National Science Week 2025 is a time to recognise the many ways science shapes our lives. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the deep scientific knowledge held by Australia’s First Nations peoples. Across the state, communities will come together to honour Indigenous science traditions that have guided sustainable living, astronomy, agriculture, medicine, and environmental care for tens of thousands of years.
From workshops on bush medicine and weaving, to stargazing events exploring Indigenous astronomy, and storytelling sessions that share deep-time knowledge systems, National Science Week events across NSW will highlight the rich contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to our collective understanding of the natural world. Join in listening, learning, and celebrating the knowledge that has always been here.
Her Name is Nanny Nellie: public screening and Q and A
The Orange Cowra Cabonne Science Hub is proud to present a special community screening followed by Q and A of the acclaimed documentary Her Name Is Nanny Nellie, a powerful and deeply personal exploration of truth-telling, memory, and cultural reclamation in Australia’s public institutions.
Her Name Is Nanny Nellie is more than a film—it is an act of cultural justice. The documentary confronts colonial representations and invites audiences to consider how history is preserved, presented, and remembered.
What can Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? How is our native flora used in bush medicine? What can we learn about sustainable living from 60000+ years of Indigenous culture?
This National Science Week, discover the answers to these questions (and more) at the Indigenous Science Experience at the Redfern Community Centre.
Come along to get hands-on with a diverse range of interactive science activities accessible to all ages. Activities will include:
Yarning with Elders on bush foods and medicines
Learning about customarily used seaweeds for environmental sustainability
Indigenous astronomy
Cultural performances connecting to the natural world
Weaving
Torres Strait Islander virtual reality
Physics and chemistry activities
You will also meet Indigenous Elders and student leaders from the National Indigenous Science Education Program who will be assisting in activity demonstrations.
10:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday 9 August at Redfern Community Centre
This FREE event will begin with a traditional smoking ceremony and official welcome.
This free community event features four stage presentations and over a dozen interactive science activities. Families can explore patterns in nature, uncover hidden systems in technology, and learn how traditional First Nations knowledge and storytelling reveal deeper understandings of our world.
10am – 2pm on Saturday, 9 August at the Connection, Rhodes NSW
ERTHWRX25 – Celebrating science, environment, arts and culture
Celebrating a decade of programming, ERTHWRX25 will present a 10-year retrospective of Science, Arts & Cultural initiatives that have explored regional environmental knowledge systems through both Indigenous and Western scientific perspectives.
Live panels, exhibitions, and workshops will feature leading experts and creatives in science, environment, and the arts, offering dynamic discussions and interactive experiences.
10am – 4pm on Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 Augustat the Corridor Project Wyangala NSW
First Nations Economic Forum – Empowering Aboriginal communities through STEM
Coinciding with the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the 2025 First Nations Economic Forum aims to build Indigenous economic independence through STEM.
Explore how STEM can significantly boost community development, self-determination and employment outcomes. Dialogues will revolve around positive and sustainable community development (from an Indigenous perspective), and how STEM disciplines support genuine empowerment and self-determination. Attendees will gain insights into practical pathways that connect community aspirations with tangible economic opportunities driven by science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Stories, seasons and signposts in the sky: Indigenous astronomy
Over countless generations, First Nations Australians have sustained their peoples and cultures by linking deep knowledge of Country to careful observations of the sun, moon, constellations, and other dynamic features of the southern sky.
Hear ancient stories and learn some sky-reading skills to build your understanding of space, navigation, seasonal phenomena, and Indigenous cultures.
Online Event: 10:30am – 11:30am on Monday 11 August
Stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars
Enjoy an evening in the Science Space, Innovation Campus at the University of Wollongong. This specially designed planetarium show will take you across different locations in Australia to showcase Indigenous heritage and the role of Indigenous communities and scientists in future-proofing Australia’s biodiversity.
There will also be a presentation by local Indigenous scientists on stars, Songlines and stories.
6:00pm – 9:00pmonTuesday 12 August at Science Space Wollongong
Into the Deep: Science today, for our oceans tomorrow
Engage with marine professionals from Sydney Institute of Marine Science, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium., and partner institutions. The evening will feature a science fair–style experience, where interactive stations bring to life projects such as Operation Crayweed, Project Restore, White’s Seahorse Recovery, and the StAR Project. These displays highlight the tangible impact of research on habitat restoration, fisheries sustainability, and endangered species protection.
A central theme of the night is learning to listen—whether to ecological data, changing ocean systems, or the deep wisdom of Indigenous knowledge holders.
6:00pm – 9:00pm on Thursday 14 August at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
Bundanon’s Science Week Symposium returns in 2025 with an engaging day of talks, displays, and immersive experiences exploring the often-overlooked elements of the Shoalhaven ecosystem. With presentations from 15–20 leading voices in STEM—alongside artists and First Nations custodians—the event will uncover the intricate worlds of micro fungi, aquatic systems, pollinators, threatened species, and more.
Held in the Boyd Education Centre Hall and Forecourt, the symposium includes lunch, afternoon tea, and access to exhibitions. Optional guided birdwatching walks and cultural bushwalks offer deeper engagement with the landscape.
Indigenous Australians’ have made groundbreaking contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Discover short videos, insightful articles and podcasts that highlight the intersection between traditional Indigenous knowledge systems / modern STEM innovations.
This event provides an exciting educational opportunity suitable for all audiences, promoting awareness and appreciation for Indigenous STEM perspectives.
