Sky Stories returns to the Girinyalanha Aboriginal Nature and Bioscience Park at Charles Sturt University's Orange campus on September 25, an opportunity to reconnect with the wondrous world above.

Created in 2017, Sky Stories is a unique community event that combines First Nations traditions and Western astronomical science in a fun evening of sharing culture and exploring the wonders of the night sky.

"We wanted to do an event that brought Aboriginal culture onto campus," explained Dr Cesidio Parissi, one of the founders of Sky Stories.

"We study aspects of Aboriginal society and culture on campus in books, but we wanted to make it alive, something that was real and more attainable and also a lot more fun than an academic exercise."

So the idea came about to bring Aboriginal cultural knowledge together with Western astronomy to explore the differences and also similarities in how they explain the world around us.

"So a meeting of ways of interpreting the world… ways of interpreting what's happening with the weather, what happens when the stars and planets in the sky appear, and what does it mean for us on the surface of the Earth," Dr Parissi said.

As at previous events, this year's Sky Stories will see local amateur astronomers from the Central West Astronomical Society bring telescopes for the public to take a peek at some of the astronomical sights above.

"And we'll have Uncle Ian Sutherland, who's an award-winning sky storyteller, coming to talk about the meaning of what's happening in the sky and what it can mean to us with our feet on the ground," Dr Parissi said.

"He is a great storyteller and will be sharing with us a lot of cultural knowledge… but it's not only a scientific event, it's also a lot of fun," he continued.

"We'll have a barbecue, a traditional Aussie barbecue, Aboriginal bush tucker, music and this year we will even be doing some cook-your-own Johnny cakes."

Uncle Ricky Ah-See will launch the event at about 6pm on Friday, September 25, with a Welcome to Country, and there will also be live performances of traditional dancing by Uncle Ricky's Indigenous Dance Troupe.

For most of the evening, people are invited to simply relax, enjoy the barbecue and bush tucker, and join in the activities.

Central West Astronomical Society members will be there to answer questions and share their knowledge of constellations, the Moon, planetary motion, and other celestial objects and phenomena.

Organisers recommend bringing a picnic rug or chair along with a reusable water bottle and keep cup to use, to help the environment.

Weather permitting, Sky Stories 2026 will be held at Charles Sturt University, 346 Leeds Parade, Orange, from 6pm to 8pm on Friday, September 25.

The event is free, but people are asked to register via Humanitix: https://humanitix.com/au [[[check if link is up yet]]]

More information: https://www.csu.edu.au/office/engagement-enterprise/community/events/upcoming/orange/explorations-series-sky-stories