Scribblers on the Road: Pilbara 2026

Where Big Imaginations Take Flight

We believe creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s essential to how young people learn to think boldly, solve problems, and imagine bright futures for themselves. Scribblers on the Road is our way of taking that spark across Western Australia, connecting young readers, writers, and artists in regional communities with acclaimed story creators who rarely get the chance to travel beyond the capital cities.

This September, we are thrilled to return to Port Hedland for our fourth year! From high-octane school workshops to an action-packed, all-ages celebration, we invite students, families, and story-lovers across the Pilbara to jump in, share their voices, and explore where their imaginations can take them.  

Events

Download a PDF of the full program here.
All Day
Activities
Performers
Stage
face
painting
Crafty
Corner
Workshop
Room
Storytelling
Zone

JD Hardie Gymnasium

All Ages

Youth Performers

Local performers aged 12-25 will be providing entertainment, listen along or get on the dance floor!

See "Performers Stage" tab for more information.
All Ages

Crafty Corner

Drop in crafts activities for all ages. Upcycle shopping bags, create bird masks, colour-in, write your own comics and more!
All Ages

Ways to Be Wild: 
Community Artwork

With Raylene Button
Join Kariyarra Elder Raylene Button from Spinifex Hill Studio for a communal wildlife painting project. Supported by Spring into parks, a WA Parks Foundation initiative and Lotterywest.
Ages 4+

hedland Arts Presents:
In the Neighbourhood

With Erin Nelson & Viko Liu
An installation and activity workshop celebrating Hedland. Try out street art, create a mini fence and paint it your way, or create a miniature clay house.
All Ages

Bookshop

Buy your own copy of the books by our Creative Stars including some local writers and get them signed.
All Ages

Library Stall

With South Hedland Library
Join the librarians from South Hedland Library for craft and games!

Gymnasium Youth performers Stage

All Ages

Welcome to Country

With Hedland Aboriginal Strong Leaders, Julyardi Aboriginal Corporation
10:00AM - 10:30AM
Join Elder, Alfred Barker from Hedland Aboriginal Strong Leaders as they welcome us to Country andshare stories to kick off the Scribblers Family Fun Day
All Ages

Nealkanth & Kamlesh - Sitar and Tabla Playing Indian musical instrument

Instrument: Sitar & Tabla
10:45AM - 11:15AM
When tabla and sitar are played together, they symbolize: Harmony between rhythm (tabla) and melody (sitar). The richness of Indian culture and traditions. A connection to festivals, family gatherings, and spiritual events. An art form that brings people together and creates a sense of joy and devotion.
All Ages

Eliza Perez

Instrument: Piano
11:30AM - 12:15PM
Eliza is a young pianist returning to Scribblers with her classic piano covers of the songs you know and love.
All Ages

Dylan Pocock Guitar

Instrument: Guitar
14:00PM - 14:30PM
Dylan has exploded onto Hedland's music scene with his high-energy rock covers and soulful singing voice.

Gymnasium

All Ages

FACE PAINTING

With Isla Goessman
10:30Am - 12:00PM
Hedland local Isla is a young facepainter ready to make you sparkle!

Gymnasium

Ages 4+

Whimsical Wind Chimes

With Jayden Boundry & Kristy Nita Brown
10:30AM - 11:15AM
Learn traditional rope-making skills and create your own hanging mobile or wind chime.
All Ages

Save the Turtlers Paper Art

With Care for Hedland
11:45AM - 1:00PM
Join Care for Hedland to learn about the local turtle population and make your own turtle and poster.
Ages 5 - 14

Young Experts' Symposium

With Kristy Nita Brown
1:00PM - 1:45PM
Teach your audience a new skill, any skill! Magic tricks, dance moves, drawings, songs, if you've got the know/how we are ready to learn.
Ages 2 - 8

Spaghetti Madness

With Delvine Davies
1:45PM - 2:15PM
Listen to Delvine's new book Basghetti in Bali and have your own spaghetti fun!
Ages 4+

Expanding Stories

With Aska & Kiah Thomas
2:15PM - 2:45PM
Come and add your imagination to the Scribblers storyboard to write a collective story.

