Culture and events: Explore the many faces of Australia
Australia is brimming with culture and events which celebrate its fascinating heritage and reflect its present-day cutting edge arts scene
Australia’s Indigenous and modern cultures tell a story of what it means to be Australian, providing a window into this vast country’s contemporary creative life. Its culture is underpinned by its people – down-to-earth and welcoming. It’s influenced by Australia’s unique environment, history and outdoor lifestyle. It’s also defined by innovative ideas and a thriving art scene, from Aboriginal art to open-air festivals, boutique galleries and museums.
With a civilisation stretching back around 60,000 years, Australia’s Aboriginal cultural heritage has impressive longevity. The artistic, musical and spiritual traditions established by Aboriginal people are the longest-surviving in human history. And art and culture are still just as prevalent in modern-day Oz, with a vast array of talent scattered throughout the country, resulting in a wide range of world-class exhibitions, festivals, music, theatre, culinary expertise and more. There truly is something for everyone.
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Indigenous culture
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the traditional owners of Australia’s vast open spaces and are keen to pass on their ancient culture. Theirs is Australia’s first and original story, and when you travel into Indigenous customs and territory with its sacred and storied landscapes, you are privileged with the chance to enter a very different world of culture and tradition, of engagement with nature and the natural forces that shaped this continent. Even their sense of time – rhythmic and circular, rather than the West’s inexorably linear corralling of time into motion – is enough to change your view of the world and your place in it. Whether it’s stories from the Dreamtime (the beginning of time, according to Aboriginal culture, when their spiritual ancestors created the world and everything in it), or the Indigenous rock art (which is the oldest unbroken such tradition in the world), or festival gatherings such as the annual Garma Festival in Arnhem Land or the urban Yabun Festival in Sydney, journeying a little way into the arts, culture, politics and knowledge of Indigenous Australia is perhaps the deepest, most rewarding journey you can take.
‘When you travel into Indigenous customs and territory with its sacred and storied landscapes, you are privileged with the chance to enter a very different world of culture and tradition.’
Today, Indigenous artists use canvas and acrylic paints, but rock art, sand and body paintings as well as ochre bark paintings, wood carvings and fibre weaving, are all essential parts of the Aboriginal art tradition. The oldest cave art we know of in Europe dates to around 30,000BC; in Australia, some examples are thought to date back another 10,000 years, to the very dawn of time when it comes to human culture. And although there are many sites around Australia, Kakadu National Park, about three hours from Darwin in the Northern Territory, is home to some of the finest examples and has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.
Or plumb for a Dreamtime Dive with Brooke Nikora, of the Great Barrier Reef, where you’ll be guided by Indigenous sea rangers on a day tour to Moore Reef and Milln Reef or Flynn Reef, with dives punctuated by Dreamtime stories and history lessons from Brooke and her fellow guides along the way.
Aboriginal wall art in Kakadu National Park
Aerial view of Daintree rainforest
Less than two hours south of Perth, in Western Australia, is the Koombana Bay area – the traditional home of the Noongar people. Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours can take you on an estuary walkabout among the area’s mangroves, during which you’re regaled with ancient stories about the spirit serpent that inhabits the waterways. On the way you can also make weaving twine from river bulrushes and see the resident population of around 100 bottlenose dolphins.
On the far south coast of New South Wales, in Yuin country, the Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness centre was founded by Dwayne Bannon-Harrison (also known as “Naja”), to share the knowledge and cultural teachings from his elders. In Sydney, meanwhile, Aunty “Margret” Campbell will lead you through fascinating insights into Sydney’s Aboriginal Dreamtime beginnings on her Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour, her stories taking you back to a time when the land and the harbour looked very different. In fact, the city is host to a number of Dreamtime tours, including the Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tour, all of which give visitors completely new eyes when it comes to looking at Australia’s culture, landscape and history.
‘In Sydney, Aunty “Margret” Campbell will lead you through fascinating insights into Sydney’s Aboriginal Dreamtime beginnings.’
Jump on a train at Sydney’s Central Station and within 90 minutes you’ll be stepping into the Blue Mountains, a World Heritage site and rugged expanse of steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and villages. The mountains are famed for their spectacular beauty and biodiversity, so whatever you do there will be an exceptional day out, but an Aboriginal Walkabout Tour adds an extra level of poignancy. It takes hikers through valleys and caves, to tranquil rock pools and waterfalls and past sacred cultural sites deep into the rainforest, where Aboriginal people have lived for thousands of years.
