Mention Cherbourg to Murri people – even to rugby league devotees up and down the nation's coast – and they conjure visions of some of the game's most brilliant players.
Think Frank Fisher of the 1930s and 40s era – in modern terms, compared favourably to rugby league doyen, Wally Lewis – the "King" of the former Baramah Aboriginal Settlement and Wide Bay sides of that era right through to recent NRL stars Chris Sandow and Selwyn Cobbo.
It's also the home to Cherbourg Hornets, the 2025 Queensland Murri Rugby League Carnival men's champion.
The largely Wakka Wakka community, which dates back more than a century after the state government sent Aboriginal people to a newly-established reserve under Queensland's policy of segregation, nowadays proudly compete in the South Burnett rugby league competition.
But it's what they were able to produce at Queensland's state Aboriginal carnival which drew widespread attention.
The undefeated Hornets took out the thrilling men's grand final 32-22 over Darkies Connection, a side from North Stradbroke Island, during the decider at the South Pine Sports Complex in Brisbane on Sunday.
George Fisher Jnr was not only named the player of the final, but was also announced the player of the men's carnival, proved the difference for the Hornets.
The triumph follows Cherbourg's inaugural 2016 carnival win in the Murri's sixth edition, best remembered for Sandow's shock appearance at the end of his career which included stints at South Sydney and Parramatta.
CQ Murri Bindi, from Rockhampton, claimed the women's grand final in a 30-14 victory against the Logan Region's Munginda Panthers.
The carnival continued during the week of school holidays for the teenage boys and girls.
South East Queensland All-Stars captured the under-18 boys' title 44-6 over Sunshine Coast Bunyas while in the All Stars under-16 boys hung on 24-22 in a thrilling decider against the ATSICHS Young Guns 24-22.
North Queensland Balas dominated the Junior Dingoes 52-6 in a lopsided under-14 boys' grand final.
Murri Gummaz took out the under-18 girls' crown 16-10 over the Far North Queensland Pearls, Milbunn Storms dominated the under 16 girls grand final against Toowoomba Warriors 46-6 and Coastal Hornets also thumped the Toowoomba Hornets 48-14 in the under-14 girls decider.
This year's carnival has again seen another increase in the number of teams entered from 114 in 2024 to 123 across in 2025 all eight divisions..
The staggering rise has continued following the 95 teams that attended the first event after the pandemic in 2022, which jumped again in 2023 to 105 teams.
"We have great numbers at this carnival, and we always try to improve this carnival every year," Murri Carnival organiser Ian Lacey said.
Teams from as far north as Badu Island in the Torres Strait in addition to others from Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay, Sunshine Coast, and both South-West Queensland and South-East Queensland participated.
Lacey, in particular, paid a special tribute to the female footballers for turning up across the state over the first three days of the event.
"It's a great representation of our communities throughout the state as it's at record numbers now," he said.
"The growth of the women's game is just outstanding and that's been shown in the increase of the numbers that were playing in this carnival – we've increased the numbers right across the board for all women's divisions this year."
A former hooker for the Brisbane Broncos during the 2006-07 seasons, Lacey said the growing interest in the carnival came to the heart of one of rugby league original immortals.
Arthur Beetson was the first Aboriginal Australian to captain his nation and is also among the inaugural eight Immortals of the game, heaped only on the greatest rugby league players.
Beetson's life work outside of playing the game had been about assisting young Indigenous Australians to achieve better life outcomes.
The Arthur Beetson Foundation was only established to honour the passionate Queenslander after his passing in 2011.
"It means a lot to the Arthur Beetson Foundation that we continue to support this event and that it seems to grow every year," Lacey said.
The Murri Carnival, along with NSW's Koori Knockout, has evolved into some of the most important dates on the Indigenous sporting calendar.
Queensland Rugby League first appointed the foundation to conduct the grassroots carnival to utilise its platform with the aid of strategic partners, including the heralded Deadly Choices program, to engage with the community to empower both Indigenous males and females to take control of their own health, employment, education and business development through sport.
Every adult participant at the carnival must undergo a health check and be enrolled to vote, while junior players complete a health check too and must also maintain at least a 90 per cent school attendance rate to be eligible to play.
It also maintains strict health protocols during the entirety of its eight-day carnival, operating as a smoke, drug, alcohol, and sugar-free event.
Son Brad Beetson is amazed of what has been achieved and reflected at the 2025 carnival the first of the state's Indigenous "rugby league corroboree" and the pride his legendary dad, Arthur, had from its humble beginnings.
"I remember being down at Burleigh 14 years ago when dad was an ambassador," he said.
"We were watching the carnival and I remember having dad there, saying how special this was with the connection of our people we have to rugby league and what it means to our mob.
"Obviously, he has passed away since, and we've started the foundation and moved on with it.
"There's a lot of friends here, people that are supporters that I have met and the sponsors that have grown over the years and what rugby league means to our people, as I get the chance to go to communities throughout from what my father achieved when we'd talk about like respect for our Elders.
"What dad achieved opened up so many doors for me and we provide this opportunity for our mob of the game they love together, representing their family.
"It's something our family is really proud of with this carnival."
Beetson's foundation has committed a significant portion of its QRL-generated revenue back into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rugby league programs.
QRL Indigenous Advisory Committee chairman, Eddie Monaei, acknowledged the Beetson family's contribution to the state, suggesting that it's a "legacy that has been quite incredible".
Monaei was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in last year's King's Birthday Honours list for his contribution towards the Indigenous Community, particularly through the sport of rugby league.
"It's three times as big now, three times as fast, and it's growing quick," he said.
"It's competitive and it's the first time in the history in our state that we can get all us blackfullas from all over our Country together to celebrate the coming together of our families, the coming together of our culture and I make specific mention to those two because football is a blessing."
The long-term goal of the Murri Carnival is to increase Indigenous representation in the National Rugby League from its current 11 percent to, at least, 15 percent within the next five years.
The location of the event in the Moreton Bay shire area, Monaei said, was representative of the vast elements of Indigenous cultures "where the coast meets the saltwater as well as the freshwater".
"Family is a big thing when it comes to football because it's a generation of a generation that is still carrying on a name and that family name is quite critical in our First Nations' circle, carrying on that heritage and that connection to our Country," he said.
Arthur Beetson Foundation chairman Steven Johnson added to the growth of the game among Murri people that was reflected Beetson's long-term vision.
"The Queensland Murri Carnival was never started to be just about the game, but really about enriching lives," Johnson said.
"When we lost Arthur, it was important we did not lose the impact he had on so many people.
"The carnival continues that legacy."
