ΝΟΣΤΟΙ | Homecomings: Stories of the Ionian Island Diaspora in Queensland
ΝΟΣΤΟΙ explores the way that storytelling, history, myth, memory and experience of the Ionian Islands off the western coast of Greece (Kerkyra, Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaki, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Kythera) fuels the imagination and identity of the diaspora in Queensland.
The exhibition is the result of a three-year collaboration between the Antiquities Museum and Ionian Islands diaspora communities in Queensland. It combines artefacts, documents, garments and photographs from public and private collections with newly recorded oral histories to create a rich tapestry of how the islands are remembered, experienced and passed on to future generations.
Proudly presented by The University of Queensland RD Milns Antiquities Museum, UQ Arts, the Kytherian Association of Queensland, the Ithacan Society of Queensland, and supported by Friends of Antiquity and the Kytherian Brotherhood of Queensland.
Event Website URL: https://antiquities-museum.uq.edu.au/nostoi-homecomings-stories-ionian-island-diaspora-queensland
Fragile and Forever: Ceramics from the Queensland Museum Collection
Ubiquitous yet enduring, aesthetically appealing in their essence and artistry, ceramics are often at the heart of our rituals and ceremonies.
Explore Queensland Museum ceramics, from the artistic to the more practical, many on display for the very first time in this free exhibition.
From pottery fragments thousands of years old, made by the Jōmon people of Japan to contemporary artworks from celebrated First Nations artists, the exhibition showcases ceramics that are truly fragile and forever.
Lace making demo
Lace Making Demo
Next date: Saturday, 28 November 2026 | 11:00 AM to 02:00 PM
Person with bobbins of white cotton making lace on an orange board
Discover the delicate and intricate art of lace making at Bribie Island Seaside Museum's exhibition Lace it up.
Join members of the Queensland branch of the Australian Lace Guild for a fascinating live demonstration showcasing traditional lace-making techniques. Watch skilled artisans transform simple threads into beautiful, complex patterns. Learn about the rich history and craftsmanship behind this centuries-old textile art.
Visitors can meet guild members, ask questions, and discover the immense patience and creativity required to produce these exquisite handmade works. Whether you are a craft enthusiast, history lover, or simply curious about traditional skills, this demonstration offers a unique chance to experience the artistry up close.
Come along and be inspired by the remarkable craftsmanship featured in Lace it up!
Bribie Island Seaside Museum is open from Wednesday to Friday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, and Saturday to Sunday, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
When
Saturday, 28 November 2026 | 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Location
Bribie Island Seaside Museum, 1 South Esplanade, Bongaree, 4507, View map
Heritage Hands: PechaKucha: Made to Last
What does Made to Last mean to you?
What does Made to Last mean to you?
As part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, join us for an evening of fascinating stories celebrating craftsmanship, heritage and the knowledge we carry forward.
From traditional leather plaiting and neon signmaking to ballet headpieces, artisan cheesemaking and the remarkable skills behind everyday objects, Made to Last brings together makers and creative practitioners to share their stories.
Presented in the lively PechaKucha format, each speaker has just 20 images, shown for 20 seconds each, to explore a skill, object, practice or tradition worth preserving.
Meet the speakers
Wendy Downes – The Cheeseboard / Slow Food Brisbane: The art of traditional cheese maturation, specialist knowledge and preserving our food heritage.
Michael Blazek – Neon Artist and Master Glass Bender: A family tradition of neon making and more than three decades of specialist glass-bending skills.
Suzie Rodgers – Specialist Costume Maker:The intricate handwork and craftsmanship behind ballet and performance costumes.
Brett Richardson – Penny-farthing Maker and Educator: Traditional bicycle making, metalworking and passing specialist skills to new generations.
Marianne Taylor – The House Detective:Uncovering the hidden histories and stories held within our buildings.
Bill Webb – Traditional Leather Plaiter:Keeping the craft alive through traditional leatherwork and the passing on of specialist knowledge.
