About JNF
Jamba Nyinayi Festival
Jamba Nyinayi Festival (“JNF”) is a cultural tourism festival held every April at Cardabia (Gunjayindiya) Station, 6km inland from the town of Coral Bay, Western Australia. Owned and managed by the Baiyungu Aboriginal Corporation (BAC), working closely with Baiyungu woman and Cultural Director Hazel Walgar, the festival develops an annual Baiyungu Cultural theme then creates and showcases local and nationally recognised Indigenous artists through various forms of performance and cultural sharing through music, dance, film, workshops, food and campfire storytelling.
History of JNF
Jamba Nyinayi Festival began in 2023 during the solar eclipse, with it’s focus to deliver intimate and inspirational cultural experiences, encompassing music, dance, workshops, food, fire and storytelling, shared by the Baiyungu people as the Traditional Owners of the amazing World Heritage Ningaloo region in WA.
The 2023 festival also featured a choreographed drone light show to recognise and celebrate the story told by the coastal people of Nyinggulu, Baiyungu and Yinnigurrura. This was the story of their deep connection to the Wilarra (Moon) being Ganyara (Man), and Jirndal (Sun) being Nyanjil woman coming together. In Baiyungu Culture, this is the story of creating new life in the universe, only during the solar eclipse. This meaning of the story holds close to the festival in it’s creation (new life being the birth of the festival) and purpose of coming together to ‘sit for a while’ (‘Jamba Nyinayi’ in Baiyungu language).
After the success of the festival, JNF returned for 2024 with the theme of Gunjayindiya (‘A Gathering Place’) in Baiyungu language. The aim was to create new opportunities with the inclusion of on-country camping and cultural packages allowing visitors to stay and become more intimately engaged in the celebration and sharing of stories of Gunjayindiya, to once again become a deeply meaningful gathering place as it was for thousands of years right near the station. On-country camping allowed for the theme to be celebrated through campfire storytelling sessions, traditional meals, music and dance performances, and educational workshops. The response from the 2024 program and on-country camping has encouraged Hazel Walgar’s vision of JNF as an annual festival, celebrating the Baiyungu story with a ‘theme’ each year to interpret, express and perform to the audience.
2025
Entering its 3rd year in 2025, the festival continues to showcase the cultural development of Indigenous Australia in the Gascoyne region with the theme of “Connection” and how it shapes the resilience of culture in these changing times. Developed with Hazel Walgar, the theme honours the deep, timeless interconnectedness of the Baiyungu people, reflected in their relationship to Country, the Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) reef area and their ongoing ancestral stories. The connection to the land, sea and its creatures, regarded as the spirits of Baiyungu ancestors, underscores their profound bond with this relatively untouched and incredibly biodiverse part of the natural world.
Intertwined with connection is the importance of knowledge sharing through cultural practice and language, allowing younger generations of Baiyungu to learn customs and language, and through that exchange preserve their unique heritage. As with all indigenous culture and languages, continuity can be challenged when the Elders pass on, unless this is actively pursued. It is a key motivator for the Baiyungu people that language and culture be at the forefront of shared experience at Jamba Nyinayi, not only with the wider festival community but with the many younger Baiyungu people who are involving themselves in the cultural learning experiences of the festival.
The organic growth of JNF has allowed for an extended program to now run across 2 full days and a ‘festival eve’ involving campfire performances such as music, traditional dance, food and cultural ceremonies. 2025 introduces extended station stays for up to 5 nights, allowing visitors to camp on country for an extended holiday whilst they enjoy all aspects of the festival program and Ningaloo Reef region.