The Drumley Walk is an annual three-day walking pilgrimage from Beaudesert, south of Brisbane, to Southport on the Gold Coast. The 65 kilometre journey follows the footsteps of Beaudesert Aboriginal identity Billy Drumley. In the early 1900s he trekked through farmland and bush to visit his sister Jenny Graham who lived at Southport with her many children and grandchildren. Rory O’Connor, the Walk Director states the aim of the Drumley Walk is “to honour Aboriginal Elders of yesteryear, for their resilience and courage to keep living on their traditional lands.” The event which is run by Drumley’s descendants also remembers other local leaders whose stories form an integral part of today’s community of people associated with the Yugambeh language region. The purpose of the article is to reflect on my experience as a walker and volunteer on the Drumley Walk from 2009 to 2011 and features of the songs and poems that promote health. The Walk is continually evolving, so ethnographic writing and performance of newly composed song and dance is encouraged as part of the walkers’ creative activities and reflection on their journey. My ethnographic description of the Walk relates to my perspective as an occupational therapist/musicologist.
