The ten-part series focuses on a group of Indigenous children who undertake a journey to save their country from the threat of a mysterious dust cloud and its inhabitants, the Takers.[1] The group have to travel to the powerful location of Thalu, collecting eight sacred stones and a key and meeting friends and enemies along the way.[2]
Page-Lochard described it as "its own little Dreaming, its own little spirit world where Indigenous people inhabit, and there's folklore characters and characters with different stories that reflect the land and the world that they come from".[3]
The working title of the project was Neomad, with the initial intention of basing the story on the interactive Aboriginal graphic novel and three-part series of that name set in Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula).[3][5]Thalu is the Ngarluma word for "totem".[6] The series was filmed in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and the cast are from Roebourne (known as Ieramugadu to the local people). Each character has been written with input from the young cast member to reflect their personality, sense of humour and culture.[7][2]Beck Cole and Sam Paynter workshopped ideas with the local elders and young people to produce ideas for the storyline, starting in 2018.[3] There was a great deal of community collaboration on the project,[8] which was described as "an unprecedented, top-to-bottom model for community consultation". The elders who consulted on the series appear as The Nannas in the series. Words from the local language, Ngarluma, are used in the script.[3]
The show was produced by Tyson Mowarin and Robyn Marais from Weerianna Street Media, in association with the ACTF.[11]Mark O'Toole, who has been head writer and producer on series such as Spicks and Specks, Black Comedy, and children's comedy program You're Skitting Me[12] was executive producer, and helped to develop the storyline.[2] The series music was composed by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan.[13]
In 2018, Ngarluma artist Tyson Mowarin wrote and directed an 18-minute VR experience called Thalu: Dreamtime Is Now. The story involved a spirit guide called Jirri Jirri, who introduces some of the spirits and traditional custodians according to the Dreaming stories of the Ngarluma people.[6]
Thalu: Dreamtime Is Now, was shortlisted in the Best Digital Product category in the 2019 First Nations Media Awards.[20]
