True Story Festival 2025

Schedule

Sat, 15 Nov, 2025 at 01:00 pm to Sun, 16 Nov, 2025 at 04:00 pm

UTC+11:00

Location

Coledale Community Hall, Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coledale NSW, Australia | Wollongong, NS

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Welcome to True Story, a festival of ideas and the best creative non-fiction being written in Australia today.


This year, festival directors Caroline Baum, Sarah Nicholson and Genevieve Swart have selected trusted voices to share insights into how to navigate this sometimes-bewildering world we find ourselves in. Come and be part of the conversation.


Single session tickets now on sale, plus day passes and workshop tickets. $30–$150.


*


Stella Prize-winning historian Professor Clare Wright OAM delivers this year’s keynote address on First Nations justice and the story behind the ṉäku dhäruk (bark petitions) created by the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land.  


Her Wicked Women of Wollongong Tour has sold out but you can still hear Sita Sargeant, founder of She Shapes History, speak alongside Dr Yves Rees about the trailblazing women who changed the course of Australian history. 


You might have seen high-profile social researcher Dr Rebecca Huntley speaking confidently on TV or acclaimed musical star of Phantom of the Opera Josh Piterman commanding the stage, but both admit that while they appear poised and polished, not all was as it seemed. Hear them tell their stories. 


How do we decide what media we trust and what we should believe? Jan Fran helps us navigate conspiracy, misinformation and truth in journalism in a not-to-be missed conversation with journalists Ariel Bogle, Cam Wilson, and Tracey Kirkland.


Plus, much more.


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Where is it happening?

Coledale Community Hall, Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coledale NSW, Australia, 745 Lawrence Hargrave Drive Coledale NSW 2515, Wollongong, Australia

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

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