top of page
Explore powerful stories at the intersection of history, culture, and music—from Aboriginal cricket pioneers and war heroes to legendary albums by Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Gurrumul. This blog dives deep into First Nations resilience, iconic protest music, and untold truths that shaped Australia and the world. Engaging, thoughtful, and unapologetically real—where powerful voices from the past meet today's social conversation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains images and names of deceased persons.
Search
Kardajala Kirridarra — Kardajala Kirridarra (2017)
Released in July 2017, Kardajala Kirridarra introduced the world to an extraordinary collaboration of Mudburra women from Marlinja and Kulumindini in the Northern Territory, joined by Melbourne-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Beatrice Lewis. The name translates roughly as “Sandhill Women”, referring to a mysterious bush woman from the sandhills behind Marlinja whose descendants are part of the group’s story. Musically, the album occupies a fascinating space between a
Groote Broadcasting
14 hours ago2 min read
Music Spotlight: A songman from the Gulf. A flamenco guitarist from Barcelona.
Ngulmiya Nundhirribala comes from Numbulwar, a coastal community in Arnhem Land on the Gulf of Carpentaria — just 55 kilometres west of Groote Eylandt, where his mother's family is from. This is Gulf country talent on the world stage. And what a talent. Ngulmiya is a traditional songman and ceremony leader — just as his father and grandfather were before him. His singing style has developed over thousands of years, largely in isolation in one of the most remote corners of the
Groote Broadcasting
Sep 192 min read
The day an Aboriginal man claimed England.
The day an Aboriginal man claimed England. And did it with more manners than the British ever showed us. Picture the scene. 26 January 1988. Exactly 200 years to the day since the First Fleet sailed into Warrane, Sydney Cove and planted a flag on land that was already home to hundreds of nations. Across Australia, the government was throwing a giant birthday party for itself. The Bicentenary. Two hundred years of "settlement," celebrated with fireworks and tall ships, while F
Groote Broadcasting
Sep 162 min read
Deborah Mailman: A Career That Changed Australian Television.
From a young actor growing up in Mount Isa to one of Australia's most respected performers, Deborah Mailman has spent more than three decades helping change the way Aboriginal people and stories are seen on Australian screens. And now, she's made history. At the 2026 TV WEEK Logie Awards, Mailman became the first Indigenous person inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame—an extraordinary honour and one that was a long time coming. She is also only the sixth woman to receive the
Groote Broadcasting
Sep 112 min read
Alexis Wright: Writing from an unshakeable Waanyi worldview.
Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation, from the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Born in Cloncurry in 1950, she grew up to become not just one of Australia's finest writers, but arguably one of the most important literary voices this continent has ever produced. And that's not us being generous. Before the novels, there was the activism. Wright worked for decades across Aboriginal organisations and campaigns...on land rights, on mining, on community. Th
Groote Broadcasting
Sep 12 min read
Little J & Big Cuz.
What do you get when you mix two cheeky cousins, a wise Nanna, a mischievous dog and plenty of imagination? Little J & Big Cuz! The much-loved Australian animated series follows Little J and his older cousin Big Cuz as they navigate school, family, friendship and life in their Aboriginal community. Along the way, they learn about culture, Country, language, history and the importance of listening to their Elders—but the clever part is that it never feels like a lesson. It's f
Groote Broadcasting
Aug 281 min read
“Black Boy” by Coloured Stone.
Released in the early 1980s, the track helped bring the voice of Aboriginal Australia into the mainstream through the infectious sound of one of the country's pioneering Indigenous rock bands. Led by Bunna Lawrie, Coloured Stone brought together rock, reggae, pop and traditional Indigenous influences, creating a sound that was unmistakably Australian — but unlike anything else on the radio at the time. “Black Boy” has an irresistible groove, but underneath the rhythm is somet
Groote Broadcasting
Aug 211 min read
Yothu Yindi — Treaty and the Moment Everything Changed.
If you want a single moment that represents the breakthrough of Indigenous music into the Australian mainstream, this is it. Yothu Yindi — a band of Yolŋu and non-Indigenous musicians from Arnhem Land — released Treaty in 1991, a powerful protest against the Australian Government's failure to honour Prime Minister Bob Hawke's promise of a treaty, made at the Barunga Festival in 1988. The original version struggled for commercial airtime. Then a Melbourne DJ remixed it into a
Groote Broadcasting
Aug 151 min read
Album Spotlight: Christine Anu — Waku – Minaral A Minalay.
After two decades without a new album of original material, Christine Anu returned with something far more meaningful than a comeback record. Waku – Minaral A Minalay is a beautiful journey into family, Country, language and memory, drawing heavily on songs passed down from Anu’s grandfather, Saibai Island songman Nadi Anu. Working with longtime collaborator David Bridie, Anu blends traditional Torres Strait Islander music with contemporary production, creating something that
Groote Broadcasting
Aug 81 min read
Our closing story for Blak History Month: Amethea Mamarika.