Workshop Room (Large Meeting Room)

Ages 6 - 14

Go Comic Crazy with Aska

With Aska
10:45AM - 11:30aM
Aska is a graphic novelist, comic writer and expert visual communicator, join her as she teaches you how to use drawing as a language,
Ages 6+

Let's Write

With Kiah Thomas
1:14PM - 2:00PM
Join award-winning author Kiah Thomas to learn story writing tips and tricks.

Performing Arts Room

All Ages

Q&A With the Creative Stars

With Aska, Kiah Thomas, Jayden Boundry, Kristy Nita Brown. Facilitated by Emily Smith
11:45AM - 12:30PM
Come and meet the stars, bring your questions for our visiting authors and hear snippets from their books, then get your own copies from the bookshop signed.
Ages 6+

Theatre Games with maddie

With Maddie Earle-Sadler
1:00PM - 2:00PM
Explore movement, music and imaginative play in this dynamic workshop through collaborative activities and guided storytelling.
All Ages

Storytelling with jayden

With Jayden Boundry
2:00PM - 2:45PM
Join master storyteller Jayden for an interactive storytelling session that’s bound to be fun for all ages!
*Please note programming is subject to change.

Meet the 2026 Creative Stars

We’ve assembled an extraordinary lineup of published authors, illustrators, and cultural educators who are ready to share their passion and ignite young minds across the region:

‍

Kristy Nita Brown

Junior Fiction Author & Creative Mentor

Kristy is a beloved WA children's author and the 2025 Love to Read Local Month Children’s Writer in Residence. Known for her humorous and heart-filled junior fiction, Kristy excels at helping kids build confidence in their own creative voices, guiding them from that very first spark of an idea to a finished tale.

Kiah Thomas

Internationally Published Fantasy Author

Kiah is the acclaimed author behind the thrilling Callers fantasy trilogy (HarperCollins) and the delightful Lone Wolf series (Neal Porter Books, NY). Masterful at crafting rich worlds and lovable characters, Kiah loves pulling back the curtain on the writing process to help young authors turn their wild, everyday ideas into page-turning adventures.

Jayden Boundry

Noongar Educator, Cultural Storyteller & Author

Jayden is a proud Wadjak, Balardong, Yued, Wilman Noongar, and Badimaya Yamatji man, Noongar language teacher, and Fremantle Press author. Driven by a passion for sharing First Nations culture and language, Jayden brings stories alive through rich oral storytelling, interactive language discovery, and traditional craft traditions like rope-making.  

Aśka

Graphic Novelist, Visual Artist & Science Communicator

Aśka is an energetic visual storyteller and creator whose graphic novel Stars in Their Eyes (co-created with Jessica Walton) earned a prestigious Stonewall Award Notable designation. With her infectious enthusiasm and background in science and art, Aśka shows young creators how drawing comics can unlock brand-new ways of seeing the world and telling unforgettable stories.

Kristy Nita Brown

Junior Fiction Author & Creative Mentor

Kristy is a beloved WA children's author and the 2025 Love to Read Local Month Children’s Writer in Residence. Known for her humorous and heart-filled junior fiction, Kristy excels at helping kids build confidence in their own creative voices, guiding them from that very first spark of an idea to a finished tale.

Kiah Thomas

Internationally Published Fantasy Author

Kiah is the acclaimed author behind the thrilling Callers fantasy trilogy (HarperCollins) and the delightful Lone Wolf series (Neal Porter Books, NY). Masterful at crafting rich worlds and lovable characters, Kiah loves pulling back the curtain on the writing process to help young authors turn their wild, everyday ideas into page-turning adventures.

Jayden Boundry

Noongar Educator, Cultural Storyteller & Author

Jayden is a proud Wadjak, Balardong, Yued, Wilman Noongar, and Badimaya Yamatji man, Noongar language teacher, and Fremantle Press author. Driven by a passion for sharing First Nations culture and language, Jayden brings stories alive through rich oral storytelling, interactive language discovery, and traditional craft traditions like rope-making.  