Natalia Elkina – Italmas Design: Through the Looking Glass: A Craft Worth Keeping — traditional leadlighting, contemporary design and the future of specialist craftsmanship.
Discover the people keeping specialist skills alive, the stories behind what we make, and why passing knowledge between generations matters.
Free event. No ticket required.
Part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate – Made by hand. Made to last.
Saturday 7 November 2026 | Doors 6.00pm | Presentations 6.30–8.00pm | Sandgate Town Hall
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EVENT TIMES
Date Start: 7 November 2026
Time Start: 6.00pm
Date End: 7 November 2026
Time End: 8.00pm
What Do We Carry Forward? | Heritage Hands panel discussion
What happens to specialist skills when there is no one to pass them on to?
As part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, What Do We Carry Forward? brings together makers and creative practitioners to explore how traditional skills and specialist knowledge are learned, shared, adapted and passed between generations.
From traditional trades and specialist crafts to practices evolving through new materials, technologies and ways of working, the conversation explores what it takes to keep knowledge alive - and what can be lost when opportunities to learn directly from skilled practitioners disappear.
Facilitator - Robert Allen, Brisbane Heritage Co.
Robert Allen brings a passion for Brisbane's history, built heritage and the stories that connect people to place. Through Brisbane Heritage Co., his work focuses on celebrating and sharing local heritage, making him a fitting facilitator for a conversation about preserving specialist knowledge, connecting generations and keeping traditional skills alive.
Panellists
Dr Renata Buziak - Photo-media Artist, Researcher and Educator
Renata's practice combines alternative and experimental photographic processes with contemporary art, research and education. Her work offers a perspective on how established processes and knowledge can continue to evolve through experimentation, teaching and new applications.
Michael Blazek - Neon Artist and Specialist Neon Maker
Co-founder of Neon Signs Australia, Michael brings more than three decades of specialist knowledge in traditional glass neon fabrication. Following the closure of the business in 2023, its extensive archive was acquired by the John Oxley Library at State Library of Queensland - raising compelling questions about what can be preserved through documentation and what must be retained through practice.
Meade and Mason Murphy - Murphy's Antiques and Restorations
Representing two generations of a family restoration practice, Meade and Mason bring a firsthand perspective on how specialist knowledge is passed from one generation to the next through working alongside one another. Their experience highlights the value of learning by doing, adapting traditional techniques and carrying knowledge forward.
Together, the panel will explore apprenticeships, mentoring, changing pathways into specialist practice, the role of archives and documentation, and how makers, educators, communities and cultural organisations can create opportunities for knowledge to continue.
At its heart is a question about the future of living heritage: what do we carry forward, and how do we ensure that knowledge continues?
Saturday 7 November 2026, 4:00–5:00pm
Sandgate Town Hall, Sandgate
Free event. Booking reccomended
Presented as part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate.
Made by hand. Made to last.
Cyanotype: A Botanical Memento of Sandgate with Dr Renata Buziak | Heritage Hands Festival
Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Explore the historic photographic process of cyanotype with acclaimed photo-media artist Dr Renata Buziak at Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate.
In this hands-on workshop, discover how sunlight, botanical materials and light-sensitive paper can be used to create beautiful blue-and-white photographic prints.
Inspired by Sandgate's natural environment, you'll explore composition and experiment with botanical forms to create your own unique photographic memento.
Suitable for beginners, this workshop offers an opportunity to experience a traditional photographic technique while connecting art, nature and local heritage.
Part of the inaugural Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, celebrating traditional craftsmanship, specialist skills and the people keeping them alive.
Limited places available. Bookings essential.
Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Discover the people, skills and stories behind traditional craftsmanship at Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate.
Set within the historic Sandgate Town Hall, this free cultural festival brings together skilled artisans, heritage tradespeople and contemporary makers for a celebration of things made by hand and made to last.
Explore a curated Makers Market, watch live demonstrations and meet the craftspeople keeping traditional skills alive. Discover the tools, techniques and stories behind their work, from time-honoured trades to contemporary approaches to making.