Amethea Mamarika is one of the leading voices on Groote Eylandt, combining a passion for community, language and culture with a remarkable career in broadcasting. A proud member of the Mamarika Clan—one of the 14 major clan groups of Groote Eylandt—Amethea joined Groote Broadcasting's Anindilyakwa Radio in 2019. Her natural leadership, commitment to community and exceptional broadcasting skills quickly saw her rise through the ranks, and in April 2021 she was appointed Statio
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 312 min read
Blak History Month: Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little — a proud Yorta Yorta man from Cummerangunja Mission in New South Wales — holds a distinction that should be far more widely known: he was the first Indigenous Australian to achieve mainstream chart success. His 1963 recording Royal Telephone was the first recording by an Indigenous Australian to achieve mainstream chart success, reaching number one on the Sydney charts and number ten nationally. To fully grasp how remarkable that was, consider the context — in t
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 251 min read
Blak History Month: The Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir. Voices That Carry Culture Across Generations.
Music has always been a powerful way to share stories, preserve culture and bring people together. Few groups embody that spirit more beautifully than the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir. Made up of women from remote communities across Central Australia, the choir is unlike any other. Their performances blend centuries-old Lutheran hymns with the rich sounds of Aboriginal languages including Arrarnta and Pitjantjatjara, creating a musical tradition that is both de
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 112 min read
Blak History Month: Warumpi Band; The Sound of a New Australia.
Before Indigenous music was regularly heard on mainstream radio, four young men from the remote community of Papunya were quietly changing Australian music forever. Formed in 1980, Warumpi Band became one of the country's first Aboriginal rock bands to achieve national recognition. Their music blended infectious rock rhythms with stories of Country, family and identity, creating a sound that was unmistakably Australian. What made Warumpi Band truly groundbreaking was their fe
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 42 min read
Blak History Month: The hidden history of Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen.
This is a story that doesn't get told nearly enough — the hidden history of Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen, and the back-breaking, brilliant, largely unacknowledged role they played in shaping rural Australia as we know it. From the earliest days of European pastoral expansion, Aboriginal people didn't just work the land — they made the industry possible. Station owners conceded they could not survive without Aboriginal knowledge and labour — pastoralists were even willin
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 33 min read
NAIDOC Week is almost here — and this year is a big one. The 50th.
Most people know NAIDOC Week as a time of celebration. Flags flying, art, dancing, community events, kids learning culture at school. And it absolutely is all of that. But the story of how it began? That's something every Australian should know. Because NAIDOC didn't start as a party. It started as a protest. Back in 1938, on the 150th anniversary of British colonisation, Aboriginal leaders organised what they called the Day of Mourning. While the rest of the country celebrat
Groote Broadcasting
Jun 262 min read
Artist Spotlight: Emma Donovan.
Emma Donovan is one of those artists that has the rare ability to make you feel every word they sing. A proud Gumbaynggirr and Yamatji woman, Emma has spent more than two decades establishing herself as one of Australia's most respected and beloved performers. Whether she's singing soul, country, gospel or blues, there's an authenticity to her music that can't be taught. It comes from culture, family, experience and a deep connection to story. Born into the renowned Donovan m
Groote Broadcasting
Jun 201 min read
Music Spotlight | Frank Yamma
Central Australia has a sound. It's in the heat that radiates off red rock at dusk, in the dry creek beds, in the silence that stretches further than most people are comfortable with. Frank Yamma somehow put all of that into a guitar and a voice — and the result is some of the most honest music this country has ever produced. Frank was born at a waterhole in Kaltukatjara in Australia's Northern Territory and grew up in Alice Springs. His father, Isaac Yamma, was a pioneer — o
Groote Broadcasting
Jun 132 min read
Barunga Festival: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Why You Should Know About It
If you've never heard of Barunga Festival, you're not alone — but you probably should have. Every King's Birthday long weekend in June, something quietly extraordinary happens in a small Aboriginal community 80 kilometres southeast of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Thousands of people roll in from across Australia — and beyond — set up tents in the red dust, and spend three days immersed in one of the most authentic Indigenous cultural experiences this country has to of
Groote Broadcasting
Jun 84 min read
Music Spotlight | BRIGGS.
Some artists make music. Briggs makes history. And he's been doing it so consistently, so fearlessly, for so long, that it's easy to forget just how much ground this bloke has covered. Adam Briggs — born and raised in Shepparton, Victoria — is a proud Yorta Yorta man, and he wears that identity literally: the name of his people is tattooed on both forearms. "So every time I rock the mic," he's said, "people know that I am representing." That says everything about where he's c
Groote Broadcasting
May 303 min read
Artist Spotlight: William Barton.
He grew up on a cattle station outside Mt Isa, picked up a didgeridoo at age seven, and somehow ended up performing at Westminster Abbey, Anzac Cove, and the Beijing Olympics. That's William Barton, and his story is something else entirely. For anyone who hasn't heard of him — you're about to want to fix that. William started learning the yidaki from his uncle, Arthur Peterson, an Elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga people. It wasn't a formal lesson. It was a handover
Groote Broadcasting
May 233 min read
bottom of page