Goori Camp Embassy: Defending Living Heritage

On the 25th March 2025, the queensland government announced it would spend $3.8 billion dollars to build an olympic stadium in victoria park for the brisbane olympic and paralympic games in 2032.

However, victoria park is situated on Barrambin, a wetland area whose name means "Windy Place" in the Turrbal language.

Barrambin is a place of living cultural, environmental, spiritual and historical significance for the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples, as well neighbouring Original communities.

In response to the proposed development, the Goori Camp Embassy was established in April 2026.

Since its establishment, Indigenous people and supporters have maintained a continuous presence at the Embassy as a peaceful protest aimed at protecting Barrambin and demonstrating opposition to the construction of the proposed stadium, raising concerns about the environmental and cultural destruction the development will cause.

According to witnesses, on 29 May 2026, approximately 150 queensland police service officers stormed the Goori Camp Embassy to dismantle the camp. Five people were arrested and infrastructure was removed or destroyed.

The above photos are from the Goori Camp Embassy’s instagram page including screenshots from videos posted on the page: https://www.instagram.com/gooricampembassy/

Rata journalists visited the Goori Camp Embassy to hear from people who had witnessed the 29 May police offensive and to learn more about the fight to protect this place of cultural significance.

Interviewee: “There was a call to action, that said Deejayy had been there for five days at camp, and asked for people to show up and support them and the cause. I got down around 5.30pm had sort of a little yarn. A whole bunch of police showed up, four police officers approached us.

They wanted to get our names down, and yeah, they took down Deejayy's name, and they took down my name. Then once they went to some of the white people that were sitting by the fire, one of the white women there was like, I don't consent to my name being given. And they stopped asking for people's names. So then I asked the police officer, I was like, did you just want to take the Black people's names down? I'm a bit confused here.

I ended up camping there for three days after that, because I live far away, and I mainly catch public transport, and I knew it was getting quite late, so I respectfully asked Uncle Derek if I could camp, and they were looking for mob campers.

I am a Blackfella, I'm a Black woman, but it was still important to talk to Uncle Derek, and I asked him, Is this okay? Is this okay culturally, me being here for the first couple of days?

He said, Yes, sister, you know there's lots of Sovereign sisters - there's lots of like activist sisters that do this. And I said, okay, so it felt okay for me in those first three days that I'd camp there.

The first three days that I camped there, Uncle Derek and Deejayy were teaching me about the Dreaming, all the trees, the animals, their connection to that Country. They were teaching me about the different trading that happened there at Barrambin, they were teaching me about my own mob, who would have camped out where the park is a while ago. Yeah, where I, me, and my family would have been. They were teaching me about their connections. We are connected with our Totemic systems. We're connected through our South Sea Islander side, and yeah, I just really felt for them Mob and wanted to be a part of this movement of the Goori Canp Embassy.

So that's initially why I showed up and why I continue to stay.”

Rata: “As things play out in the courts, including in the federal court, what do you hope will happen?”

Interviewee: “So what I hoped would have happened is the complete stopping of any kind of development in Barrambin of the stadium for the olympics in 2032. I still hope for the stopping of the development. And I hope that they develop other stadiums that are already built and aquatic centres that are already established in different parts of the city, so they don't have to ruin such a beautiful green space and sacred traditional Yuggera and Turrbal country. This is Country that I have connections to as a Goori woman.

I still hope that they won't further any more development, and I hope that more Goor mob come out for the Goori camp embassy. The intention, at least what I've heard is to bring all of us together. Goori mob, and Blackfellas together. To my knowledge, you don't have to be of this Country here, Yuggera and Turrbal country, to feel the connection and want to protect water, want to protect sacred sites, want to protect Country.

You just show up and here you have a place that has been historically there for Blackfellas to trade and to come together. Barrabin - Windy place - the trade winds; it’s the winds that connects us all, the water that connects us all.

And the waters that connect the Dreaming out into the islands, out to Kanaki, out to South Pacific, you know, the water that's underground, water on top of the surface, all the different kinds of water, all of the different kinds of dreaming that especially connects Goori mob. It’s important for us to have that place like they do at Musgrave Park. Musgrave was - and is and still continues to be - an amazing spot that Blackfellas have fought for and continue to practice Culture on I would like to see more sacred sites and more historical. trading places in Magandjin, Brisbane to be safe, protected, nurtured, loved, and taken care of.

As well as a place for everyone to enjoy. As well as the health of the environment - of the actual climate - and all of the beautiful species of animals and birds that have so much significance, because we're all connected to Country.

It's and it's good for our health and wellbeing as Blackfellas to protect Country. And that's the vision, that's what I believe in, and that's the hope.”

Rata interviewed Derek (Deejayy) Oram Sandy.

Q: Do you want to introduce yourself?

A: so my name is Derek Oram Sandy. They call me Deejayy. My father is Derek Oram, and my mother's Marissa Sandy. My father comes from Central Queensland, Rockhamp ton, Gangulu, Yadamala, Dumanji people, Waanyi and he was family spent time in Central Queensland, Mooravina. My mum is Goori from southeast Queensland, Yaguri Yubumbi people, and that's who I am.

Q: If it's all right with you, let's have a bit of a yarn about what's happening in this space - why you're here and the significance of this country?