The festival continues with a free panel discussion, What Do We Carry Forward?, exploring the future of craftsmanship, the challenges facing traditional skills and the importance of passing knowledge between generations.
Saturday 7 November 2026
Makers Market and demonstrations: 9am–3.30pm
Welcome and acknowledgements: 3.30pm–4pm
Panel discussion: 4pm–5pm
An evening PechaKucha storytelling event follows, which is free to attend..
Presented by Heritage Hands, a documentary photography and storytelling initiative dedicated to celebrating and preserving Australia's endangered crafts and trades.
Made by hand. Made to last.
Event Website URL:https://heritagehands.com.au/sandgate-festival/
Make ’n’ Movie — Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Make ’n’ Movie – Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Friday 6 November 2026 | 6.00–8.00pm
Sandgate Town Hall
Tickets: $10 online | $15 at the door
Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery, mending or another portable craft and enjoy a relaxed movie night with a handmade twist.
Presented as part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, Make ’n’ Movie brings people together to celebrate the pleasure of making by hand, sharing knowledge and keeping traditional craft skills alive.
Settle in for a screening of Practical Magic (1998), starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, while working on your own creative project alongside fellow craft enthusiasts.
Try your hand at weaving with Monique Ross, who'll be offering a relaxed, drop-in basketry activity throughout the evening. Learn a simple Random Over weaving stitch in just a few minutes, then take your project back to your seat and continue making while enjoying the film. No experience necessary.
Whether you're an experienced maker or simply have a project you've been meaning to finish, bring your materials, settle in and enjoy a film alongside fellow makers.
Pre-packaged snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be available to purchase.
Want to explore basketry further? Monique is also presenting a separate Raffia Basketry Coiling Workshop earlier on Friday, from 2.30–4.30pm. Find out more and book here:
https://heritagehands.com.au/event/raffia-basketry-coiling-workshop-with-monique-ross/
Part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate – Made by hand. Made to last.
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EVENT TIMES
Date Start: 6 November 2026
Time Start: 6.00pm
Date End: 6 November 2026
Time End: 8.00pm
Ceramic Vase Floral Arrangement Workshop with Wallflower | Heritage Hands Festival
Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Discover the art of floral arranging with Renae from Wallflower at Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate.
In this relaxed, hands-on workshop, explore colour, texture and composition as you create your own beautiful floral arrangement using fresh seasonal flowers and foliage.
Learn practical floristry techniques, experiment with natural materials and enjoy the satisfaction of creating something by hand.
Suitable for beginners, with all materials provided.
Part of Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, celebrating traditional craftsmanship, specialist skills and the people keeping them alive.
Places are limited. Bookings essential.
Raffia Basketry & Coiling Workshop with Monique Ross | Heritage Hands Festival
Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate
Discover the traditional art of basketry with Monique Ross at Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate.
In this relaxed, hands-on workshop, learn the fundamentals of raffia basketry and coiling, exploring the techniques used to transform natural fibres into beautiful, functional objects.
Working with raffia and prepared starting pieces, Monique will guide you through the coiling process as you develop your own handmade creation.
Perfect for beginners, this workshop offers an opportunity to slow down, connect with natural materials and experience the satisfaction of making something by hand.
All materials are included. No previous experience necessary.
Part of the inaugural Heritage Hands Festival: Sandgate, celebrating traditional craftsmanship, specialist trades and the people keeping handmade skills alive.
Places are limited. Bookings essential.
Kids workshop: Movable animal puppets
Join us at Redcliffe Museum as we embark on a creative quest to make your own movable animal puppets!
Spark your child’s imagination in this school holiday workshop led by local artist Russell Solomon.
They will transform everyday craft materials into wacky, movable animal puppets.
Inspired by the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, your kids will create a take-home expressive animal puppet, master simple mechanics and bring funny, quirky characters to life.
