In 2023, a new Scribblers chapter began... ON THE ROAD!


For our inaugural year, Western Australia’s favourite writing and literature event for young people headed to the Pilbara.

Scribblers is a celebration of storytelling that empowers youth of all ages to find and use their own voices to share and exchange stories in a multitude of ways. We hosted a free Scribblers Family Fun Day, engaging Hedland’s own talent, including First Nations artists and storytellers from Spinifex Hill Studio, as well as a busload of authors and illustrators from Australia and beyond.

Competition!

Our friends Oli Clothing, the Butchers Shop and Chicho Gelato have kindly donated some wonderful prizes to celebrate FRONT.

There’s an amazing prize pack to be won each weekend! Every pack includes a $250 Oli Clothing Voucher, a Butcher Shop gift bag (including art materials, magazines, a gift voucher & more), and a delicious $20 Chicho Gelato Voucher!

You can enter by popping along to the FRONT space and completing one (or both!) of the following entries:
1. Answer a few questions on a short survey: enter here!
2. Snap a photo of FRONT and tag @scribblersfest.
*You get an extra entry for every partner you tag. @oliclothing @the_butcher_shop @chichogelato

Full T&C's available here.

Events

See what's on and where to find it!

We have lots of events, workshops and storytelling sessions at South Hedland Square, and an incredible exhibition at Spinifex Hill Studio – all for free – and there’ll also be plenty of food, music, a Treasure Hunt, a Community Market.
It’s a fabulous day of entertainment for the whole family.

Take the special free shuttle bus running every 30minutes between the Spinifex Hill Studio and South Hedland Town Square.

Download the full event program
here.

Situated in the South Hedland Town Square, the main events are happening here and a free for all to attend, so come say hello and enjoy this wonderful Family Day!

ILLUSTRATORS
HEAD TO HEAD

10:30 - 11:00
BRIONY STEWART & SHER RILL NG

MAKING PICTURES LEAP OUT OF THE PAGE WITH BRIONY STEWART

11:30 - 12:00
BRIONY STEWART

TELLING STORIES OUR WAY WITH WANGKA MAYA PILBARAABORIGINAL LANGUAGE CENTRE

12:30 - 1:00
WANGKA MAYA STORYTELLERS

WHERE DO YOU GET
YOUR IDEAS FROM?

1:30 - 2:00
LEV GROSSMAN, SHER RILL NG & AMBER MOFFAT

HOLDING THE STORIES WITH REKESHIA GOODWIN

2:30 - 3:00
REKESHIA GOODWIN

EPIC STORY BATTLE

3:30 - 4:00
LEV GROSSMAN, AMBER MOFFAT, REKESHIA GOODWIN & OLIVE JOSEPH

Time to get creative! A new, free creative workshop every hour.
Booking recommended: EVENTBRITE

Here you’ll find tall tales and colourful yarns with a free storytelling session every hour.
Bring your friends and join us in the shade.

STORIES OLD AND NEW WITH RUBYDJIKARRA ALDERTON

11:00 - 11:30
RUBY DJIKARRA ALDERTON

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SANTA VISITED PORT HEDLAND?

12:00 - 12:30
JULIE ARIF

DRAWING DOWN THE STORIES WITH SOPHIA ALONE

1:00 - 1:30
SOPHIA ALONE

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SANTA VISITED PORT HEDLAND?

2:00 - 2:30
JULIE ARIF

Explore a range of art activities suitable for all ages in the Scribblers Activity Zone.

We'll also be joined by a range of local organisations hosting Community Stalls, with craft, food & more. Open from 10am - 4pm, so wander down and explore at any time!

12.30pm-1.30pm: Layne Dhu-Dickie- Makes art on the sidewalk

Community Stallholders joining Scribblers on the Road:
The Crème Glaze
Mesmerising Delights of India
Activate South Hedland
Julie Arif
Wangka May Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
The Junction Co.
Pilbara Community Legal Service Inc.
Gateway Village
JD Hardie Youth and Community Hub
Library Activities

Head to South Hedland Square Shopping Centre and meet some of the Scribblers on the Road creatives.
Grab a photo, say hi and get your books signed.

Our friends at South Hedland Square Shopping Centre will be hosting a special giveaway, Head to South Hedland Square and meet Scribblers on the Road creatives Sher Rill Ng,Lev Grossman and Amber Moffat. Grab a photo, say hi and get your books signed. If you spend $20 in the centre on  Friday and Saturday between 10am-2pm you will be able to claim your bonus children book  just outside of Coles from 2.15-2.45. (Book numbers limited). Check South Hedland Square Website for conditions.

BoffinsBooks, the Scribblers 2023 Book Shop, has prepared a Book List full of exciting titles byScribblers on the Road creatives. Boffins will be offering free shipping onthis BookList during the event week - just usethe code FREESHIP. 

Feeling down-in-the-dumps because you just finished a great series?
Got a book itch you need a cure for?

Make sure you visit our walk-in book clinic, where the South Hedland Librarians Book Doctors will prescribe the perfect book for your next read.

Just around the corner at Spinifex Hill Studio, we have an amazing exhibition from a range of local artists. It will be a celebration of the cultural and artistic diversity and history of the region.

Experience FORM's  Spinifex Hill Studio Project Space like never before! Woven Together is a group exhibition celebrating the unique threads that contribute to the multicultural fabric of our beloved South Hedland community.

Traditionally home to the Kariyarra and Nyamal peoples, the place now known as Hedland is a place of strong and proud Aboriginal heritage, which shares diverse cultural ties to locations and cultures throughout the world.

Woven Together showcases this diversity through new textile-based and inspired works by artists who paint and create at Spinifex Hill Studio, alongside those of guest artists-in-residence, Jacky Cheng (Broome), Paula do Prado (Sydney) and Mulyana (Indonesia).

Event Map

Odyssea

Renowned Australian artists will converge on Port Hedland as part of a new major music and arts event encompassing six days of entertainment. The Town of Port Hedland is proud to launch Odyssea Hedland Music and Arts Journey, bringing Australia’s most prolific artists and national treasures to the Civic Centre Gardens from Friday 18 - Sunday 27 August 2023.

For more info & tickets visit odyssea.net.au 

Meet our Scribblers On The Road Stars!

Olive Joseph

When Geraldton-born Olive was a baby, her mother brought her to live in Hedland. And she’s never left, having made a strong connection to the community and the region. An artist at Spinifex Hill Studio, Olive’s paintings often feature the beautiful Pilbara wildflowers. Olive has Noongar/Yamatji and Martu/ Wongi heritage.

Artist ProfileText Link

Lauren Greatorex

Western Australian-born Lauren Greatorex is a proud Malgana, Nyikina and Jabirr Jabirr woman. Lauren is a young creative and currently resides on Kariyarra Country in Port Hedland. Lauren’s cultural connection to country and family is a significant influence for her art. Lauren draws her passion from her salt water and fresh water connections through Country and has a focus on storytelling, education and creating a cultural learning experience through her art.

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Briony Stewart

Ever been unable to get to sleep because there’s a dragon outside your bedroom window? Or know a dog who thinks he’s the boss? Briony’s award-winning stories include the Kumiko and the Dragon series and We Love You Magoo. Briony loves live drawing challenges, daydreaming and discussing dragons, bunnies and how to tame lions.

brionystewart.comText Link

Julie Arif

Julie has lived in Hedland for half as long as the town has existed, so there’s not much she doesn’t know about the town! She’s written a series of children’s and history books about Hedland, including her latest, Santa Visits Port Hedland.

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Verity Page

Verity is an artist living in and working on Kariyarra country in Port Hedland. She has been creating art from a young age, making countless scrapbooks brimming with drawings and watercolours. Verity is currently exploring portraiture in her practice and enjoys abstracting physical features with colour and values to create a distinctive likeness of the subject.

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Ruby Djikarra Alderton

Ruby is a Yolngu woman and artist from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, who works at Spinifex Hill Studio. Ruby uses traditional and non-traditional mediums in her art, which is strongly influenced by her Yolngu heritage. She often paints the Rirratjingu designs of her mother’s clan, sharing the designs and stories that she has inherited.

Artist ProfileText Link

Amber Moffat

Amber is an author, illustrator and poet originally from Aotearoa, New Zealand. She loves using the natural world as a starting point for imagining wild and wonderful things. Her picture book, I Would Dangle the Moon, ponders the possibilities of plucking the moon from the sky, and she hopes that she really will get to taste moon ice cream one day!

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Steve Heron

Unfortunately Steve is unable to make the trip to the Pilbara in person, but make sure to check out his books in the official event Book Shop.

Steve’s four decades focusing on children’s well-being has resulted in lots of important conversations, an Order of Australia Medal, and many award-winning books.

steveheron.comText Link

Layne Dhu-Dickie

What would we do without superhero Captain Hedland, who defends the town from the evil of Crave, The Fisherman and The Bush Mechanic? The Captain Hedland comic book series is the creation of Banjiyima artist Layne, who was born in Hedland and is a Studio Assistant at Spinifex Hill Studio as well as one of its youngest artists.

Artist ProfileText Link

Stig Wemyss

If you listen to kids’ audio books, chances are you’ll already be familiar with Stig’s voice, because he’s made recordings for just about every famous Australian author! Stig’s also created his own audio book series The Tripp Diaries, in which an intrepid family goes on the road and tracks down some koala snatchers.

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Lev Grossman

Thrilling fantasy worlds, talking animals, and enchanted steam trains! It’s all in a day’s work for Lev, who is the bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy, The Silver Arrow and The Golden Swift. In his previous life as a journalist, Lev met and interviewed J.K. Rowling. He lives in Brooklyn NYC and is an identical twin.

levgrossman.comText Link

Elise Batchelor

You might have heard Elise’s voice on ABC radio as the ‘Pilbara Poet’, read one of her articles in the local paper, spied her on stage as an MC or perhaps met her as your child’s teacher. Passionate about performing, writing and teaching, Elise loves laughter & connection and puts her hand up for every interesting opportunity that comes her way.

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Sophia Alone

Sophia is a proud Ngarla woman and an incredible portrait painter, recently winning the State’s top portraiture prize for her work. She was born in Hedland in 1985, her ancestors are Makanykarra, and her family is from the De Grey area 80km north-east of Hedland. Sophia took up painting at Spinifex Hill Studio in 2020.

Artist ProfileText Link

Rekeshia Goodwin

Rekeshia was born in Port Hedland and raised in Nullagine and Hedland. She has Thiin Mah heritage from her grandmother’s side, and Ngoonooru Wadjari heritage from her grandfather’s side. At an early age she was keen to paint, carry on the family name and share her family’s passion for painting and sharing stories. Rekeshia works and paints at Spinifex Hill Studio.

Artist ProfileText Link

Sher Rill Ng

Sher Rill is the Woi-Wurring/ Melbourne-based author and illustrator of Our Little Inventor, about Nell, a young girl who creates a machine to fix the pollution that is choking the big city. Sher Rill was inspired as a nine-year-old by a classmate’s drawings. She acquired a “How to draw” book and became one of the best things ever: “that-kid-inclass- who-draws.”

sherrillng.comText Link
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Partners

Thank you to our Government Partners Lotterywest, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the Town of Port Hedland, and the United States Consulate for their vision and support in helping Scribblers ignite a passion for literature and creativity in young people across the State.

To all our wonderful partners, who are supporting Scribblers in so many different ways: funding, venues, volunteering, talent and creative oomph, thank you.

A big thank you to Gateway Village for feeding our Creatives and Volunteers during the week. And thank you to all the parents, children, librarians, authors and illustrators for continuing to be the lead characters in the Scribblers story.
Government Partners
Vibrant Creative Partner
Donor
Supporting Partner
Government Partners
Vibrant Creative Partner
Donor
Supporting Partner
Volunteer at Scribblers Festival

Volunteer With Us

Scribblers Festival is run by a small, passionate team and we always appreciate a helping hand. The Festival needs you to help spread the magic of storytelling. We’re on the lookout for Volunteers for the 2023 Festival offerings. It’s a great opportunity to gain work experience on a major event, connect with fellow creatives, and perhaps even meet a favourite author or artist!
Apply Now!

Access

All Festival venues are wheelchair accessible

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