Narromine and Nyngan are getting ready to “quokk” when children’s entertainers The Quokkas visit the region for a series of free concerts on the final week of the spring school holidays.

The five-piece musical group will kickstart their “Rural Tour” with a concert at the Narromine USMC on Monday, October 5, at 3pm, then at the Nyngan RSL on Tuesday, October 6 at 10.30am.

The Quokkas, who describe themselves as “not your average kids’ band”, will also visit Cobar and Bourke that week before ending the tour in Brewarrina on Friday, October 9.

The multi-racial, all-abilities group hails from the Newcastle region and take their name from the small Australian marsupial considered “the happiest animal on earth” due to their famous “grins”. The quintet, who smile just as deeply as their namesakes, have been brought together by a shared passion for creating music that celebrates diversity, inclusion and joy.

The Quokkas’ line-up is as unique as their sound, featuring vision-impaired Australia’s Got Talent grand finalist, Matt McLaren, and his guide dog Indy; Dutch music therapist Stef Tuyl; Samoan-Australian TV star Komiti Levai; the niece of Australian music legend Christine Anu, Pam Hyde; and former Adelaide Crows footballer Nick Gill.

Together, they form a band dedicated to making fun, high-quality music that spreads a powerful message: “every child belongs”.

Their songs cover everything from kindness and inclusion (“Everybody’s Welcome”; “I Like You Just The Way You Are”; “Celebrate (That You’re One of a Kind)”; “Different Families”) to the delightfully silly (“Banana” – a song entirely about, well... bananas).

But underneath the fun and laughter is a serious mission: “Make Music That Makes A Better Future.” That mission, to help Aussie kids grow up in a world that embraces differences of all kinds, has resonated with audiences across the country.

It’s also a mission that brings The Quokkas back to the region following a visit last year to Cobar, Bourke and Brewarrina, and for free, thanks to the support of CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes.

“We want to make it special because a lot of these kids don't get to see kids' entertainment in the live music sense,” Quokka Nick Gill said when speaking to Dubbo Photo News recently about their forthcoming western NSW tour.

“The whole show is based on wanting kids to be able to feel as though they shape the show and that they're very much a part of it, and that might come in the form of them dancing along to a song,” Nick added.

“We have a lot of action-based songs where they can learn the dance within the song. You know, they're simple enough that they don't have to have come in knowing any of the lyrics, but during the song, the actions are clear and slow enough that they can feel as though they're involved, and we have a lot of those.”

Being connected to their audience is important to the group, as is showing their diversity and inclusion onstage.

“We want to create content that suggests to kids that difference is great, and we're all different, and that's wonderful, and celebrate that,” he added.

“When we were putting our group together, we wanted it to fly by the banner of you know ‘if you can't see it, you can't be it,’ and just normalise that people are different.

“You know, they speak different languages, they look differently, they have different abilities, and I think a lot of kids’ groups work in that space really well with songs that have marvellous positive messages, and we think that's great.

“But I think the next step is also having representation in those groups as well, so kids can go, ‘Oh, I didn't realise that somebody who's like me could do that’,” he said.

Information about the free concerts in the different communities can be found on CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes’ social media. There’s no need to book tickets – families can just show up on the day at the host venues prior to the nominated times.

Bring your dancing shoes with you to the show, because The Quokkas aim to have everyone up and dancing along with them.