Aśka

Graphic Novelist, Visual Artist & Science Communicator

Aśka is an energetic visual storyteller and creator whose graphic novel Stars in Their Eyes (co-created with Jessica Walton) earned a prestigious Stonewall Award Notable designation. With her infectious enthusiasm and background in science and art, Aśka shows young creators how drawing comics can unlock brand-new ways of seeing the world and telling unforgettable stories.

Free Workshops for Adults - Pilbara

Free Family Fun Day Highlights

Sunday, 20 September 2026 | 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
JD Hardie Youth and Community Hub, Port Hedland (Indoor Event | Free Entry)
The entire community is invited to join in a full day of creativity, culture, and connection:  
‍
Golden Feather

Superstar Masterclasses

Learn comic book drawing with Aśka, craft fiction with Kiah Thomas, discover Noongar language and traditional rope-making with Jayden Boundry, and build creative confidence with Kristy Nita Brown.
Golden Feather

Ways to be Wild Community Artwork

Join Kariyarra Elder Raylene Button from Spinifex Hill Studio, for a communal wildlife painting project celebrating the region's native animals and plants. Inspired by the Spring into Parks theme, Ways to Be Wild, everyone is invited to add their own touch of local colour, story and wildlife. Once complete, the artwork will become a lasting celebration of the Pilbara community and its incredible natural environment.

Supported by Spring into Parks, a WA Parks Foundation initiative, and Lotterywest
Golden Feather

Stories from Country

Settle in for Elder storytelling and hear the stories that have been shared on this Country for generations. Then explore the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre stall, where you can discover the languages of the Pilbara, browse their publications and resources.
Golden Feather

Youth in Control

Catch live music sets from paid local Hedland teenage performers, and watch kids take the mic at the interactive Young Experts' Symposium station.
Golden Feather

Free Lunch & Cozy Spaces

Enjoy a complimentary pizza lunch served at 12:30 pm, explore the local author bookshop hosted by Town of Port Hedland librarians, or relax in the sensory-friendly Quiet Zone.

Celebrating Creativity and Storytelling Across Pilbara Classrooms

Tuesday, 15 September – Friday, 18 September 2026
‍‍ Storytelling and creative expression are deeply woven into the fabric of the Pilbara. Designed as a two-way exchange of ideas and inspiration, the Scribblers in-school program brings visiting storytellers and illustrators together with students across eight local educational sites.  Through interactive workshops in visual arts, comic illustration, creative writing, and public speaking, creators and students will work together to build skills and celebrate local voices. Sessions will take place across local schools, including Yandeyarra Remote Community School, Strelley Community School (joined by Warralong students), Port Hedland School of the Air, Hedland Senior High School, and Cassia Education Support Centre.
Acknowledgement of Country

FORM and the Scribblers team respectfully acknowledge the Kariyarra people Marapikurrinya (Port Hedland), as the Traditional Owners of the Country on which these events take place.
All images: Scribblers on the Road Pilbara, Family Fun Day, 2025. Photographs by Charismatic Photography.

Partners

Scribblers on the Road - Pilbara
Thank you to Lotterywest, the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport, Town of Port Hedland, Hanrine Foundation and Spinifex Trust for their vision and support in helping Scribblers ignite a passion for literature and creativity in young people across the State.
Government Partners
Trusts & Foundations

Applications are now open for community members who would like to be part of this exciting event.

‍We’re heading to the Pilbara for the second year to share an amazing day full of free entertainment, workshops, storytelling, art & craft, prizes and a community BBQ.
It’s a great day out for the whole family.  See you there!
We are looking for:  
- Organisations to host community art and craft stalls -
- Volunteers -
- Youth Buskers (aged 13-25) - $100 Performing fee + Busking Tips

For all opportunities, click the link below to apply and answer some short questions about yourself.
We’ll get in touch to let you know the outcome of your application.
‍Applications close 5PM Wednesday 21 May 2024.
Apply Now

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FORM and Scribblers acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Western Australia both past and present, whose enduring connection to this Country and ongoing contributions to our collective culture and communities we respect and honour. We appreciate and are deeply grateful for the privilege of working on these lands.
Scribblers Festival is an initiative of:
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