided tours need booking.
Official information →Great and Small Kindred Creatures in Indigenous Australian Art
Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane. Animals and kinship across the Gallery’s Indigenous Australian Art Collection, on show through the calendar period. Free.
Official information →Veiled Histories: Jennifer Herd and Joanne Currie Nalingu
UQ Anthropology Museum, Level 1, Michie Building 9, University of Queensland, St Lucia. Works by MBarbarum artist Jennifer Herd and Gungurri artist Joanne Currie Nalingu confront colonial history, identity and resilience, and the marginalisation of urban First Nations voices. Caloundra Regional Gallery curated the exhibition, which tours with Museums & Galleries Queensland. Free; contact the museum for guided group visits.
Official information →Smokescreen: A Thickness of the Air
Gallery 3.5 and Pavilion Walk, Gallery of Modern Art, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. A QAGOMA collection exhibition of Indigenous Australian art on concealment and disguise, ceremonial knowledge, patterns in nature, and how we perceive the past and the present. Free.
Official information →Tracey Moffatt: Journeys
Gallery 3.4, Gallery of Modern Art, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Tracey Moffatt, the first Aboriginal artist to present a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale, made these cinematic photographic series on memory and history for the Australia Pavilion in 2017; they now belong to the QAGOMA Collection, the gift of Dr Paul Eliadis AM. Free.
Official information →Exhibitions provide flexible options for anyone who cannot attend a fixed-date gathering, and can support informed conversation before community meetings, talks or ally-organised events.
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Compiled 13 July 2026; last updated 24 October 2026. Event schedules, ticket availability and registration deadlines can change; the official organiser page should be treated as the final authority. Community organisations, councils, libraries and cultural venues may announce further events after this guide was compiled.