Victoria's First Aboriginal arts and tourism hub located in Bendigo

Victoria’s first Aboriginal creative hub - the new DUMAWUL Cultural Tourism and Creative Arts Hub - is located in Bendigo where local artists can show their work and traditional owners can run cultural tours and programs for visitors.

The new DUMAWUL Cultural Tourism and Creative Arts Hub has been created by traditional owners group DJAARA and supported by the Victorian Government to deliver a space where social enterprise DUMAWUL can grow its offering of cultural tourism products and tours that reflect the local heritage.

The space will support emerging and established artists to hold workshops and exhibitions, and it will also act as a launching pad for the Malaymia Mang Creative Arts Festival, which is held in Bendigo each year.

Dja Dja Wurrung Group Acting Chief Executive Cassandra Lewis shared “The DUMAWUL Creative Arts and Cultural Tourism Hub provides both Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff and visitors opportunities that directly link to Djaara’s aspirations by showcasing history, truth and black excellence.

“We are excited to be in the heart of Bendigo to assist in bringing the original culture back into the landscape.”

DUMAWUL also runs a popular immersive walking tour, which will be enhanced as part of the new space with the launch of the Djaara Cultural Tourism and Cultural Creative Arts Trail – visitors will follow ancient trade routes through Bendigo and learn about how they worked.

The hub has been funded through the State Government’s Yuma Yirramboi (Invest in Tomorrow) Strategy, which includes a $25 million investment into Aboriginal employment and business initiatives over the first two years.

The Victorian Government is supporting four Aboriginal economic and creative hubs across Victoria including Murran in Geelong led by Ngarrimilli and yet to be opened hubs in Gippsland and Ballarat.

To find out more about DUMAWUL 

Image. Credit: facebook.com/DjaDjaWurrung