28/03/2025
Georges River Council is inviting the community to participate in an upcoming program of local events to celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival.
The National Trust’s Australian Heritage Festival will return between Friday 18 April and Sunday 19 May, with the theme ‘Unearthed’, unveiling lesser-known histories and empowering younger generations as custodians of culture and tradition.
Throughout the festival month, Council is launching an extensive program of talks, walks and workshops that unearth the rich and interesting history all around us, and empowers future storytellers. This includes the ‘Unearthed Stories Evening, sharing mysterious lesser-known stories and objects from our local studies and museum collections, Tudor House tours, youth creative storytelling workshops, and Walk on Country at Oatley Park with Uncle Dean.
Georges River Council Mayor Elise Borg said, “I am thrilled to see our community come together to celebrate the Heritage Festival 2025.
“The Festival is about preserving our past and empowering our younger generations. I encourage everyone to take pride in our shared history and immerse themselves in the events we have to offer.”
The festival also provides opportunities for community to share their own local and family stories of Georges River through a special Unearthing Oral History workshop, where participants can learn the art of interviewing and capturing stories, and how to access free digital tools from our libraries collections to borrow and record their histories.
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Event
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Details
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‘Unearthed’ Zine
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Printed collection of the bizarre and lesser-known stories from the Georges River area, collated by our Community History Team. Pick up your copy from the libraries and Hurstville Museum & Gallery throughout the Heritage Festival.
Date: Friday 18 April 2025 – Sunday 18 May 2025.
Cost: Free.
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School Holidays Youth Zine Workshop
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Get creative with our Youth Zine Workshop, designed to empower youth to tell their local stories through writing, drawing and collage.
Date: Wednesday 23 April 2025.
Time: 2.00pm-4.00pm.
Venue: Penshurst Library.
Cost: Free.
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‘Unearthed’ Exhibition
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Visit our ‘Unearthed’ exhibition showcasing unseen items from the collections of Georges River Libraries Local Studies Archivge and the Hurstville Museum & Gallery.
Date: Thursday 1 May 2025 – Sunday 25 May 2025.
Open during library opening hours
Venue: Clive James Library Community Art Space.
Cost: Free.
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Walk on Country at Oatley Park with Uncle Dean
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Join us for a very special walk with Uncle Dean Kelly, a Yuin/Wailwan man and respected Traditional Knowledge Holder in our local community. Uncle Dean will be imparting his knowledge about preserving the local landscape and native plants for tens of thousands of years.
Date: Saturday 3 May 2025.
Time: 9.30am-11.30am.
Venue: Oatley Park.
Cost: Free.
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Animation Workshop
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Bring a story alive through animation, guided by international artist in residence, Marco Belli. This workshop invites us to empower younger generations as custodians of culture and tradition.
Date: Saturday 3 May 2025.
Time: 12.30pm-4.30pm.
Venue: Hurstville Museum & Gallery.
Cost: $8.75.
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Tudor House Tours
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Explore the fascinating history and stories behind the historic Tudor-style house where the Hurstville Museum & Gallery is located.
Date: Sunday 4 May 2025.
Time: 3.00pm-4.00pm.
Venue: 14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville.
Cost: $5.40.
Date: Wednesday 7 May 2025.
Time: 10.00am-11.00am.
Venue: 14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville.
Cost: $5.40.
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‘Unearthed’ Stories Evening
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Unearth the mysterious, magical and mystifying lesser-known stories from Georges River, uncovered from our Local Studies and Museum collections. Light refreshments will be provided.
Date: Friday 9 May 2025.
Time: 6.00pm-7:30pm
Venue: Clive James Library Kogarah
Cost: Free.
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Unearthing Oral Histories Workshop
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Do you or your family have stories to share about life in Georges River? Bring your families and learn how to capture important family stories and memories of this area, and the free digital tools available to borrow from the library.
Date: Saturday 10 May 2025.
Time: 10.00am-1.00pm.
Venue: Hurstville Library
Cost: Free.
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In line with the festival, applications for Council’s Annual Historical Markers Program will be open until Sunday 11 May. The program recognises people and places of historical and cultural importance, as recommended by the local community. Enquiries about the 2025 Historical Markers Program can be made to localstudies@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au.
To learn more about the Historical Markers, visit our Historical Markers page.
To learn more about and book activities, visit our What’s On page.