Art and soul
If it’s new and avant-garde, Australia is already there, producing some of the most challenging and fascinating contemporary art experiences in the world. Plunge straight in at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, a rust-coloured steel and concrete building set in a winery north of Hobart. The structure is as much part of the visit as the art – a collection of ancient and modern works amassed by owner David Walsh, who has described it as a “subversive adult Disneyland” due to its central themes of sex and death. As well as a busy programme of exhibitions and plenty of controversial art and antiquities – from ancient Egyptian mummies to some of the world’s most infamous and thought-provoking contemporary art – there’s a vineyard, luxury pavilion accommodation, wine bar, two high-end restaurants and a cinema. Playful and engaging, it’s as far removed from a stuffy art museum as you can get.
‘Plunge straight into the Australia art scene at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, a rust-coloured steel and concrete building set in a winery north of Hobart.’
But still, not as far removed from stuffy old museums as the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), which has opened its doors, or hatches – and eyes! – at several locations along Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, including John Brewer Reef, Magnetic Island, Palm Island and Townsville. The first installation, Ocean Siren, becomes exposed at low tide, and is the upright, arm-upraised figure of an Indigenous girl, whose body changes colour according to live water-temperature data from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The creation of British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, this and other works in the MOUA aim to highlight the climate emergency and efforts to rehabilitate parts of the reef, as well as celebrate Australia’s fascinating heritage and reflect its present-day cutting edge. Other works include a coral “greenhouse” on John Brewer Reef and a work telling the story of reef science that will later appear at Magnetic Island’s Geoffrey Bay.
The building of The Museum of Old and New (MONA) is said to be a work of art in itself
You’ll find more classical blends of old and new at The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Established in Darwin in 1981, its permanent collection spans south-east Asian and Pacific culture, natural sciences, maritime history, Indigenous culture and contemporary art. One of its most famous exhibits is the body of a crocodile named Sweetheart, which was notorious for attacking fishermen’s boats. Importantly it’s also the home of the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Australia's longest-running Indigenous art prize. Currently in its 35th year, it exists to provide a platform for the diverse practices of Indigenous artists. The Northern Territory is also famed for its beautifully preserved Aboriginal rock art. Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park are perhaps the two most well-known, where you can see famous paintings such as Namarrgon and Lightning Man.
Traditional fishing boats can be seen at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
The small but lively town of Alice Springs has a stellar reputation for Aboriginal art and is buzzing with creativity and tradition. There are countless galleries in the area, but the Araluen Arts Centre is a must-visit. A hub for the visual arts scene, it’s home to superb dot paintings and watercolours by some of Australia’s most prominent artists, and an extraordinary sculpture garden. At Yubu Napa gallery, you can meet and chat with artists and learn first-hand the stories behind their work.
Sunset over the Tweed Valley
Laying claim to having the highest number of artists per capita than any other region in Australia, is the striking, yet often-overlooked, Tweed Valley, on the border between Queensland and New South Wales. Brimming with natural beauty, it’s home to the southern hemisphere’s largest extinct volcano, and its lush rainforest is crisscrossed by creeks and rivers. No wonder it inspires so many artists. Check out the works on show at the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre.
Let there be light
British artist Bruce Munro’s work Field of Light ensures Uluru is as magical at night time as it is during the day. As the sun sets delicate lights strewn across an area the size of seven football pitches begin to take over as far as the eye can see. The installation, also known as Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku from the local Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara language (which translates to ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’) consists of 50,000 slender stems of different colour light that sway in the gentle night-time breeze, creating an astonishing and captivating scene.
And launching in May 2023, courtesy of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, Wintjiri Wiru – which means “a beautiful view out to the horizon” in the local Anangu language – depicts a chapter from the Mala ancestral story, which sits between Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and Uluru. A light, laser, projection and drone experience unlike any other on earth, its climax features more than 1,000 luminous drones taking to the skies each night to evoke the Mala story, accompanied by a narration in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages.
‘As the sun sets, delicate lights strewn across an area the size of seven football pitches begin to take over as far as the eye can see.’
Sydney also plays host to impressive light-focused art with an annual light festival called Vivid Sydney. Light artists, music makers and brilliant thinkers converge on the city once a year to transform Sydney into a “playground of the unexpected”, where the buildings and monuments of the city become the canvas for artists.
World-renowned speakers such as “feminist in progress” Jameela Jamil and comedian Magda Szubanski will tackle huge topics, providing thought leadership on body politics and the healing power of the arts, respectively. Visitors will also be able to enjoy stunning live music performances and much of this year’s event will be online to enjoy.
Be illuminated with a stop off at the Sydney Opera House’s Badu Gili exhibit
In Sydney, the Opera House also hosts Badu Gili, an illuminating experience which explores ancient First Nations stories with a daily (at sunset and 7pm) seven-minute projection onto the building’s eastern Bennelong sail. It depicts the history of the Gadigal people, the traditional owners of the land on which the Opera House sits. Badu Gili means ‘water light’ in the Gadigal language.
