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NAIDOC Week reads

NAIDOC Week will run from 6 - 13 July and will be celebrated all over the country. This year marks 50 years since the first week-long event took place in 1975, to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The NAIDOC committee has its origins in a Day of Mourning, 26 January 1938, when Aboriginal people gathered in Sydney to protest against racist policies and to fight for their human rights.

This year's theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy. It invites all Australians to celebrate the achievements of First Nations people and movements of the past and look towards a bright future.

To celebrate NAIDOC Week 2025, the Stories and Ideas team has put together fiction and non-fiction for children and adults written by First Nations authors. We encourage you to buy a book for yourself or a loved one and fill your bookshelves with the stories of the next generation. 

NAIDOC Week reads

GRAIL National Reconciliation Week 2025 Bina

Bina: First Nations languages, old and new
by Gari Tudor-Smith, Paul Williams & Felicity Meakins
Black Inc. 

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A bright book cover showing a wombat walking on its hind legs along a winding path. The wombat is carrying a swag and a hat. It is waving at the sky with one hand. The text reads Wurrtoo The Wombat Who Fell in Love with the Sky written by Tylissa Elisara and illustrated by Dylan Finney

Wurrtoo: The wombat who fell in love with the sky
by Tylissa Elisara (illus. Dylan Finney)
Hachette Australia 

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Cover of the book by Cheryl Leavy, Christopher Bassi, "Yanga Mother". Two kangaroos hugging, one old and one young.

Yanga Mother
by Cheryl Leavy (illus. Christopher Bassi) 
University of Queensland Press 

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Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler (Magabala)

Black Cockatoo
by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler
Magabala Books

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Cover of Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss. It shows two people on a riverbank at sunset.

Dirrayawadha
Anita Heiss
Simon and Schuster

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GRAIL Spring 2024 Black Witness

Black Witness
by Amy McQuire
University of Queensland Press 

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NAIDOC Week at the library

NAIDOC: The Next Generation in The Corner
NAIDOC: The Next Generation in The Corner
Come to The Corner every day this NAIDOC Week to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community heroes.
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Portrait of Colleen Sam in front of her artwork Ngundurra Dreaming, 2025, photo by State Library of Queensland.
Night by the fire with Colleen Sam
Join artist and educator Colleen Sam for a special gathering in the Talking Circle.
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image of two First Nations People from the film
Film screening of Wash My Soul in the River's Flow
A documentary about Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter – their music, art and love.
Book now