About the artist
Russell Solomon is a multidisciplinary artist with more than 30 years’ experience. He creates evocative sculptures that explore the intersection of the natural world and our human impact on it. Russell has lived in Redcliffe for the past 25 years and has continuously exhibited and facilitated workshops within the community.
The People's Crusade: the roots of European antisemitism
In 1096, mobs moving through the Rhineland toward Jerusalem killed thousands of Jewish people in the first mass anti-Jewish violence in European history. It's a precedent many historians link to the antisemitism that culminated in the Holocaust. Historian and educator Dr Alan J Barrie re-examines the evidence, asking hard questions about Peter the Hermit's real role in the massacres, and challenges the accepted narrative of one of medieval history's most consequential and contested episodes.
Tickets: $8 concession or $10 adult (includes lecture and museum entry).
Brisbane Festival at Brisbane Powerhouse 2026
Brisbane Powerhouse is Queensland’s home for contemporary culture, a magnificent power station of the 1920s reborn as an arts centre on the Brisbane River.
Brisbane Festival is a festival like no other, born from a city unlike any other.
A river city known for its bold energy and vibrant spirit, Brisbane also carries an unexpected rawness — rooted in a history of defiance, charged with intensity, and alive with thought-provoking creativity.
This duality defines us. We don’t just host a festival, we transform the city. Theatres, venues, parks, streets, and rooftops become vibrant stages for uniquely Brisbane experiences, where art collides with place, and audiences are immersed in moments that celebrate the city's contrasts — bright and electric, raw and revelatory.
Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards 2026
See Brisbane through the lens of local photographers.
The finalist exhibition of the 2026 Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards brings together striking photographic works that capture the city’s spirit — from familiar streets and riverside scenes to the fleeting moments, routines and characters that make Brisbane feel like home.
New this year, the Brisbane Postcards Collection category invites photographers to showcase Brisbane’s charm and energy through images that locals recognise, and visitors instantly fall in love with. Selected winning works will be available as collectible postcards at MoB Shop.
Open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Brisbane, the 2026 Awards celebrate what makes our city unique through this year’s theme, Everyday Brisbane. Entries are now open and close 4pm Friday 5 June 2026. For category information and entry details, visit the Brisbane City Council website.
Selected works will also be displayed at Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal for travellers and visitors to enjoy.
Presented in partnership with Brisbane City Council and Major Partner Brisbane Airport.
Interactive story creation station
Discover the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef these school holidays in this free, family-friendly program.
Through engaging storytelling and activity, young participants will explore one of the most iconic and diverse ecosystems on Earth.
Children will learn how the reef functions as a living ecosystem—where corals, fish, plants, and other marine life are all connected and depend on one another to survive.
With a focus on science and discovery, participants will be inspired by reef life while gaining a deeper understanding of the Great Barrier Reef as the world’s largest living organism. Along the way, they’ll explore concepts such as habitats, biodiversity, and the importance of protecting our oceans.
This relaxed and imaginative session offers a fun opportunity for families to connect with science, nature, and creativity.
Free - no bookings required. Ages 5+.
Saturday, 04 July 2026 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Interactive story creation station
Discover the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef these school holidays in this free, family-friendly program.
Through engaging storytelling and activity, young participants will explore one of the most iconic and diverse ecosystems on Earth.
Children will learn how the reef functions as a living ecosystem—where corals, fish, plants, and other marine life are all connected and depend on one another to survive.
With a focus on science and discovery, participants will be inspired by reef life while gaining a deeper understanding of the Great Barrier Reef as the world’s largest living organism. Along the way, they’ll explore concepts such as habitats, biodiversity, and the importance of protecting our oceans.
This relaxed and imaginative session offers a fun opportunity for families to connect with science, nature, and creativity.
Free - no bookings required. Ages 5+.
Saturday, 04 July 2026 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Echoes of Brisbane
Step into the world of Echoes of Brisbane, a new exhibition by Moreton Bay-based multidisciplinary artist Pia Robinson.
