Australia is at the forefront of the Indigenous Tourism movement, helping to incubate and codify a number of authentic Aboriginal experiences that connect people with the land, culture and 65,000-year history of what is widely acknowledged as the world’s oldest continuous culture. Meg MacMahon, from our Australasia team, was lucky enough to try out several such experiences on a recent trip down under. Read on to find out more.
- Walkabout Tours, Port Douglas
- Anangu Art Class, Uluru
- Lords Safaris, Northern Territory
- Wukalina Walk, Tasmania
Walkabout Tours, Port Douglas
The land, originally known as Kuku Yalanji country, is one of the richest and most diverse places in Australia; where two UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Daintree Rainforest in Cape Tribulation, and the Great Barrier Reef – collide. A local guide will explain the profound relationship the Kuku Yulanji people still have with their land and these diverse environments. Walk through shallows and mangroves, collecting shellfish and learning to spear mud crabs, and trek along lush trails through the world’s oldest rainforest, foraging for traditional foods and medicines, while your guide tells Dreamtime stories along the way.
Anangu Art Class, Uluru
Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) is one of the most important Aboriginal sites in Australia. Visit the Patji homelands of a local Uluru family and learn about their ancient culture. Then, in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, join a traditional dot painting session at a local collective of Anangu artists, providing an important source of income to artists living in remote communities. Throughout the painting session, the artists will pass on some of their generational knowledge, providing an insight into traditional Anangu culture and practices as you hear creation time stories and see them expressed through painting.
Lords Safaris, Northern Territory
On a safari with Lords, the legendary Aboriginal guides, you have exclusive access to the most culturally significant sites in Australia’s Northern Territory, where entry is granted by invitation only. Stay in luxury lodges or comfortable camps and explore landscapes from outback to wetlands and dramatic coastlines bursting with wildlife, and all home to a rich Aboriginal history. Spot salt-water crocodiles, sea eagles and buffaloes in Kakadu Safari; learn about the Arnhem Lands with Aboriginal artists and storytellers who welcome you to their territory; swim in the crystal waters of the Barramundi Gorge and enjoy evenings filled with Dreamtime Stories, traditional foods and some of Australia’s finest wines.
Wukalina Walk, Tasmania
The Wukalina Walk is a multi-award-winning four-day, three-night hike owned, run and guided by the local Palawa people in Tasmania. Hike through bushland and along beautiful coastlines to the summit of Wukalina (Mount William) and stay in comfortable domed huts each evening, eating traditional foods under a brilliant starry sky. The walk ends on the northern headland of Larapuna. Your guide will explain how it was named Bay of Fires, after an 18th-century English navigator counted over two hundred fires along the coastline, and the many uses of fire by the Palawa people, from smoke signals and cremation to land management.
Written by Meg MacMahon | Header image by Lucy Laucht.