Traditional Owners and supporters are preparing to gather at a five-day Goori Camp Embassy at Barrambin Victoria Park as calls grow for permanent protection of the culturally significant site ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
The Fill the Park to Defend Living Heritage gathering will run from 29 May to 2 June near Gilchrist Avenue at Barrambin Victoria Park, with organisers inviting mob and allies to camp on Country and take part in cultural exchange, music, learning and discussions around self-determination and land rights.
The embassy has been active since 5 April, when a Sacred Fire was established at the site by Uncle Derek Oram and Derek "Deejayy" Oram Sandy Jr in support of Traditional Owners connected to Barrambin.
Organisers said the fire was part of maintaining living cultural heritage under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984.
The Goori Camp Embassy is also seeking donations to support the ongoing camp, describing it as a peaceful resistance movement focused on protecting living culture, land rights and healing spaces for mob on Country.
The gathering comes as senior Indigenous Elders continue pursuing Section 10 applications seeking permanent protection for Barrambin Victoria Park under federal heritage laws.
The applications are currently being assessed by independent reporter Mr Dominic McGann, appointed by Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt.
Yagara Elder, Gaja Kerry Charlton, said Barrambin remained a living cultural landscape with continuous connections spanning thousands of years.
"We have been here for thousands of years. Barrambin is a homeland - a place of gathering, festivals and ceremony," she said.
"Barrambin is not empty land. It is a living place that holds our ancestors, stories and responsibilities."
Ms Charlton said the site continued to carry strong cultural connections for families and communities.
"Our great-great-great-great-grandparents were here, and we are still here," she said.
"We care for Barrambin because our connection has always remained strong and continuous."
Traditional Owners are also encouraging community members to support the Section 10 submissions through a public campaign organised by Save Victoria Park.
The submissions argue Barrambin contains permanent campgrounds, ceremony sites, bora grounds, burial grounds, waterways and significant trees tied to cultural lore, kinship systems and Creation stories.
The applications state the proposed 63,000-seat Olympic stadium, National Aquatic Centre and associated infrastructure pose a serious threat to the site and could cause irreversible damage to one of the last remaining culturally significant areas in Magandjin (Brisbane) where Indigenous people maintain connection to traditional homelands.
A Caring for Barrambin gathering was also held on Saturday at Herston Ridge to raise awareness and encourage support for the protection campaign.
