NAIDOC Week Sunrise Celebration 2026

The event will take place at the end of Bukareeyoo (see the location on Google Maps).

If you plan on walking, take the path closest to the William Buckley Bridge as this is the fastest, most accessible and safest way to get to the event location

If you’ll be driving to the event, parking will be available at the car park via the last exit on your left before the Bridge (if you’re coming from Ocean Grove) - we recommend arriving early to access this parking.

Alternative parking can be found on the other side of the road (on the river side of Bukareeyoo), and across the Barwon River at Lahey Square, Jetty Road and Flinders Parade Barwon Heads, as indicated in the image below.

In the case of very wet or dangerous weather conditions, the event will not go ahead.

This decision to cancel the event will be made the day before and publicised via Barwon Coast website and social media channels.

Please register so we can contact you directly as well.

Yes, you can bring your dog. As last year’s Sunrise Celebration attracted more than 400 attendees, we kindly ask that dogs are kept on lead and under effective supervision at all times, and that owners stand toward the back or sides of the gathering to help ensure everyone can safely enjoy the ceremony and activities.

There are public toilets in the main car park for the end of Bukareeyoo (Google Map) and on Jetty Road (Google Map).

Yes! This is a positive, uplifting family friendly event.

Following the celebration, children and families are warmly invited to stay for a special activity celebrating connection to Country and the plants and animals of Wadawurrung Sea Country.

No, we ask you to please put away your phone so that you can be fully present at this event.

We ask that everyone shows respect by deeply listening and refraining from taking photos or video of this event.

• A picnic rug if you'd like to sit down

• A warm jacket and beanie, as it can be very chilly at sunrise.

• A torch (or use torch function on your phone) because the event starts just before sunrise.

Bookings are not essential, but we would like you to register.

The link is at the top of this page.

Registrations will help give us an idea of how many people we can expect to attend. It will also allow us to communicate with you if you have a question or we need to contact you about the event.