Getting to Know Indigenous Australia: NAIDOC Week 2025
NAIDOC Week is a special time across Australia — a week dedicated to celebrating the rich history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the First Nations of this country. This year it is held between 6 – 13 July in 2025.
As a migrant myself, I understand how important it is to find a sense of belonging in a new place. Part of that journey includes learning the deep and ongoing stories of the land we now call home — stories that began tens of thousands of years ago and continue to this day.
In this blog post, I want to share three meaningful videos that offer a glimpse into Indigenous culture in Australia — through food, visual storytelling, and lived experiences. I invite all new arrivals, migrants, and multicultural communities in Australia to watch, reflect, and connect with these stories.
1. Food and Culture
As someone from Taiwan, I know how deeply food is woven into cultural identity — how it is prepared, where it originates, and how it is shared all speak volumes about history and values. That’s why the first video I’m sharing relates to food, telling the story of Torres Strait Islander people through the lens of a Melbourne café.
Video: This Indigenous Café Is Making Australian Ingredients Mainstream
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hfxr28CGUck?si=pDJoJJT6ywPGA9C8
Mabu Mabu, it was a Torres Strait Islander-owned café in Melbourne. Indigenous Australians have cultivated native ingredients and baked bread for over 60,000 years, but colonisation has endangered this knowledge. Chefs like Nornie Bero are now bringing these traditions back to life in modern cafés and restaurants.
“… the main thing for me here is basically to make people aware of my culture. We are Indigenous people and we have a lot to offer. And I want to make sure that we represent ourselves within this industry that a lot of cultures have been able to showcase themselves, and integrate, and be a part of.”
-Chef Nornie Bero
Although Mabu Mabu and its reincarnation Big Esso at Federation Square have since closed their doors, many “bush tucker” restaurants continue to operate across Australia — each telling their own story in unique and meaningful ways.
2. Visual Stories
A picture is worth a thousand words. While images may not tell the whole story, they can spark curiosity and offer a powerful entry point. In Indigenous cultures, art comes in many forms and serves as a time capsule — a way to pass on ancestral knowledge and values to future generations.
Video: Capturing Aboriginal Australia and Its Diversity on Camera
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5Szjemb24QA?si=ujZKZxfcV4E_fbtx
Aboriginal photographer Wayne Quilliam has spent 30 years documenting the diverse cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia, sharing their stories to promote greater understanding.
“I don’t generally reflect on the negatives of what’s happening in our communities because there are so many that do so, I want to share that we have such a beautiful embracing warmth culture culture, that every time I am on Country, I feel so infantile and young, even though I’m nearly 60. I still feel like a child when culture are shared with me.
I’m saying to the people of the world to embrace who we are as an indigenous culture. Talk to us and ask the questions, because we’ve got so much to share. We want you to learn and better understand indigenous culture, and who we are now.”
– Aboriginal photographer Wayne Quilliam
Many visitors and new comers of Australia first encounter Indigenous art through commercial souvenirs in tourist areas. While these items may reflect certain patterns or styles, there is far more depth and diversity to explore — from traditional artefacts to contemporary artworks, each carrying cultural meaning and significance.
If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend visiting the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square. It showcases important artefacts and artworks from the Koorie nations, which span much of Victoria and parts of southern New South Wales. They also offer guided walking tours along Birrarung Wilam (Yarra River) — a beautiful way to engage with First Nations history through place.
3. Stories of Everyday People
What about Indigenous people today? What are their lived experiences?
For many migrants and newcomers to Australia, knowledge of Indigenous history is often limited. The ongoing impacts of colonisation — including racism, slavery, inequality, and intergenerational trauma — have profoundly affected First Nations communities. These effects are still deeply felt today, yet often remain misunderstood or unseen.
Video: Ask Us Anything: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SHVbVBLlhCM?si=ynKM7FfqxHPL6jbW
This video by The University of Sydney brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals to answer a wide range of questions — some awkward, some humorous, and many deeply insightful. It’s a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more but may be unsure how or where to begin.
I won’t leave a quote from the video here because to understand the collective voice it really need to hear from the individuals. Watch the video to hear their stories and thouahgts!
Questions for migrants and newcomers to reflect on:
– Which part of the video touched your heart?
– Did any of the stories resonate with your own experiences?
I invite you to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments. Your voice matters in this conversation.
My Own Reflection
I often reflect on the similarities and differences between the Indigenous groups in Taiwan and the Indigenous peoples of Australia — and how, in both cases, mainstream narratives often reduce their identities through stereotypes. Structural inequalities and historical injustice continue to confine and marginalise these communities in eerily similar ways.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, I recommend this video by Te Ao with Moana, which gives a little insight to their history in contemporary Taiwan and connection to wider brothers and sisters across the Pacific: https://youtu.be/ioP8h8Hn5vw?si=GuXBBQrHfF328L9u
From another perspective, as migrants and members of other minority groups, we too may face challenges related to misunderstanding, marginalisation, and the need to navigate dominant cultural narratives. That’s a topic I hope to explore in more depth another time.
Why These Stories Matter for Migrants and CALD Communities
For those of us who come from other parts of the world, learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is not just an act of respect — it is a way of building genuine connection. These stories help us understand where we are and how we can live here more consciously, responsibly, and meaningfully.
Australia is a multicultural country — but it is also Indigenous land.
Always was, always will be.
NAIDOC Week reminds us to honour that truth by listening, learning, and walking alongside First Nations people with humility and care.
How You Can Start Connecting
- Watch these videos with your family or community group
- Visit Indigenous art exhibitions or cultural sites in your area
- Support Aboriginal-owned businesses and creative projects
- Learn the names of the Traditional Custodians of the land where you live
- Listen to Elders and community leaders with an open heart
As a therapist who works with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, I believe that healing begins with story — and that includes the stories of the land we live on.Let this NAIDOC Week be an invitation to listen deeply, connect across cultures, and honour the shared future we are building together.
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