For over a decade, Pia has called South East Queensland home, creating and showcasing her work across the state and beyond. Her art is a deeply personal form of expression, exploring themes of memory, connection, loss, and the interplay between the built and natural environments.
In Echoes of Brisbane, Pia revisits a body of work she began in 2006. Using a disused architectural camera and traditional black-and-white photographic film, she captured fleeting moments of Brisbane’s urban landscape, echoes of light and place frozen in time. Now, two decades later, she has reimagined these static images as moving artworks, blending analogue photography with contemporary digital techniques. The result is a mesmerising fusion of photography and cinema that reanimates Brisbane’s past in a way that feels both nostalgic and new.
This exhibition is a reflection of Pia’s artistic journey, one that has evolved alongside her personal life. After a period of focusing on motherhood and overcoming cancer, Pia has returned to her practice with renewed energy, creating works that inspire connection and community.
Don’t miss this captivating exhibition at The Edge Screens, running from 1 July to 31 July. Whether you’re a long-time admirer of Pia’s work or new to her art, Echoes of Brisbane is an experience that will leave a lasting impression.
Mark your calendars and join us in celebrating the art of storytelling through memory, light, and movement.
Event Details:
Exhibition: Echoes of Brisbane by Pia Robinson
Location: The Edge Screens
Dates: 1 July – 31 July
This work is presented as part of State Library of Queensland's Brisbane Open House program for 2026.
Bugs Ed Workshop
Insects are the most diverse and successful group of animals on Earth - and among the most beautiful and bizarre!
Explore their weird and wonderful shapes and sizes by examining amazing cases of preserved specimens from around the world. Learn about where they live, what they eat and how they protect themselves from harm.
Get up close and personal with some of our live local Australian insects such as giant stick insects, preying mantids, leaf insects and more. You can even hold a stick insect!
Be sure to book this experience and join us at the launch of our latest exhibition, The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Free - bookings essential. All ages.
Image credit: Bugs Ed.
Exhibition Tour of Make a Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the 90s at Queensland Museum Kurilpa
Join a guided tour of the groundbreaking exhibition Make a Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the 90s, led by museum staff.
Discover the captivating fashion and design elements on display, learn about some of the notable designers featured in the exhibition, and gain exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into its creation.
Date Start: 12+19 June 2026
Time Start: 1:00 PM
Date End: 12+19 June 2026
Time End: 1:45 PM
World Environment Day
Join us at Redcliffe Museum to celebrate World Environment Day!
Jay from Kumbartcho nursery will help you discover the amazing flavours and stories behind Australian native bushfoods!
Jay is a conservation manager who’s passionate about native plants and loves showing people how incredible they really are. For thousands of years, First Nations people have used these plants for food, medicine and everyday life—and now you can learn about them too.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to spot different native bushfood plants, how to grow them at home, and how they’ve been traditionally used. You’ll get hands-on experience, hear interesting stories, and pick up practical gardening tips while reconnecting with nature.
While you are at the museum, explore our latest exhibition, The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Free - bookings required. All ages.
Image credit: Jay Schieder.
Redcliffe Museum is open Wednesday to Friday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
Wildlife Unleashed workshop
We’re bringing the zoo to you at Redcliffe Museum!
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of native and exotic animals from Wildlife Unleashed!
Hold a baby saltwater crocodile, look into the eyes of a bird of prey and watch an expert wrangle some of our world’s most venomous snakes. From rare cockatoos to playful possums, learn about the rich biodiversity of our planet and conservation through intimate encounters.
Explore our latest exhibition The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards while you are at the museum.
Free - no bookings required. All ages.
Redcliffe Museum is open Wednesday to Friday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Get ready to laugh at nature’s funniest moments! The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, organised annually, attracts submissions from across the world.
This competition celebrates the hilarity of our natural world and helps to highlight what we need to do to protect it.
Featuring 60 images, this exhibition showcases a selection of the winners and finalists’ images from the competition over the years.
Join us for a journey filled with laughter, joy, and a renewed sense of wonder for the animal kingdom.
