The Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park turns twenty-one this weekend, with celebrations to coincide with the beginning of NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week.

The Pamagirri Dance Troupe was formed in 1993 with permission from the late Granddad Lyn Hobbler, a Djabugay elder.

The formation of Pamagirri several years later then expanded this experience to include traditional dance performances and a guided Dreamtime Walk, with boomerang and spear throwing, and didgeridoo playing.

A commemorative Friendship Wall will be launched by Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch to coincide with the celebrations and add to the experience.

CaPTA Local Sales Executive William Tranby, who started as a Pamagirri Guide in 1995, said the wall running along the pathway to the Pamagirri Cultural Centre will become a mural of handprints and aboriginal artwork.

“This feature will allow our visitors from around the world to leave their painted handprint alongside those of others from different cultures, to symbolically demonstrate understanding, peace and unity amongst us all,” he said.

The Pamagirri Dance Troupe perform daily at Rainforestation, and has toured nationally and internationally to provide audiences with an interactive and educational experience about their long surviving Aboriginal culture.

New components to be launched later in the year include a historical timeline showcasing photos, information and artwork contributed by the Pamagirri dance troupe, and traditional Aboriginal huts made from natural resources.