NAIDOC Celebrations
Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne are hosting a series of welcoming and family-friendly events to celebrate First Peoples culture and knowledge this NAIDOC Week.
Come together and bring the children along to drop-in craft activities or enjoy free performances from First Peoples artists.
Interested in learning about the bushfood plants that grow in the Gardens? Book in to join a guided walk that highlights these plants and explains their traditional uses.
There are different activities running each day, so check below to see when your favourite event will be on.
Join with us this winter school holidays and celebrate “50 Years of Deadly”!
Tuesday 7 July
Drop-in Cultural Nature Art and Storytelling for Kids at the Kiosk
Skyla Lauch from Living Culture will lead children in exploring nature art and storytelling through a cultural lens. Supported by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Learning team staff, these family-friendly sessions will be engaging for young and old!
10:30am - 12pm: Art activities
1pm - 3pm: Storytelling
Wednesday 8 July
Ganga Giri and the Djarlo Dance Group
Get ready to be blown away by the electrifying rhythms and pulsating beats of Djarlo, the Aboriginal dance group that's taking the world by storm! Led by the world-renowned yidaki player Ganga Giri and backed by dance experts with over two decades of experience, Djarlo's performances are nothing short of a spectacle. With each move, they showcase the rich cultural heritage of Aboriginal people, telling stories through their fluid and expressive movements.
10am: Performance
Drop-in Kids Craft Activities
Throughout the morning and afternoon, our skilled Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Learning Facilitators will be running drop-in family friendly craft activities that you can take home. Maybe you could try making an Australian animal out of clay and natural materials, or using stencils to draw on calico squares?
10:30am - 2:30pm: Drop-in craft activities
Interactive Dance Performance
Indigenous Outreach Projects Hip-Hop (IOP) will be performing an interactive dance workshop on the Ian Potter Lawn Precinct. IOP focus on delivering their motto ‘no shame, be proud, respect’ encouraging the audience to develop a healthy mind, body, spirit and culture. They use the arts for change through the power of dance and music.
2:30pm: Performance
Thursday 9 July
Bushfood Walking Tour
Hudson Fraser from Living Culture will lead a guided walk through the Australian Garden, highlighting native plants that are important sources of bushfood for our First Peoples. Meet at the Kiosk near the How to Garden.
Bookings essential due to limited capacities.
11am - 12:30pm: Walking Tour #1
1:30pm - 3pm: Walking Tour #2
Family-friendly Bushfoods Activity
Join First Peoples artist Sammy Trist to make some delicious bushfood inspired no-bake truffles that you can enjoy straight away or take home to devour later! This activity supports kids to engage with native bushfoods that they may not have tried before.
Drop-in session times:
10am - 11am: Session 1
11:30am - 12:30am: Session 2
1pm - 2pm: Session 3