Bayala Free Language Courses

Overview

If you want to learn something this Sydney Festival, head to the Sydney Observatory and soak in some stars while expanding your vocabulary. During the one-hour Bayala language class, Durag woman Aunty Jacinta Tobin and Gadigal man Joel Davison will be teaching participants one of Sydney's native Indigenous languages. Attendees will learn Indigenous names for locations around Sydney, a few anatomical terms, basic phrases and a short song.

This is the third year the classes have run, and each time the convenors have been blown away by the response. In fact, there are a few additional three-day sessions for those who are returning and want to take things up a notch.

The classes will run over two weekends — the first at Prince Alfred Square in Parramatta and the second at the Observatory. They're free, but if you're interested, book early — registration opens at 9am on November 30. You'd be surprised how many linguists will pose as amateur astronomers just to steal your seat.