Underground Cooking in the Heart of the City

Two large underground earth ovens will be temporarily installed in Hyde Park to cook a traditional feast of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delicacies in celebration of NAIDOC in the City.

Crocodile, kangaroo, emu, chicken and fish, as well as vegetables such as corn and sweet potato, will be slow-cooked in the earth oven at the City of Sydney event on Monday 7 July.

Sydneysiders are invited to sample the food once it's served from 1pm.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the NAIDOC in the City event was a great way to celebrate traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cooking, culture and history methods in the heart of Australia's biggest city.

“The City of Sydney is a strong supporter of NAIDOC Week events because they are an opportunity for everyone in our community to acknowledge and celebrate the oldest living culture on the planet,” the Lord Mayor said.

“By bringing this earth oven right into the city centre gives all Sydneysiders, workers and visitors a chance to experience a slice of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life.”

From 5am on the day of the event, chefs from Goanna Hut and Fred's Bush Tucker will begin lighting fires inside two 1.5-metre wide, 40-centimetre deep pits that are scattered with large rocks.

Once the wood has burned down and the rocks are heated, the marinated and wrapped food will be placed inside the earth oven and sealed in with banana leaves, branches, wet hessian and sand to cook for about three hours.

The free NAIDOC in the City event, from 11am to 3pm, will also feature a range of other family-friendly activities and performances, including live music, dance, food, art and elders' storytelling at a pop-up lawn library.

The Australian Museum, Sydney Observatory and Taronga Zoo will also be hosting stalls focussing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts, astronomy and Australian animals.

Television fitness stars, Move it Mob Style, are among the many performers who will entertain the crowds on the day. The talented dance crew will also host a workshop where children will be encouraged to join in and learn some new moves.

Entertainment will be focussed on the main stage with some exciting original music acts, as well as in the traditional dance circle and dedicated kids' zone. There will also be a marketplace with arts and crafts, food stalls and information stands.

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2014 is Serving Country: Centenary and Beyond. It was selected by the National NAIDOC Committee to honour all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have fought in defence of country.


NAIDOC Week celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups of the 1920s and is a chance for all Australian to celebrate the world's oldest living culture together.

NAIDOC in the City
Monday 7 July, 11am–3pm
Hyde Park North
sydneynaidoc.com.au