Portland's Nyamat Yarkeen Karween Upwelling Festival & 3 Bays Running Festival Returns In November
Portland's Upwelling Festival will be held on the 1-3 November.
Portland's Upwelling Festival will be held on the 1-3 November, in the beautiful the Shire of Portland, Victoria. Ten bands, over 100 market stalls, and hundreds of paraders, dancers, artists and musicians will all descend to the foreshore to honour the Ocean, Land and Sky.
It's a celebration of the unique natural phenomena, The Bonney Upwelling. Known for it's beautiful parade and the communities Call to the Sea.This year, a First Nations program will be held on Friday the 1st of November, celebrating Gunditjmara's cultural connections in the Nyamat Yarkeen Karween, or Southern Ocean Ceremony.
The Portland Upwelling Festival is proud to announce a significant partnership with the Nyamat Yarkeen Karween - a ceremony that will be held at 7.30pm on Friday the 1st of November. Cultural Director Shea Rotumah has invited Whale Songlines Custodians and Salt Water Peoples from the East Coast, from Yarrabah in Queensland, to Coorong in South Australia. It will be a very special Cultural Ceremony.
‘Whale custodians, storytellers and dancers have been invited to observe ceremonial business. We want to reinvigorate Whale Songlines that have been disrupted due to introduced colonising practices.
‘Everyone is invited to share in a celebration of the Sea, Nyamat Yarkeen,' Shea says.
Shea has invited Gunnai and Yorta Yorta Elder Uncle Wayne Thorpe, who has become a custodian, through ceremony, of a Whale Dreaming song, story and dance of the movement of the whales, as taught by Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison of the Gunnai and Yuin peoples, in Gippsland.
'I invite participation of the people in attendance to be involved in forming the shape of the whale and move to the beats of the song. It's an inclusive opportunity for the people attending, rather than a performance to the audiences,' Uncle Wayne says.
A First Peoples Jewellery making workshops and artefacts display at the Yuurka Bawhaar Bazaar, situated near the Naval Reserve Building, where you can purchase unique Gunditjamara crafts and learn about Gunditjmara culture.
President Megan Stokes and the committee will welcome back local musicians Jess Cook and one of Emma Donovan's favourite musicians, Gunditjmara man Jayden Lillyist, and bands including the Portland Irish Group. Cover band specialists Dave Bartel and MixedTape will be playing all your favourite tunes down on the foreshore Lawn stage.
‘As a proud local, it brings me great pleasure and pride to head a team of dedicated volunteers, whom work endlessly to bring together an iconic and free community festival, showcasing our rich cultural, environmental and artistic attributes to share with the wider community,' Megan says.
Gunditjmara songmen Andy Alberts and Lee Morgan will bring their unique blend of Country rock and roll. Port Fairy band Southern Ocean Sea Band, and Fairy Wrens front woman, Hannah Donaldson, are set to return.
New to the bill is multi-disciplinary artist Monica Jasmine Karo. Also known as MpathSoul, Monica is Gunai and Gunditjmara MC, singer-songwriter, poet, actress and writer, and has performed all over Australia, including the Darwin, Yirramboi and St Kilda Festivals, and Share the Spirit Festival.
‘I'm looking forward to coming to Gunditj Country, to be part of a festival that honours our song, dance community and culture. It's beautiful to have a festival that pays homage to our marine mammal family and our connection to Sea Country. It's very special to bring my son to country and be with mob and family,‘ Monica says.
There will be over 100 market stalls to wander through, including a delicious range of food van offerings. For the first 200 kids, there's a treasure hunt, The Bonney Walk. Children aged 5 to 14 can pick up one of the paper bags at the festival entrance and are encouraged to find all the gifts and markers.
Scientists Jodie Honan and Mandy Watson, along with grade 5 and 6 students from the Portland Primary School, will be holding marine talks in the Admella Room at Macs Hotel. The Upwelling theme, Shellfish, will be the main topics of conversation. With limited spaces, this popular event is a must do.
The Portland Bay Press and Argyle Galleries will hold Upwelling and Shellfish inspired exhibitions at The Julia St Creative Space. The Upwelling themed window display competition will again be held in the weeks leading up to the Festival- this hotly contested event will also feature the Shellfish theme. The walls of Portland's cafes and stores will be filled with beautiful photography, paintings and art of local artists, in the Salt Water Stroll exhibition, curated by Portland Secondary College students.
Renowned sculptural artist, Francis Van de Mark, will display creative work and research materials he has been working on with the Portland Primary School children at the Portland Yacht Club.
The 3 Bays Running Festival will be held across all three days, and entries are still open. The 60km course winds through some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. You may even see a whale. A comprehensive guide is available here.
I'm so Shellfish is an animation and virtual reality dance party will be held at 81 Bentinck St, Portland. Created by artists Isobel Knowles & Rory Carter, in a collaborative project held over a weekend with some of Portland's youth. It promises to inspire and entertain.
Saturday will start at 7.30am with the Blessing of the Fleet and free BBQ breakfast provided by the Rotary Club of Portland Bay and Portland Lions Club. The Parade winds its way down from the All Saints Church to the foreshore at 10am, and the Community Call to the Sea will be in full voice, led by Les Horovitz, Tony Burgess and Karen Meredith. Acrobatic act The Flying Flamingoes and wandering sea shanty group, The Tin Shed Singers round out an amazing family day's entertainment.
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