Experiencing an Aboriginal tour can be eye-opening – and even life-changing. If you think seeing Australia with your own two eyes is incredible, you'll be blown away as you begin to view things through an Indigenous lens with the help of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander guides. There are so many reasons an Aboriginal experience belongs on your itinerary, and you don't have to travel far to immerse yourself in authentic Aboriginal experience. Whether staying in the cities or venturing on an excursion in Australia's Outback, an Aboriginal experience is a great addition to any trip.
Urban Culture
From museums, galleries and cultural centres to award-winning walking tours, explore the Aboriginal heart of Australia's urban centres.
Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience
See Sydney in a fresh light when you scale one of the city's most recognizable landmarks with an Indigenous storyteller. Operated by Bridge Climb Sydney, the Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience gives you the chance to take in sparkling views from the Sydney Harbour Bridge while hearing stories about Sydney's rich Aboriginal heritage. Like where a three-metre-high midden (ancient pile of shells) once stood, revealing stories of intergenerational conservation. And how Cammeraygal woman Patyegarang became Australia's first Aboriginal language teacher, instructing botanist and explorer William Dawes from a base at Tallawoladah (The Rocks). The three-hour journey to the peak of "The Coathanger" (as the bridge is known to locals) is as eye-opening as it is educational, traversing 1,332 steps and taking you 134 metres above the water. You'll walk at an easy pace, and end your trek back at ground level with a newfound appreciation for the city – and a certificate to prove it.
Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park
Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park offers unique experiences in the beautiful World Heritage rainforest in Kuranda, just 30 minutes from Cairns. Watch dance performances by the Pamagirri Dancers and take a Dreamtime Walk to learn and master the skills of boomerang and spear throwing. The Pamagirri Indigenous Guides come from different language groups across Queensland, but all share a strong connection to culture. Other experiences include the Pamagirri Mini-Mob and the Pamagirri Art Experience.
Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours & Experiences
Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours & Experiences offers walking tours around Perth's easily accessible waterfront, including Goomup (Elizabeth Quay) and Karrgatup (Kings Park). Noongar guide Walter McGuire shares unique insights spanning culture, bush food and spirituality. Learn of the six seasons observed by Aboriginal people, see how they relate to the edible plants still growing in Perth city, hear spiritual Creation stories and learn the Aboriginal names of iconic parts of Perth. By the end of the walk, you'll glimpse Perth through Aboriginal eyes, as it was before European settlement. Or discover Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) and learn the Noongar tales of the island's notorious past. The tour includes a traditional sand/water ceremony, Noongar stories, song and language.
Spirits of the Red Sand
There are few opportunities to learn about Queensland's Aboriginal community that are quite as comprehensive, and at times confronting, as Spirits of the Red Sand, a show based on real-life Aboriginal encounters with the British in the 1800s. As part of the two-and-a-half-hour show, you'll enjoy a hearty three-course dinner where you can meet and mingle with the cast. The "set" is an authentic 19th-century town, located at Beenleigh – halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. As part of the audience, you'll move between different set locations over the course of the evening, making you feel like a part of the action. By day, the Welcome to Country Aboriginal Experience offers an interactive discovery of traditional Aboriginal life, including ancient ceremonies and traditions, didgeridoo playing, weaponry, boomerang painting, spear throwing, and an introduction to camp life.
Bush and Outback
Explore working cattle stations, outback gorges, ancient rock art galleries and waterholes with an Aboriginal guide.
Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris
Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris is located at Mount Borradaile (a 50-minute flight east of Darwin). This iconic eco-lodge and its accompanying suite of activities are sanctioned by the area's Traditional Owners, whose link to the area dates back 50,000 years. Tailored tours capitalize on the immense splendour and tranquillity of this pocket of Arnhem Land, especially its water-filled features such as the billabong beneath Mount Borradaile and nearby wetlands, alive with crocodiles and long-legged water birds. Your stay includes all meals, tours and activities, as well as permit fees (this land cannot be accessed publicly, so all visitors must have a permit). The lodge serves fine-dining fare in a relaxed communal space fringed by a serene pool.
Lords Kakadu and Arnhemland Safaris
Swim in clear pools serenaded by waterfalls, trek through ancient rock art galleries, and uncover Aboriginal cultural stories of the Northern Territory's Top End, alongside one of the state's most lauded and experienced guides. Among many other sites, Lords Kakadu and Arnhemland Safaris takes in Arnhem Land, gems within Kakadu including the lesser-known Koolpin Gorge, and indulgent retreats such as Bamurru Plains, Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris' eco lodge and the 100 percent Aboriginal-owned and operated Cicada Lodge in Nitmiluk National Park. Lords also incorporates its own accommodation into trips with an exclusive "bush camp" for 12 guests set within Kakadu. It's furnished with comfortable beds and a fire pit for night-time meals and tale-telling.
wukalina Walk
This four-day/three-night fully accommodated, Aboriginal owned and guided hiking and cultural experience takes place within the magnificent landscape of wukalina (Mt William National Park) and larapuna (Bay of Fires) in North-East lutruwita (Tasmania). Enjoy innovative world-class accommodation, traditional foods, and cultural interpretation as you walk palawa Country. wukalina Walk involves two main days of hiking and a day dedicated to sharing some of the cultural practices that connect First Nations peoples to their Ancestors, such as shell-stringing and clapstick making. You will be well fed and will sleep in comfort – first of all, at the purpose-built coastal standing camp called krakani lumi (resting place) in timber pavilions. The last night is spent in a beautifully renovated lightkeeper's cottage.
If you'd like to deepen your understanding of Australia's Indigenous peoples and cultures, discover top First Nations encounters to enrich your journey.