A: Yeah, so why I'm here is because our family, as Yagara our people have been in a long, long process for obviously land rights, land ownership, land management, etc. And there's been many forms of how that's been trying to be achieved. We’ve had Native Title processes, we've had sacred fires, sovereign processes, land use agreement and a lot of it's failed because of the loss of information through colonisation. So much information is needed to prove that you have a continuous connection with country. It's very hard - but our spirit and Lore and cultural law has never left us. We've always had that connection to Country and you know the place of knowing and the story places. So, for me, being here is continuing on that legacy for my Elders - what they tried to do with Native Title and things of the past. Because they're now passed away - a lot of those Elders that started the Native Title and land claims. So, for our mobs and our peoples, we grew up seeing that as like a goal that our people wanted to see happen and achieve. By being here at Victoria Park, that's what it's about for me - to carry on the legacy that my Elders had left for us behind to build on. Because Victoria Park was a part of a big, major sacred site and campsite for gatherings of people and that's why we're here to try and protect this place.

Q: I've been hearing some different yarns about,the sacredness of the water and the waterways that come through here. Can you tell us about that?

A: The water and the waterways are connected to the springs, a few springs down at Gregory Terrace Fields. There's the sand shell gravel spring and then where we are here, we're in between two gullies and they meet and flow into Norfolk Creek at the top of these gullies. The spring water comes out of the ground, it's pushed up through the clay and stone and rock and muddles out. Whilst we've been here for 70 days, we've experienced and seen that there's places where we just pulled back the grass, and then we watched the water bubble through the sand because the pressure of the water in this area comes up from the top and then up around the other side through the driving range.

And the sugar gliders live up the top of the park. Me and Dad went up there, it was like day 25 or something, went up there like 9o'clock at night, the head torch, and we're running around then, and the sugar blighters' eyes were just lighting up in the tree, yeah, we got it on film too, and so all that living heritage is what we’re documenting while we're here too. Because the sacred fire - we can hold that occupation here with sovereignty on crown lands. We’ve got that right under the [Queensland] Human Rights Act section 28. We're allowed to protect a sacred site that's got injury or destruction to it. We're allowed to have sacred fire, and that's what we're doing here. And that's why we believe that we're still going to stay here beyond 12 o'clock tonight, and even though things might get rough. But it's our right in the legislations to defend the place.

Q: Are there any other messages that you want to put out there?

A: Just understand that some of these stories that we've got have been passed down for many generations. There's a certain stories that can only be shared by our mobs - we've learned them as Sandy family - and it's got to do with minerals and sand and stone. Each clan has their own things they speak about, because it's connected to our DNA and totem system. These knowledges are important for the context of the story, so that's when I talk about Sand Springs.

We're allowed to protect a sacred site that's got injury or destruction to it. We're allowed to have sacred fire, and that's what we're doing here.

The above photos are from the Goori Camp Embassy’s instagram page including screenshots from videos posted on the page: https://www.instagram.com/gooricampembassy/

Rata also spoke with Seal Chong Wah, Counsellor representing the Queensland Greens.

Q: Tell me a little bit about your involvement here.

A: I always like to say that I'm a protector. I think after today it's not about being an activist or anything, it's protecting country, sacredness of the country. I've been protecting the park and advocating for the sacred of the country for about eight years, personally from a local stance as well.  They announced this horrific idea of putting a mega stadium in this beautiful country with over 4,000 trees, some of which are pre-colonial, so we've got beautiful ancient trees here. I've been in deep listening and conversation with the Elders and DJ. Aboriginal people are here because it's their homeland, as you know. They were pushed out years ago, so they're back to defend their sovereign rights. 

Q: So, tell me, what's happening next? I understand the first of June is a pretty significant milestone, is that right?

A: Yes, the first of June, which is tomorrow - so, what's happened is the Lord Mayor Schrinner was just willingly gave up the park because it was under a dogget. So he’s letting [Queensland premier] David Crisafulli transfer this public space into a freehold, and GIICA will hold that freehold. The GIICA is the independent infrastructure authority for the Olympic Games. So they're handing that over.

Q: And then what happens from there?

A: We're waiting. There's a lot of section 10s put in by people who want to protect this site and assert their cultural rights. [Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection (ATSIHP) Act]. They have the right to put an injunction under Section 10 to stop machinery. But at the moment they're waiting for [federal environment minister] Murray Watt to make a decision, basically. But at the end of the day, what I'm more familiar with is that the International Olympics Committee have host agreements - and in that agreement it stipulates that you're not allowed to build a new venue on a cultural heritage site, and this site is heritage listed.

And this site is heritage listed. So even though they've bypassed certain pieces of legislation, they cannot remove that heritage listing protection.

So basically, if with the host agreement, because it stipulates that you can't build a new venue on a cultural heritage site, so effectively, if they do do that, the LNP state government is in breach of that contract with the IOC, which is the International Olympics Committee. And so that's pretty big. So that's a strong point. My whole strategy in targeting the IOC in my campaign, because we felt that they are a decision maker. And the Olympics claim to be a peace movement, bringing nations together. But they're creating violence and environmental violence and destruction. These nations - which are the Yuggera and Turbal tribes - are here, so the Olympics need to rethink the way they're doing things.  

Q: Yeah, well put. Are there any final points you'd like to make?

A: We’ve got 4,000 - over 4,000 trees - some pre-colonial, ancient trees. And it's really important to recognise that Aboriginal people are practicing their Lore in a cultural and sacred area. And under the [Queensland] Human Rights Act, Section 28 they're legally allowed to practice their ceremony.

End of interview.

More to come.

Support the Goori Camp Embassy directly: https://chuffed.org/project/177541-goori-camp-embassy