Brisbane:
First Nations experiences

18 JANUARY 2023

You needn’t travel far to embark on an immersive journey through First Nations art, storytelling, performance and food. Brisbane is home to an array of experiences and events that embrace First Nations culture and history, from inner-city galleries to rural retreats. Learn more about Brisbane’s rich First Nations heritage and influence with these experiences.

QAGOMA’s First Artists: Cultural Experiences

Celebrate and connect with First Nations art and culture at QAGOMA’s (Queensland Gallery of Modern Art) immersive First Artists: Cultural Experiences program. Developed in collaboration with Brisbane-founded Blaklash Creative, the program offers two unique and enriching experiences that hero First Nations art, music, native food, dance, culture and storytelling. The Exceptional Indigenous Art & Dining Experience begins with a powerful Welcome to Country and a private after-hours tour of the gallery’s artworks with a First Nations storyteller, artist and curator before hosting a dinner created by Koori Chef Chris Jordan in collaboration with QAGOMA’s Head Chef, Aaron Holt. The Evening Indigenous Experience also features a private tour and culinary delights from the two chefs as well as an interactive, hands-on activity led by a local Indigenous artist. 

Yarriba Dreaming

Reconnect in nature on a three-day Indigenous immersion tour of Mount Barney Lodge in the Scenic Rim, a destination recently crowned by Lonely Planet as one of the Top 10 Regions in the World to Visit. Led by Gurruhmun ‘Old Man Kangaroo’, a Ugarapul and Bidjara Man, the tour offers a rare opportunity to participate in cultural practices and experiences including a traditional smoking ceremony, storytelling around an ancient birthing water hole, bush tucker sampling and hunting skills including spear and boomerang throwing. Visitors will leave with a greater understanding of Indigenous Australian culture and practices and a spiritual connection to the idyllic landscape.

A close up image of Delvene Cockatoo smiling.
Delvene Cockatoo

Delvene Cockatoo Collins Art

Proud Quandamooka woman and artist Delvene Cockatoo Collins creates art and designs textiles and clothing to express the stories of her family’s lived experiences on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island. Delvene’s artwork, handprinted homewares, sculptures and ceramics can be viewed and purchased from her retail store and studio in Goompi/Dunwich. Experience Minjerribah through the artist’s eyes with a three-hour cultural experience that includes a walking tour of the Island’s public art and a workshop where you can create your own art to take home. 

Nyanda Cultural Tours

Tour Nudgee Waterhole Reserve under the knowledgeable guidance of members of the Jagera people and experience Aboriginal storytelling, a smoke ceremony, weaving and cultural demonstrations. Sample traditional bush foods including wattle seed damper with rosella, wild lime and lilly pilly jams and Nyanda’s special lemon myrtle cordial. Through hands-on experiences, traditions and customs, you can forge a strong connection to First Nations culture and understand the significance of the waterholes to the Jagera people. Tours operate daily by appointment between 9am and 4pm. 

Dreamtime Kullilla‑Art

Dreamtime Kullilla-Art is a family-owned and operated art gallery in the Redcliffe Peninsula fostering respect and appreciation for Aboriginal culture through art and craft. The store has a range of authentic products created by Indigenous artists and craftspeople such as boomerangs, books, medicines, bush tucker, digeridoos and accessories available for purchase. Resident artist Michael Connolly is often in-store, crafting his range of beautiful artworks on canvas, didgeridoos, bark and other items and is always happy to spin a story or offer an exclusive tour of his studio space. Open Monday to Saturday. 

Birrunga Gallery & Dining  

Birrunga Gallery & Dining is a First Nations-owned gallery and café in Brisbane City and has won national recognition for its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food experiences. The culturally immersive hub is a café by day and wine bar by night, serving modern Australian cuisine with a native bush tucker twist. Its gallery space exhibits First Nations contemporary art and includes a performance space for an immersive Indigenous cultural experience. Open Monday to Wednesday, 7am to 2pm, Thursday and Friday 7am to late and Saturday 9am to 2pm. 

Blackcard Cultural Tours  

Walk in the footsteps of Aboriginal ancestors through the heart of Meeanjin/Brisbane City with Blackcard Cultural Tours. Choose from one of its three unique tour offerings: the 90-minute Brisbane Aboriginal Cultural Tour or Kurilpa Point and Cultural Precinct Walking Tour or the three-hour Cultural Tour and Weaving Session with Bush Tucker Tasting. Learn about Brisbane’s public collection of Aboriginal art and discover hidden gems on these memorable and eye-opening tours. Wear comfortable walking shoes and don’t forget your drink bottle, hat and camera.

Yura Tours - Cultural Picnic Experience on Minjerribah.
Yura Tours, Minjerribah.

Yura Tours

Embrace the rich Indigenous culture at Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island on one of three packed Yura Tours itineraries. Engage in the Sand Beneath my Feet Cultural Walk and follow in the footsteps of the Island’s Quandamooka ancestors as you learn about their traditions. The tour takes you on an easy walk along the beach to Adder Rock for the South‑Passage Dreamtime Story. The Minjerribah Cultural Experience - Driving Tour begins with a beautiful Welcome to Country before exploring the Island and connecting you to Country. Learn about Minjerribah creation stories and its beautiful flora and fauna on the Land-Based Cultural Walking Tour. Depending on the time of year, you may spot the magical yallingbilla (whale) on their annual migration or spy native dolphins, kangaroos and turtles. 

Looking at artwork on display at Aboriginal Art Co.
Aboriginal Art Co., South Bank

Aboriginal Art Co. 

Located in South Brisbane near the Cultural Precinct, Aboriginal Art Co. is a First-Nations-led and-managed space that encompasses a retail shop, boutique gallery, outdoor courtyard and artist-in-residence studio. The one-of-a-kind multi-purpose space and meeting place invites visitors to connect with First Nations art and artists and explore the rich diversity and authentic history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture and artistic expression. From First Nations art to prints, sculptures, gifts and clothing, you’ll find it all in the one location. 

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