Sand Dune Adventures, Port StephensCredit: Destination NSW
Ride a quadbike with Sand Dune Adventures, Port Stephens.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
Enjoy a mind-blowing Aboriginal tourism experience in New South Wales with local Aboriginal guides who share their cultural knowledge about everything from cooking to cosmology. Combine an amazing educational break with an adventure such as quad biking or motorcycle riding, all in the company of the Traditional Owners of the land.
Sydney city
Travel Sydney’s Aboriginal Dreaming pathways with Dreamtime Southern X, an Aboriginal family-owned business, founded and managed by Dunghutti-Jerrinjha Elder Margret Campbell. Learn about the most ancient human culture on earth — its ecology, conservation, wildlife caring, sustainability, astrology and spiritual beliefs. Take a 90-minute guided walk on The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour (Illi Langi) to learn about the Gadigal People's deep spiritual connection with the waters and land of Sydney Harbour. Reconcile with Earth Mother (Wyanga Malu) amid the magnificent Harbour City on a half-day Wyanga Malu mini-coach tour.
Heading North of Sydney
Blue Mountains
Enrich your life with ancient wisdom and develop a deep connection to country and culture on the Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout Tour in the Blue Mountains, one hour’s drive west of Sydney. Gain a unique understanding of the local Darug culture on a full day tour exploring their creative, ceremonial and spiritual life. Learn by traditional methods and bushwalk along a Songline of sacred sites that leads partly through a beautiful moss-covered rainforest.
Central Coast
Take part in a Welcome to Country smoking ceremony with Darkinjung Cultural Tours on a Central Coast beach. The half- and full-day tours visit various significant locations on Darkinjung Lands (the Central Coast), 100km north of Sydney. You’ll visit Brisbane Water National Park, taking in Girrakool waterfall and sites that are only accessible with an Aboriginal tour guide.
Near Port Stephens
Share in the Aboriginal hosts’ local culture and bush tucker, plus dig for fresh water, while enjoying exclusive quadbike access to the largest moving coastal sand dunes in the southern hemisphere. Book it in with Sand Dune Adventures at Williamtown near Port Stephens, two hours’ drive north of Sydney.
Hunter Valley
See Aboriginal art in the Hunter Valley on the Wupa@Wanaruah Art Trail, which displays Aboriginal artworks in the region’s wineries and resorts, two hours’ drive from Sydney. The trail showcases both established and emerging Aboriginal artists.
Country and Outback NSW
Broken Hill
Explore Mutawintji National Park, 196km northeast of Broken Hill, with Mutawintji Heritage Tours. Visit the restricted-access Mutawintji Historic Site with an Aboriginal guide and learn the environmental, kinship, historical and cultural values of the Wiimpatja People. It boasts one of the best collections of Aboriginal art in New South Wales.
Bathurst
Three hours’ drive northwest of Sydney, you can visit significant Aboriginal sites around Bathurst on the Wiradyuri Ngurambang 4WD Cultural Tour from Detour Adventures. You’ll tour highlights such as Wahluu (Mount Panorama), the Borenore limestone caves, the grave of law man Windradyne and the Maiyingu Marragu rock art site. An Aboriginal Elder accompanies the tour, which was developed in collaboration with the Wiradyuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation.
Mudgee
Join Indigiearth Café owner and Ngemba Weilwan woman, Sharon Winsor, for an immersive Warakirri dining experience complimented by authentic cultural entertainment, musical and cultural storytelling. Over four hours, guests will enjoy Australian native food and beverages, prepared in a unique fusion of modern techniques with traditional methods. Through this experience, Sharon and the team invite you to grow as a person and connect with culture, to immerse yourself in their experiences, and to explore the ingredients grown on the land we all walk on, prepared by their people.
Various regions
Enjoy the ride — and the non-riding elements — of motorcycle tours with Ridelines Adventures. Aboriginal-owned and -operated Ridelines will ensure you learn about the culture and history of the Aboriginal communities you visit and make a real connection with the Traditional Owners on whose lands you ride. Tours are sometimes scheduled to take in Indigenous cultural festivals or visit Aboriginal-owned bush property in the Wollombi Valley on three- or four-day rides.
Dreamtime Southern X Tours, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal tour guide Margret Campbell of Dreamtime Southern X in The Rocks, Sydney.
#ilovesydney
Dreamtime Southern X Tours, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal tour guide Margret Campbell of Dreamtime Southern X in The Rocks, Sydney.