Online Event: 10:00am – 1:00pm on Saturday 16 August
National Science Week 2025 is a time to recognise the many ways science shapes our lives. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the deep scientific knowledge held by Australia’s First Nations peoples. Across the state, communities will come together to honour Indigenous science traditions that have guided sustainable living, astronomy, agriculture, medicine, and environmental care for tens of thousands of years.
From workshops on bush medicine and weaving, to stargazing events exploring Indigenous astronomy, and storytelling sessions that share deep-time knowledge systems, National Science Week events across NSW will highlight the rich contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to our collective understanding of the natural world. Join in listening, learning, and celebrating the knowledge that has always been here.
Her Name is Nanny Nellie: public screening and Q and A
The Orange Cowra Cabonne Science Hub is proud to present a special community screening followed by Q and A of the acclaimed documentary Her Name Is Nanny Nellie, a powerful and deeply personal exploration of truth-telling, memory, and cultural reclamation in Australia’s public institutions.
Her Name Is Nanny Nellie is more than a film—it is an act of cultural justice. The documentary confronts colonial representations and invites audiences to consider how history is preserved, presented, and remembered.
5:45pm – 8:00pm on Friday 8 August at Club Corwa
Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern
What can Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? How is our native flora used in bush medicine? What can we learn about sustainable living from 60000+ years of Indigenous culture?
This National Science Week, discover the answers to these questions (and more) at the Indigenous Science Experience at the Redfern Community Centre.
Come along to get hands-on with a diverse range of interactive science activities accessible to all ages. Activities will include:
You will also meet Indigenous Elders and student leaders from the National Indigenous Science Education Program who will be assisting in activity demonstrations.
10:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday 9 August at Redfern Community Centre
This FREE event will begin with a traditional smoking ceremony and official welcome.
Rhodes Science Fair
This free community event features four stage presentations and over a dozen interactive science activities. Families can explore patterns in nature, uncover hidden systems in technology, and learn how traditional First Nations knowledge and storytelling reveal deeper understandings of our world.
10am – 2pm on Saturday, 9 August at the Connection, Rhodes NSW
ERTHWRX25 – Celebrating science, environment, arts and culture
Celebrating a decade of programming, ERTHWRX25 will present a 10-year retrospective of Science, Arts & Cultural initiatives that have explored regional environmental knowledge systems through both Indigenous and Western scientific perspectives.
Live panels, exhibitions, and workshops will feature leading experts and creatives in science, environment, and the arts, offering dynamic discussions and interactive experiences.
10am – 4pm on Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 August at the Corridor Project Wyangala NSW
First Nations Economic Forum – Empowering Aboriginal communities through STEM
Coinciding with the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the 2025 First Nations Economic Forum aims to build Indigenous economic independence through STEM.
Explore how STEM can significantly boost community development, self-determination and employment outcomes. Dialogues will revolve around positive and sustainable community development (from an Indigenous perspective), and how STEM disciplines support genuine empowerment and self-determination. Attendees will gain insights into practical pathways that connect community aspirations with tangible economic opportunities driven by science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
11am – 2pm Saturday 9 August: Online Event
Stories, seasons and signposts in the sky: Indigenous astronomy
Over countless generations, First Nations Australians have sustained their peoples and cultures by linking deep knowledge of Country to careful observations of the sun, moon, constellations, and other dynamic features of the southern sky.
Hear ancient stories and learn some sky-reading skills to build your understanding of space, navigation, seasonal phenomena, and Indigenous cultures.
Online Event: 10:30am – 11:30am on Monday 11 August
Stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars
Enjoy an evening in the Science Space, Innovation Campus at the University of Wollongong. This specially designed planetarium show will take you across different locations in Australia to showcase Indigenous heritage and the role of Indigenous communities and scientists in future-proofing Australia’s biodiversity.
There will also be a presentation by local Indigenous scientists on stars, Songlines and stories.
6:00pm – 9:00pm on Tuesday 12 August at Science Space Wollongong
Into the Deep: Science today, for our oceans tomorrow
Engage with marine professionals from Sydney Institute of Marine Science, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium., and partner institutions. The evening will feature a science fair–style experience, where interactive stations bring to life projects such as Operation Crayweed, Project Restore, White’s Seahorse Recovery, and the StAR Project. These displays highlight the tangible impact of research on habitat restoration, fisheries sustainability, and endangered species protection.
A central theme of the night is learning to listen—whether to ecological data, changing ocean systems, or the deep wisdom of Indigenous knowledge holders.
6:00pm – 9:00pm on Thursday 14 August at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
Hidden messages from the Shoalhaven’s Ecologies
Bundanon’s Science Week Symposium returns in 2025 with an engaging day of talks, displays, and immersive experiences exploring the often-overlooked elements of the Shoalhaven ecosystem. With presentations from 15–20 leading voices in STEM—alongside artists and First Nations custodians—the event will uncover the intricate worlds of micro fungi, aquatic systems, pollinators, threatened species, and more.
Held in the Boyd Education Centre Hall and Forecourt, the symposium includes lunch, afternoon tea, and access to exhibitions. Optional guided birdwatching walks and cultural bushwalks offer deeper engagement with the landscape.
10am – 3pm on Friday 15 August at Bundanon
Indigenous STEM Virtual Gallery
Indigenous Australians’ have made groundbreaking contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Discover short videos, insightful articles and podcasts that highlight the intersection between traditional Indigenous knowledge systems / modern STEM innovations.
This event provides an exciting educational opportunity suitable for all audiences, promoting awareness and appreciation for Indigenous STEM perspectives.
Online Event: 10:00am – 1:00pm on Saturday 16 August
Feature Image: Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern 2024
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