Classrooms in croc-filled billabongs; VR portal to Torres Strait Islander culture; Songlines; burning lessons from Country
Great National Science Week Indigenous science stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Multimedia project captures 65,000+ years of Indigenous Knowledge through voices of elders, scientists and environmentalists – online
- Remote school students use baited underwater cameras to explore croc-filled billabongs – Ramingining, NT
- Burning lessons from County: virtual ‘fire lab’ tour with Melbourne researchers applying Indigenous practices – online
- VR portal to Torres Strait Islander culture, Aboriginal astronomy, cultural use of seaweeds, science of sound and more at Indigenous Science Experience – Redfern, NSW
- Weaving connections in textiles workshop – Adelaide, SA
- Aboriginal science village and a life-sized Australovenator dinosaur at Science in the Scrub – Abbotsbury, NSW
- How the birds got their colours: Dreamtime through circus and dance – Darwin, NT
- Tech upskilling for citizen scientists with researchers and Indigenous rangers – in-person and online via Gold Coast, QLD
- Jurassic wonders from earth to sky: First Nations Knowledge, palaeontology and astronomy – Bendigo, VIC
- Deadly Science in a biomedical lab – Brisbane, QLD
- Indigenous elders, rangers and locals join school students in boat building challenge using recycled and found materials – Wyndham and East Kimberley, WA
- Cultural and ecological importance of cool burning and medicinal plant use – Magnetic Island, QLD
- Planetarium show tells stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars – Wollongong, NSW
- Australia’s Agricultural Identity – An Aboriginal Yarn: talk to proud Worimi man, author, entrepreneur and past Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year Joshua Gilbert about his new book – Windale, NSW
- Tuck into bush tucker and Indigenous plant and animal knowledge – Darwin, NT
More on these below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Scientists, experts, performers and event organisers are available for interview throughout National Science Week.
Read on for direct contact details for each event, or contact Tanya Ha, tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863; or Shelley Thomas, shelley@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0416 377 444.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Individual event details and media contacts
How do you capture 65,000+ years of Indigenous Knowledge? – online
Powerfully… through a series of videos, articles, podcasts and interactive online events that showcase traditional knowledge, environmental stewardship and deadly inventions of Australia’s First Scientists.
The ‘Indigenous STEM Virtual Gallery’ highlights the intersection between Indigenous Knowledge systems and modern STEM innovations by capturing the voices of Indigenous elders, scientists and environmentalists who lead the way in conservation, technology and sustainable practices.
The multimedia project, led by Community News Hub Aboriginal Corporation (based in Gunnedah, NSW), includes educational toolkits for schools and community groups.
Saturday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-stem-virtual-gallery/
Dean Foley, Community News Hub Aboriginal Corporation managing director, is available for media interviews on the significance of Indigenous Knowledge, innovation and the integration of traditional and Western scientific practices.
Schoolchildren explore croc-filled billabongs with baited underwater cameras – Ramingining, NT
For the first time, school children from the Northern Territory’s remote Ramingining community will observe interactions between aquatic life in freshwater billabongs.
The ‘Fin-tastic’ initiative, led by the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, turns the tide on lesser-known ecosystems within Indigenous communities due to presence of Baru (crocodiles), making them off-limits for swimming.
Students will use baited remote underwater cameras to identify Guya (fish) and learn about species traits, movement and cultural significance.
Multiple sessions from Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/fin-tastic-science-solving-the-mysteries-of-the-underwater-world/winnellie/
Sky Country, Indigenous Knowledge and VR – Redfern
How can virtual reality games open a portal to Torres Strait Islander culture? What does Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? And how do Indigenous knowledge systems help us understand physics, healthcare and environmental sustainability?
‘Indigenous Science Experience’ at Redfern Community Centre celebrates Indigenous knowledge systems and their impact on safeguarding natural resources, sustainable living and innovation. Activities also explore the science of sound, weaving, bush foods, cultural uses of seaweeds, and movement science incorporating Aboriginal dance.
Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-science-experience-at-redfern-5/redfern/
Sunday 10 August at Science in the Scrub: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-scrub-2025/abbotsbury
Australia’s agricultural identity: an Aboriginal yarn – Windale, NSW
Meet Worimi man, author, entrepreneur and PhD candidate Joshua Gilbert who explores a new approach to farming. He marries ancient knowledge with modern technology in his book Australia’s Agricultural Identity – An Aboriginal Yarn.
Joshua was named Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year in 2016.
His talk forms part of the 2025 program for Lake Mac FULL STEAM.
Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/lake-mac-full-steam/windale/
How the birds got their colours – Darwin, NT
Dreamtime through circus and dance
Yugambeh Elder Luther Cora and Arc Circus tell the Dreamtime story of ‘How the Birds Got Their Colours’.
This Indigenous-led outdoor performance forms part of the Darwin Festival in partnership with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Wednesday 13 August – Sunday 17 August. Event details:
www.scienceweek.net.au/event/how-the-birds-got-their-colours/the-gardens
Planetarium show and cultural yarning explore Australia-wide stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars – Wollongong, NSW
Tour Australia through a First Nations cultural lens. Talk to Indigenous scientists and hear stories that shape Songlines and Sky Country in a planetarium show at University of Wollongong’s Science Space.
The cultural yarn will be led by Dr Crystal Arnold, a Gundungurra woman and academic based in the University of Wollongong’s School of Social Sciences, and Peter Hewitt, a Jerrinja Yuin man and academic in Aboriginal Education.
They will share the stories of Gurawul (whale) and Buru (kangaroo) that inform connectedness to Country.
The event forms part of ‘Science on the South Coast’ which aims to demonstrate accessibility of science careers in rural communities, increase participation of Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and better engage audiences with visual/hearing impairment through sensory science interactions.
Tuesday 12 August: Indigenous Science, Songlines and Stars: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-science-songlines-and-stars-planetarium-shows-and-presentations-in-the-uow-science-space/wollongong/
First Nations high schoolers do deadly science in biomedical lab – Brisbane, QLD
Schools can access a two-day program designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students that aims to break down barriers to higher education and spark interest in biomedical science.
‘Explore the Unknown’ – the brainchild of The University of Queensland and SPARQ-ed, a biomedical education initiative run by the Translational Research Institute (TRI) – takes place in TRI’s state-of-the-art biomedical research lab.
Students will learn from scientists and university staff, joined by special guests from DeadlyScience.
Thursday 14 August – Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/explore-the-unknown-biomedical-science-experience-for-first-nations-high-school-students/woolloongabba
Burning lessons from Country – online via Melbourne
Take a virtual tour of University of Melbourne’s fire lab and meet two researchers studying wildfires and learning from Indigenous fire management practices:
- Dharug woman, Maddison Miller, who explores ways of bringing non-Indigenous and Indigenous sciences together.
- Trent Penman, a bushfire risk modeller.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/burning-lessons-from-country-ancient-and-new-understanding-of-bushfires-2/
Weaving connections with traditional textiles – Adelaide, SA
First Nations artist Sonya Rankin will share Traditional Knowledge of textiles through a weaving workshop. Sonya will lead and assist participants in creating ‘random weave’ pieces, providing a tactile and immersive experience about making meaning through cultural objects. Sonya is a Ngarringdjeri, Ngadjuri, Narungga & Wirangu woman and founder of Lakun Mara, meaning ‘Weaving Hand’ in Ngarrindjeri language.
Wednesday 13 August. Event details. www.scienceweek.net.au/event/weaving-connections-forever-exhibition-tour-and-weaving-workshop/adelaide/
Tech upskilling for citizen scientists with researchers and Indigenous rangers – in-person and online via Gold Coast, QLD
Wildlife monitoring is being transformed by new technologies, including eco-acoustics, thermal imaging, drones, artificial intelligence and remote 4G cameras. But it can be hard for citizen scientists and rural and remote communities to keep up with how these tools can make it easier to track populations and identify environmental changes.
The ‘Tech Meets Nature Showcase’ will be delivered as a free in-person and livestreamed event (registration essential) at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus. It will connect Indigenous rangers, researchers and community groups, providing education on use of these technologies and open-source tools to protect a range of iconic species, from koalas to glossy black cockatoos, platypus and malleefowl.