WUPA@Wanaruah Art Trail, Hunter Valley Credit: Destination NSW
Local Aboriginal artists Denise Hedges and Les Ahoy working on their artwork on the WUPA@Wanuruah Art Trail at Hunter Valley Resort.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
WUPA@Wanaruah Art Trail, Hunter Valley Credit: Destination NSW
Local Aboriginal artists Denise Hedges and Les Ahoy working on their artwork on the WUPA@Wanuruah Art Trail at Hunter Valley Resort.
North Coast
Join award-winning contemporary Aboriginal artist Kate Constantine for a delicious organic lunch and art workshop in her home overlooking Mullumbimby and the entire stretch of hinterland. Using a traditional yarning circle Constantine will introduce you to her way of contemporary Aboriginal dot painting and explore the significance of colour while you create an artwork inspired by storytelling and the mindful use of colour.
Enjoy a 90 minute Bangalow bush tucker tour with Explore Byron Bay guided by Delta Kay, an Arakwal Bundjalung woman who is passionate about sharing Aboriginal culture. During the tour, guests will learn about a variety of edible bush tucker plants, as well as plants used for natural medicine, jewellery, fibre, tools and weapons. Delta will also share knowledge and stories that have been passed down from her ancestors. At the end of each tour, guests enjoy tasting a variety of delicious bush tucker foods and bush tea and a biscuit.
Coffs Coast
Paddle with purpose on a Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours! stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) expedition around Coffs Harbour, 530km north of Sydney. Explore the tranquil Solitary Islands Marine Park on a tour that helps pass down cultural knowledge, provides local employment and gives a proportion of its profits to Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation. Taste seasonal bush foods, swim, snorkel and listen to Gumbaynggirr stories. The tours run every morning, at locations that best align with the tides.
An hour’s drive south of Coffs Harbour, discover the culture and heritage of the Gaagal Wanggaan National Park with Unkya Cultural Eco Tours. Take a three-and-a-half-hour Gaagal Wanggaan (South Beach) walk through pristine bush and beach, or a shorter Gaagal Yuludarla (Ocean Dreaming) tour that tells the story of how the waves were made as you explore Scotts Head, before tasting some bush tucker.
South of Sydney
Shoalhaven
Enjoy pop-up dinners at Silos Estate in the Shoalhaven area, three hours south of Sydney, with Aboriginal-owned catering company Mirritya Mundya, which means ‘hungry blackfish’ in the Ngarrugu language. Expect to see traditional dishes infused with native ingredients — the Mirritya Mundya ‘Indigenous Twist’. Delight in smoked meats and fish rubbed with pepperberry or lemon myrtle, homemade woodfired bush tomato bread and Davidson plum rocky road.
Eurobodalla
Immerse yourself in the world’s oldest living culture with Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness in Yuin country (the Narooma region, 350km south of Sydney). On the Yuin Retreat, take a guided journey through Gulaga National Park or follow the Djirringanj Dreaming trail. The two-night experience includes boutique accommodation, guided on country immersions, Yidaki (didgeridoo) demonstration, 'Indigenous Twist' dining and a wellness session.
Riverina region
Wagga Wagga
Learn about the ancient culture and places of the Wiradjuri People of the Riverina region of NSW on a tour with Bundyi Cultural Tours. Based in Wagga Wagga, a five-hour drive southwest of Sydney, Professional guide and Wiradjuri man, Mark Saddler offers walking, motorcycle or small group tours and shares his knowledge of bush tucker, native animals and the land.
Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours, Red Rock Credit: Destination NSW
The Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours stand up paddleboarding experience on the Corindi River, Red Rock.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours, Red Rock Credit: Destination NSW
The Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours stand up paddleboarding experience on the Corindi River, Red Rock.
Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Mutawintji National Park tour guide Keanu Bates showing visitors Aboriginal rock art at Mutawintji Historic Site.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Mutawintji National Park tour guide Keanu Bates showing visitors Aboriginal rock art at Mutawintji Historic Site.
More Inspirational Stories
Mangrove Boardwalk, Ku-ring-gai Chase National ParkCredit: Destination NSW
Scenic views across Cockle Creek and the Mangrove Boardwalk along the Gibberagong walking track in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
#feelnewsydney
Learn about the world’s oldest living culture to learn all about Aboriginal traditions, history, art and native food across Sydney.
Learn about waterways
Sydney Harbour once hummed with community and activity – bays around the harbour were used for hunting, fishing and camping, and continue to be culturally significant today. Onboard vessel Mari Nawi (big canoe) with Tribal Warrior, a two-hour journey will present you with tales of the Cadigal, Guringai, Wangal, Gammeraigal and Wallumedegal; learn the Aboriginal names and meanings of significant Sydney landmarks; and step offboard to a Sydney Harbour island to encounter an Aboriginal cultural performance.
