NAIDOC festival for national park

The Porongurup National Park will take part in NAIDOC Week 2018 celebrations with the inaugural Porongurup NAIDOC Festival this Sunday.

Under the theme Because of Her, We Can, the community will come together to recognise the contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made and continue to make.

Founder and Mentor at the Baldjamaar Foundation, Damien Yarran, said the national park, including the renowned Castle Rock, was a fitting location for the first NAIDOC event by the foundation.

“We chose to host the event at Castle Rock because it is an extremely significant cultural area and there are some historic trails there,” he said.

“It first came into discussion with the Friends of the Porongurups because we wanted to host a NAIDOC event somewhere here.

“It is all about different cultures coming together to learn about Aboriginal culture and history, and I am excited to promote my culture with others.”

There will be a Welcome to Country and didgeridoo performance during the opening ceremony, followed by information about the trails and history of the area and a guided walk along the Granite Sky Walk or the Walitj Meil Walk Trails.

A barbecue lunch and traditional face-painting will also be available at the family friendly day.

The event gets under way at 11am and concludes at 2pm.