Free. No bookings required. All ages.
Image credit: Jennifer Hadley, Talk to the fin.
Redcliffe Museum is open Wednesday to Friday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
2026 Redlands Coast Museum Open Day
Join us from 9:00am – 1:00pm, Saturday 30 May 2026 at Redlands Coast Museum for a vibrant day of discovery and fun.
When you arrive, step inside our beautifully renovated reception area and browse our brand new gift shop, filled with locally made products, unique finds, and handcrafted bells, hearts and poppies created by our onsite blacksmiths.
Explore interactive displays brought to life by our passionate volunteers as they share the real stories and remarkable history of the Redlands Coast. Be sure to visit our newest Immigration display, highlighting personal journeys, treasured keepsakes and the cultures that have helped shape our community.
Enhance your visit with a guided tour, featuring engaging insights, live demonstrations and a touch of musical fun at the pianola.
Kids can explore the Kids' Corner with nature-inspired craft activities, take part in the 'RED' picture scavenger hunt, discover magical tiny fairy doors hidden throughout the Museum, enjoy old-fashioned games, and step into the old-world lolly shop filled with handmade treats.
Finish the day with a delicious lunch or snack from the Radio Room Servery — the perfect way to round out a fantastic family outing.
Harvesting stories - artefact exploration workshop
Step into creativity and storytelling with artist and fifth generation farmer Kylie Harries as part of Redcliffe Museum’s Harvest exhibition.
In this hands-on workshop, Kylie invites visitors of all ages to explore the region’s agricultural history through slow looking, drawing and visual storytelling.
Participants will create artworks inspired by historical farming objects, capturing memories and observations along the way.
Whether you’re an artist, writer, or simply curious, this two-hour session offers a unique chance to connect, discover, and create.
Free - bookings essential. All ages. Materials provided.
About the artist
Kylie Harries is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work is shaped by the natural world on her Moreton Bay farm. Guided by seasonal changes, waterways, and local flora and fauna, she uses environmentally conscious, low waste art practices to tell rich, nature inspired stories.
Redcliffe Museum is open Wednesday to Friday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
Special dances for the Australian Heritage Festival 2
Historic Milestones: the changing nature of dance
Step into the rich tapestry of Australian history through the power of dance. Join us for a captivating workshop that traces the evolution of dance from Brisbane’s early penal settlement through to the early 1900s.
Discover how dance has been a vibrant expression of societal shifts—shaped by fashion, philosophical movements, and cultural influences brought by migration. Explore the connection between changing lives and changing rhythms.
All dances taught on the night. No partner or experience required. Costumes admired but not required.
When: Friday, 8 May at 7:30pm
Where: Farmers Hall, 30 Main Street, Samford Village, Qld
Cost: $4.00 (thanks to Moreton Bay Council's Healthy & Active Programme.
More information and booking:
A Night at the Museum: Dinosaur Edition | Queensland Museum Kurilpa
Do you dig dinosaurs? Get ready for a total dinosaur takeover! A Night at the Museum is back and Queensland Museum Kurilpa is celebrating everyone’s favourite prehistoric superstars.
Roam museum-wide after dark. Tickets includes entry to all temporary and permanent exhibitions as well as dinosaur themed activities, science shows and family-friendly night time fun.
This special dinosaur edition of A Night at the Museum is part of the inaugural Queensland Dinosaur Week.
The Planting at Woodford Folk Festival
The Planting 2026
The Planting, a much-loved weekend for cultivating connection and caring for the land at Woodfordia.
Set for the long weekend, Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd of May, this gathering combines hands on working bees, delicious food and drinks, informative talks and an evening programme of inspiring artists and musicians.
Our talks will be from experts in citizen science, regeneration and community lead projects and will include practical skills you can take back home to your own communities and gardens.
Special dances for the Australian Heritage Festival
The 2026 Australian Heritage Festival theme, Change, invites communities across the country to reflect on how history has shaped us, and how we, in turn, continue to shape history. We have created two events to explore this theme.
