Events
1770 Cultural Connections Immersion Festival
The 1770 Cultural Connections Immersion Festival is a two-day cultural celebration held in Seventeen Seventy (1770), Queensland. Organized by the Gidarjil Development Corporation with support from Evolution Mining and other regional partners, the festival centers on cultural reconnection and reconciliation through immersive experiences. Evolution Mining Gold Industry Group It embraces “Reconciliation through Celebration,” offering food, performances, storytelling, biodiversity workshops, and more to honour First Nations heritage.
Gidarjil Development Corporation &
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week is a national celebration recognising the history, culture, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The name “NAIDOC” stands for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day of Observance Committee. Since its formal recognition in 1975, it has become an important cultural event celebrated annually during the first full week of July.
In July 2019, a NAIDOC march featured local Traditional Owners (like Howard Joe Butler) and community participants painting signs—a visual expression of cultural pride and inclusion
In 2020, Gidarjil’s Managing Director, Dr Kerry Blackman, delivered a powerful message at a flag-raising ceremony:
“We as a first nations people ... our country was always Aboriginal land – always was and always will be.”
In 2024, Gidarjil co‑hosted a NAIDOC Family Pop‑up Play Day in Bundaberg, part of NAIDOC Week festivities. The event featured interactive cultural stations, craft activities for kids, traditional dance and language workshops by the Bunda Bar’aggi Dancers, games promoting teamwork, music, and community bonding around the 2024 theme, "Keep The Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud."