A collection of artwork by Maurice Mickelo or the Kids on Country program

Didgeridoo - is well known as a traditional instrument, this instrument had laws in far north like girls/women play Didgeridoo they would get pregnant or wont be able to have children.
Didgeridoo was used in ceremonies, music and story telling, in some groups somebody was allocated custodianship of their Didgeridoo songs. this was basically allocated at birth. Didgeridoo custodianship was one job allocated to boys (men's business) these young men would be taught specific Didgeridoo songs and stories during his life until he ultimately becomes the custodian of the Didgeridoo for hes group. Other man and woman had different roles, song man, dancers, hunters and law man.

Food and medicine 

Butchulla people were recognised for their proud stance and strong bearing. With an abundance of seafood and mammals, plus a wide variety of plants to harvest, their good health was assured.

They held the belief that all creatures were important for the land. When on K'gari (Fraser Island), they harvested only birds and seafood, knowing that mammals and reptiles could disappear if over-hunted. Scarce resources were protected, often using the totem system which forbade their use.

These days, Butchulla elders still make a study of traditional use of native plants for food and medicine.ii

Butchulla people used rope made from vines to climb trees in search of honey. Honey bees—native bees about the size of a small bush fly—were guarded by very strict rules. The people were selective when picking flowers, leaving white flowers that were favoured by the bees to make honey (a favourite sweetener) and wax (used in canoe construction).

Butchulla people believe all life is connected. Some signs in nature give clues for other events, for example:

When wattle trees flower, whiting are good for fishing.When black wattles flower, diamond scale mullet are in the gutter on K'gari.Learn from the birds and don't take the first school of fish. They are scouts searching for danger (Page, M., pers com, 2 May 2010).The cotton tree has many uses for the Butchulla—its sap heals warts and ringworm, and its wood forms a base on which to make fire. The Butchulla also know that eucalyptus leaves, when sweated over a fire, secrete an oil that repels mosquitoes; and its soft resin, melted over a fire, quells toothache. In times of drought, fresh water can always be found beneath the roots of the Casuarina tree.

Specialised knowledge was required before eating fruit of the pandanus. It took a week of soaking in fresh running water followed by rigorous pounding before the fruit, rich in fats and proteins, and with the sweet flavour of custard apples, could be enjoyed. Pineapple-shaped fruit of the Macrozamia cycad required similar treatment to unlock the starch to make bread.

Not all food required such intensive treatment. Roots of bungwall ferns and yams provided important readily-sourced starch. Berries, such as the small sweet midyim, were also there for the picking, although the people were careful not to strip all the berries from the bush, leaving sufficient to reproduce. A number of yams were always returned to the soil for next year's harvest

Compiled by  Jeanie Bell with assistance from Amanda Seed

The Bunya Mountains are remnants of an old volcano which formed 30 million years ago. Located 160km North West of Brisbane, situated between Dalby and Kingaroy; the bunya mountains are the 2nd oldest national park in Queensland.

First Nations people have developed an intricate understanding of the environment over many thousands of years. One way to build on and share this knowledge is to construct a seasonal calendar to record natural events and make associations between these events.