Change Your Partners!
Dancing in the 19th century was all about changing partners! Social interaction was at the heart of dancing. In the early 1800s it was considered improper to dance with the same partner more than once in an evening! As dance styles changed, the roles of partners changed too.
Join us for an immersive experience as we dance through one hundred years of Brisbane’s dance history. We will teach the dances and no experience is necessary.
When: Friday, 24 April at 7:30pm
Where: Hills District Community Centre, 291 Dawson Parade, Arana Hills, Qld
Cost: $4.00 (thanks to Moreton Bay Council's Healthy & Active Programme)
HOTMESS x Make a Scene: surreal life drawing
A playful, inclusive art activation celebrating fashion and self-expression through immersive creative drawing. Step into a world where fashion breaks the rules and self-expression takes centre stage!
Unleash your inner artist and let your creativity run riot at HOTMESS x Make A Scene. Inspired by Queensland Museum’s fabulous Make A Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the 90s exhibition, this outrageous, hands-on art experience is an unmissable invitation to strut your stuff on paper. Created by multidisciplinary artists Sophie May and Gabrielle Miller, HOTMESS is part immersive theatre, part life drawing, and part artistic liberation.
All materials are provided and enjoy a free drink on arrival.
Early session recommended for 18+. Late session strictly 18+.
Seasoned artists and first-time sketchers welcome!
Sensory Friendly Sessions: Croc! Lost Giants to Living Legends exhibition
We’re turning the sound down and reducing visitor numbers in the Croc! Lost Giants to Living Legends exhibition to create a calmer, more relaxed museum experience.
These quieter hours are designed to welcome guests on the autism spectrum, and anyone who would benefit from a less busy, lower-sensory environment.
TWO SESSIONS
18 April 8.15 - 10.00am
1 August 8.15am - 10.00am
Croc! Guided Tour for Families
Take a guided tour of Queensland Museum Kurilpa's crocodile exhibition these school holidays. Led by a Croc Guide, this engaging experience takes you back 130 million years to uncover jaw-dropping insights into ancient SuperCrocs, and crocodiles found around the world today.
Along the way, you’ll learn extra croc facts, stories and special insights into how these remarkable creatures have evolved over time. Designed for families, these tours are suitable for all ages looking for a school holiday adventure.
Only two tours available these holidays. Tour tickets include entry to Croc! Lost Giants to Living Legends. Ticketholders are welcome to stay inside the exhibition after the tour ends.
Croc! is presented by Queensland Museum, the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Event Web
Dearly Departed: death in life
Death is a universal experience. It will come to us all. Yet the way we confront, discuss, experience and ultimately reckon with death, and the realities of dying, varies enormously. Culturally diverse traditions and practices around death offer unique insights into how communities around the world honour and mourn their loved ones, shaping vastly different experiences and understandings of life’s final chapter.
Throughout the 20th century, death became a quiet taboo; something rarely spoken of, despite touching every life. Positioned at the powerful intersection of history, art and emotion, Dearly Departed encourages audiences to reflect on what it means to live well, die well and honour those who came before us. It reframes death not as an ending, but as a profound and enduring part of Queensland’s living story.
Innovative, accessible, and deeply human, Dearly Departed: death in life invites visitors into a bold exploration of mortality across Queensland’s past, present and future. Through rich historical insight, evocative artistic interpretation and interactive design, the exhibition sparks meaningful conversation about life, death and the memories we hold.
Drawing on the State Library’s rich collections of objects and stories, the exhibition explores how social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces have shaped Queenslanders’ attitudes to death and dying – then and now.
Join us as we rediscover how confronting death helps us better understand life itself.
Content note
This exhibition features images, videos, and objects associated with death and dying. These can evoke emotions, memories, or personal reflections. Visitors are encouraged to move through the space at their own pace and to take breaks whenever needed. This exhibition contains photographs, videos and recordings of people who have since passed, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.