» Visit the Official Laura Dance Festival Website

June 2001 I journeyed from the the bright lights of the Gold Coast up to a most uniquely beautiful part of the world where the stars shine that much more brightly. A little pocket in northern Queensland, called Laura.There I attended the biannual Laura Aboriginal Dance and Cultural Festival, held on the Ang-gnarra Festival Grounds. These are the traditional Bora grounds where Aboriginal people have congregated for a millenia. In recent times, they have been given back to their traditional owners.

The three day festival was a celebration of Aboriginal culture and the hope for Reconciiation. More than 25 Aboriginal Communities performing Traditional Dance and Song,  in a dust storm of colour, movement and storytelling, stunning Art and craft displays,  Didgeridoo, boomerang and spear throwing competitions...If you squeezed your eyes half-shut to block out the PA system and the food vans you really could believe for a moment you had travelled back through the centuries.

But to me what was most special about the Laura Festival was that I was privileged enough to be taken under the wing of Alf Richards, one of the traditional owners of the land and a member of the Board for the Laura Festival in 2003.I found being shown the festival through his eyes was much more valuable than a just a backstage pass. I'll never forget what he showed me or the hospitality his family extended.

This website is a Photo Tour of photographs from the Laura Festival 2001. I hope you can get from them at least a sense of the magic I felt whilst being there. The links will take you to the official Laura Festival website and to other related Aboriginal and Reconciliation sites.

We live in a truly breathtaking country, richer in culture and history than many ever thought..