The captivating Field of Light, Uluru
Art across the seas
Alongside Bruce Munro is a wave of other contemporary British artists making their mark across the country.
Sculptor Antony Gormley has scattered 51 stark, steel humanoid forms across the vast Lake Ballard in Western Australia, while Tracey Emin has left a trail of 70 small bronze birds in Sydney’s business district, leading to a large stone bird bath. And in the UK, the Rebecca Hossack Gallery in London, which specialises in Aboriginal Australian and Western art, showed an exhibition by Aboriginal artist Damien Coulthard in 2018 – who had, incredibly, never touched a paintbrush until four years earlier.
Antony Gormley’s steel sculptures punctuate the landscape at Lake Ballard near Menzies | Credit: Alamy
Song and dance
Sydney Opera House regularly hosts a range of classics, with this years’ schedule including a spectacular Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour at Mrs Macquaries Point until 23 April. Elijah Moshinsky’s much-loved production of Verdi’s classic Rigoletto comes in June, featuring a scene-stealing Fiat 500, while more Verdi follows in June and July with his dramatic evocation of ancient Egypt in Aida, featuring 10 towering digital screens and immersive video design. Offenbach’s opera fantastique, The Tales of Hoffman, featuring soprano Jessica Pratt and directed by Damiano Michieletto, runs through July, while August sees the arrival of Miss Saigon The Musical, Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s award-winning musical.
An impressive calibre of events take place at the Sydney Opera House
Can do
Canberra has topped travel lists of must-see cities in recent years, which describe Australia’s capital as offering a rich mix of culture, entertainment and history. A truly modern metropolis – it was only officially established in 1913 – its design was influenced by the Garden City movement, boasting expansive open spaces and wide boulevards.
Not just the capital of the country, it’s vying strongly for being the “capital of cool”, with a hotbed of attractions for anyone who loves the arts, entertainment, and, of course, eating and drinking. Here, you can dine on anything from French bistro fare to pan-Asian classics, at a range of stylish restaurants including Otis Dining Hall for its innovative mix of flavours or millennial fave Temporada. The city’s brunch scene is strong; standouts include coffee specialists The Cupping Room, local ingredient aficionados Mocan and Green Grout, or bibliophiles’ choice Muse. Cocktail-lovers should head to Monster for their seasonally-changing list, while whisky fans will love the 1920s feel, and the vast choice of drams, at Molly.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
In terms of sights and culture, one of the main standouts is the city’s striking, white Parliament House. Open to everyone, 364 days a year, its innovative design makes it look as if it’s rising straight out of the landscape, with a grass roof. A short stroll away is the National Gallery of Australia; here you’ll find works representing big names in Australian and international art, from Monet’s waterlilies to Sidney Nolan’s paintings of Ned Kelly, taking in Warhol and DalÍ on the way. The lobby showcases a thought-provoking piece titled Aboriginal Memorial, created for Australia’s 1988 bicentenary. Created by 43 different artists, it’s a collection of 200 hollow log coffins – one for every year of European settlement.
Pear version 2 by George Baldessin in the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Australia (foreground) and silver sphere with carved native animals (background)
Just across the Molonglo River is the National Museum of Australia, created to preserve and interpret Australia’s social history, including its Indigenous heritage; settlement since 1788; and key events including Federation. You’ll also find the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal bark paintings, and even the heart of Aussie champion racehorse Phar Lap (the rest of him resides at the Melbourne Museum).
Every great adventure begins with G’day
It’s been a while since you last took a holiday; head Down Under to a place where the water’s warm and the welcome even warmer. So come on, we’re waiting for you to come and say G’day.
Plan your trip at Australia.com
Produced by Telegraph Media Group
Project Manager: Tom Gadd, Commissioning Editor: Hannah Hopkins, Sub-editor: Tim Cumming, Video and Photography Manager: Alex Kelly and Cat Costelloe, Lead Designer: Victoria Griffiths, Web Editor: Katherine Scott
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Overlooking the Tweed Valley
Start planning your perfect Australia adventure with the help of a dedicated Audley specialist and experience their award-winning expertise and trusted service
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Make an enquiry
Start planning your perfect Australia adventure with the help of a dedicated Audley specialist and experience their award-winning expertise and trusted service
Visit website
Visit website
Order a brochure
Order a brochure
Make an enquiry
Make an enquiry
Start planning your perfect Australia adventure with the help of a dedicated Audley specialist and experience their award-winning expertise and trusted service
Visit website
Order a brochure
Make an enquiry
Start planning your perfect Australia adventure with the help of a dedicated Audley specialist and experience their award-winning expertise and trusted service
Visit website
Order a brochure
Make an enquiry