“Prince Raka and I kept in touch by writing letters. It’s funny to think about now, but this was the 1970s, and there wasn’t a telephone in Ubud. Not even in the palace! I always looked forward to the arrival of an envelope from Bali.”
Culture
I let the Indonesian tourists watch me, maybe jealous, as I float on my back in the otherworldly waters of Pulau Bair, a remote, uninhabited islet on the northernmost fringe of Kei Kecil, the smallest of the two main Kei Islands — an archipelago of about 250 islets, some of East Indonesia’s lesser-known gems.
Held at RMIT University, the 2025 Tembang Nusantara event, presented by Aneka Ria Melbourne and themed “Symphony of a Generation”, took place on 16 August 2025.
The exhibition, launched to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Indonesian independence, highlights Australia’s strong support for Indonesia’s during its struggle for independence through photos, letters, news reports and other memories from Australians and Indonesians working together at the time.
Unlike previous years, Tembang Nusantara 2025 is being managed by young generation or younger musicians in Melbourne. So, what can we expect from Tembang Nusantara this time around?
Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi. Radioactive tracing of these tools and the teeth of animals found around the site were dated at up to 1.48 million years ago.
Indonesia’s Muhibah Angklung Team from Bandung plans to tour several cities in the continent of Australia. According to the team leader, Maulana Syuhada, the tour will take place between 19 August and 8 September 2025 starting from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra.
(FIREWALL) – A robbery in Ibaraki prefecture, viral footage of unruly behaviour by an Indonesian group in Osaka and social media posts purporting to reflect the concerns of Japanese employers have stirred debate about Indonesian migrant workers’ ability to adapt to Japanese norms and what Jakarta can do about it.
Indonesia, known for its abundant natural resources and cultural diversity, is home to numerous indigenous communities that continue to face challenges in adapting to modern developments while preserving their long-standing customary traditions.
With the best of intentions in mind, we may assume that the results and data of the research will be used to the best purposes for those indigenous communities, but is that how it will always play out in the real world, and how would it be possible to guarantee that the data would be used according to what the community wants?
The Indonesia Festival 2025, set to be held in Melbourne on October 19, 2025, aims to boost Australian tourists’ interest in exploring the Southern Sumatra region (Sumbagsel) by showcasing the past glory of the Srivijaya Kingdom.
In June this year, Indonesia did what no other Southeast Asian football team has done since the 1930s and proceeded to the fourth round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup to be held in Canada, Mexico and the USA in 2026.
Jayanto Damanik along with several artists from diverse backgrounds became resident artists in The Pumphouse program in Albury.
Rayyan Arkan Dikha, known as Dikha, has been “aura farming” at Pacu Jalur boat races for three years, but his popularity soared after his performance at last year’s Pacu Jalur event in Tepian Narosa resurfaced online, inspiring countless parody videos.
Firewall – Fans who are unparalleled in their dedication to music, enviable record stores and pop-culture delights that satisfy childhood nostalgia – these are just some of the things that have made Japan the touring hot spot of choice for many Indonesian musicians in recent years.
How exactly are these online food platforms reshaping Indonesian society? And what happens when we compare their impact across different cultural and economic contexts? A fascinating new study by Nadia Egalita, a PhD researcher at RMIT, offers insights into these questions through comparative ethnographic research conducted in Surabaya and Melbourne.