Experts include:
- Minyumai rangers – blending Traditional Knowledge with 4G cameras, drones and acoustic monitors to protect koalas, dingoes and glossy black cockatoos.
- Quandamooka ranger and rehab expert, Dan Crouch and Dan Carter – combining cultural knowledge and science for land management—from drone surveys of koalas to fire history, feral control, and swamp daisy recovery.
- Dr Daniella Teixeira (QUT) – acoustic monitoring for glossy black cockatoos.
- Dr Douglas Kerlin (Griffith University) – reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions with tech.
- Dr Mark de Bruyn (Griffith University) – eDNA to assess biodiversity at massive scales—unlocking insights from sediment to sea for both extinct and living species.
- Dr Tamielle Brunt (PlatypusWatch) – eDNA and platypus conservation.
- Joshua Cooper (National Malleefowl Recovery Group) – malleefowl conservation through LIDAR.
The event is organised by the Glossy Black Conservancy, an independent conservation and research association.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/tech-meets-nature-showcase/southport/
Sustainability beyond recycling and composting –Magnetic Island, QLD
Discover meaningful and practical ways to better safeguard our planet through a series of workshops and tours on regenerative design, First Nations knowledge systems, the circular economy and biodiversity conservation.
‘Nature’s Blueprint: Science, Regenerative Design, and Sustainability’ is organised by GRaB (Grow Recycle & Build) Eco Park.
Activities include turning waste into construction materials (glass into sand and plastic into sheets), crafting products from organic waste (coffee ground tiles), creating natural dyes from plant-based materials, Indigenous land management (cultural and ecological importance of cool burning and medicinal plant use) and learning about native island plants.
Saturday 9 August – Monday 11 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/natures-blueprint/nelly-bay/
Indigenous seaweed harvesting, natural dying, bush cordial, and a life-sized dinosaur at Science in the Scrub – Abbotsbury, NSW
Say hello to Ginger the life-sized Australovenator dinosaur and step inside Science in the Scrub’s inaugural Aboriginal science village in Western Sydney Parklands.
The pop-up village at Lizard Log includes cultural insights into natural dying, seaweed harvesting, medicinal plants and bush cordial tasting.
Sunday 10 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-scrub-2025/abbotsbury/
Meet roving dinosaurs, dig for fossils and marvel at Land and Sky Country – Bendigo, VIC
‘Jurassic Wonders: From Earth to Sky’ celebrates First Nations Knowledge, palaeontology and astronomy by teaching children the importance of cross-cultural understanding and engagement to understand the Universe.
Designed for children aged 3 to 11, the event at Bendigo’s Discovery Science and Technology Centre features ‘life-sized roving dinosaurs that stomp, roar and interact with the crowd’, cultural storytelling and a planetarium show focused on Indigenous archaeology.
It also includes Auslan interpretation for children with low or no hearing.
Saturday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/jurassic-wonders/bendigo/
What floats your eco-boat? – Wyndham & East Kimberley, WA
That’s a pivotal question for students competing in a school boat building challenge across WA’s East Kimberley region, thanks to an initiative of Wyndham Youth Aboriginal Corporation. Students can only use recycled items and found materials from the local environment to build – and test – their innovative, eco-friendly vessels at Wyndham’s public swimming pool.
The East Kimberley School Boat Building Challenge, facilitated by Wyndham District High School and St Joseph’s School, is open to students from East Kimberley, including Wyndham, Balgo, Warnum, Glen Hill and Kalumburu. Indigenous Elders, rangers and locals with boating/fishing experience will assist students and share knowledge that weaves science, Country and culture together.
The challenge event will double as a family fun day, including a community BBQ and stalls hosted by competing schools.
Wednesday 13 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/east-kimberley-school-boat-building-challenge-and-family-day/wyndham/
Neville D’Silva, CEO of Wyndham Youth Aboriginal Corporation is available for media interviews. Some students and elders may also be available.
Great visuals during the day, including testing the boats. It is anticipated that traditional knowledge and “mend and make do” culture/innovation will shape the construction.
About National Science Week
National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society – from art to astrophysics, chemistry to climate change, and forensics to future food.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year about 3 million people participated in more than 2,000 events and activities.
The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and the ABC.
In 2025 it runs from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.
