Good Fire Gathering

Restoring Cultural fire, strengthening Country and building resilient communities

Good Fire Gathering is an Indigenous-led initiative focusing on Cultural fire pathways to build community resilience and preparedness by sharing knowledge, strengthening capacity, and promoting collaboration across the Northern Rivers.

What is the Good Fire Gathering project?

Good Fire Gathering is bringing Cultural fire back to landscapes to help restore balance and reduce risk to Country by strengthening the communities who care for it.

By connecting Aboriginal community members, organisations, rightsholders, and landholders, the project supports the planning and practice of Cultural burning on Country.

This project helps to build and showcase community resilience, adaptive capacity, and preparedness for natural hazards, with a focus on sharing and practicing Cultural knowledge that has cared for Country for thousands of years.

Ngalii-ngaa wala-wala guuriilaa wuuyun-girr 
Ngalii-ngaa nyaagii gaany ba-aarn nguubuugan 
We share old ways into the new 
We need these ways now and for our future

Key activities

Good Fire Gathering combines on-ground action, collaboration, and knowledge sharing to strengthen Cultural fire pathways across the Northern Rivers and beyond. 

This three year project helps address key gaps in capacity and preparedness in communities at risk of or impacted by natural hazards through a range of activities:

  • Field days with property holders across the region to assess, plan and carry out Cultural burning activities and related Caring for Country practices that reduce risk and support Healthier Country.

  • Workshops with communities, partners and government agencies to raise awareness, improve understanding, build capacity and implement Cultural fire.

  • Partner in the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering and host regional forums to share learnings, develop and strengthen relationships and collaboration

  • Strengthen and create opportunities to collaborate with research partners to raise awareness and improve understanding of Cultural fire benefits and knowledge sharing protocols.

  • Safeguard and Integrate Knowledge to improve data governance and empower more informed decision making.

Why is Good Fire Gathering important?

For thousands of years, communities have cared for Country through fire, using it as a way to maintain balance, regenerate ecosystems and protect communities. Where Cultural fire has been excluded, Country has become more vulnerable to intense bushfires, loss of biodiversity, and disconnection from Cultural Knowledge Systems.

The Good Fire Gathering project seeks to change this by restoring good fire Cultural practices to support Cultural wellbeing, ecological health and community safety. By bringing people together to learn, share, and act, this project helps restore and support the resilience of landscapes and the people who live within them.

How you can you be involved

Good Fire Gathering is a collective effort, and your involvement is welcome. Whether you are a Knowledge holder, community member, landholder or someone interested in reducing risk or Caring for Country, there are ways to participate:

  • Attend workshops and Gatherings: Join our community workshops across the Northern Rivers and beyond to share your knowledge and learn from others.

  • Participate as a landholder: Register your interest to work with Jagun Alliance and local Custodians to develop a Cultural Fire Plans for your property, and work with Custodians to implement key actions.

  • Become a partner: Collaboration with Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Native Title representatives, alongside education, government and non-government organisations, are key to ensuring the success of our Good Fire Gathering project.

  • Work with us: Keep up to date with our job opportunities by following us on our socials (Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn) and our website.

For more information or to get involved, please contact us via the form below.

Contact us here

Respecting Cultural Protocols 

Good Fire Gathering is committed to respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights (ICIP). We follow strict protocols to ensure that all cultural knowledge and data shared during the project are protected. Participation is entirely voluntary, and consent is obtained following the principles of Free Prior and Informed Consent. 

All information shared will be kept confidential, and participants have the right to withdraw their knowledge at any time. We are here to collaborate under your cultural authority, ensuring that your knowledge is recognised and applied in a way that respects your rights and traditions. 

Good Fire Gathering is funded by the Australian Government through the Disaster Ready Fund, administered by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.