On Dreamtime Southern X’s The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour, you’ll be taken on a 90-minute walk revealing Aboriginal heritage within Sydney Harbour. As your guide shows you a number of culturally important sites, learn about the Dreamtime, the local Aboriginal people’s deep spiritual connection to the adjoining waterways and foreshores, how they used the land and water, and how they sustained themselves on seasonal foods.
Explore a new perspective on foot
Embrace a new outlook on the city as you know it with the Burrawa Aboriginal Climb Experience on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Led by a First Nations storyteller, BridgeClimb Sydney’s experience sees you ascend to the top of Sydney’s famous landmark, all while receiving incredible insight into Aboriginal stories and sites across the harbour.
Splendour Tailored Tours also offers insightful Aboriginal culture tours. On the five-hour Indigenous Culture tour, guests will embark on a two-hour walk with an Aboriginal local, and enjoy morning tea with native ingredient flavours, plus lunch. (Note that not all elements of Splendour’s Indigenous Culture tour are led by a local, some parts are facilitated by a senior Splendour host.) An additional hour can be added to tours to include a walk through Yiribana Gallery, a collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks in Naala Badu, thethe North Building of the Art Gallery of NSW. Yiribana is free to enter every day of the week, regardless whether you are on a tour or not.
While you’re there, grab a snack or drink from the North Building’s Kiosk featuring native ingredients, as curated by Indigenous Elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo. The kiosk is the gallery’s commitment to celebration and education about native Australian ingredients and Indigenous culture.
Out of the city, gain valuable insights into life on Country from Laurie Bimson of Guringai Aboriginal Tours, courtesy of the three-hour Basin Track Tour. Bimson leads visitors to culturally significant sites within the stunning bushland of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Discover sandstone engravings and stencil art, and learn how Aboriginal people enjoyed food, shelter, community and spirituality at the special place.
If you’d prefer a self-guided walking tour combining Aboriginal culture and art with beautiful beaches, head south to the Royal National Park to explore Jibbon headland. A 5km-return walk follows a well-marked bush track to Jibbon Beach, the traditional home of the Dharawal people. Jibbon headland features significant Aboriginal rock carvings, a midden – a collection of shells and bones that indicates a place of food gathering and consumption – dating back 3,000 years, and a campsite that was created and maintained by the Dharawal people, through careful fire and plant management.
Dreamtime Southern X, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Group enjoying a Dreamtime Southern X tour with Marget Campbell at Balls Head, Waverton in Sydney.
#feelnewsydney
Dreamtime Southern X, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Group enjoying a Dreamtime Southern X tour with Marget Campbell at Balls Head, Waverton in Sydney.
BridgeClimb, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying the Burrawa Indigenous Experience at BridgeClimb, Sydney.
#feelnewsydney
BridgeClimb, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying the Burrawa Indigenous Experience at BridgeClimb, Sydney.
Go beyond the ordinary
Learning about the oldest living culture goes beyond a tour or tasting – your immersion in Aboriginal culture can, and should, involve art, performance and new heights. A mesmerising show by world-renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre at the Sydney Opera House will leave you spell-bound. Bangarra is a company of professional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders performers, and creates ‘powerful works of theatre with dance, music, poetry and design’, with world premiere performances created and toured every year.
Just outside of Sydney, take in the magnificent sights of the Blue Mountains on Scenic World’s Buunyal tour. The tour is an authentic Indigenous experience on Gundungurra Country, the only of its kind in the Blue Mountains, and was developed by Uncle David King, a Gundungurra Custodian. Learn about local lore, native animals and plants as you ride on the world’s steepest train, the Scenic Railway, into the valley where you’ll walk beneath the rainforest canopy with your guide. From here you’ll traverse up the escarpment on the Scenic Cableway, then hear a dreamtime story about the formation of the Jamison Valley on the Scenic Skyway.
Sample native bush foods
From the caviar-like popping pearls of native finger lime to the powerful aroma of eucalyptus, the breadth and flavours of native Australian ingredients make for essential tasting.
Housed underneath Australia's most iconic building, the Sydney Opera House, Midden by Mark Olive is a restaurant by Bundjalung man and ambassador chef, Mark Olive, and places native ingredients at the forefront. Olive draws on his heritage to plate up dishes such as damper infused with native herbs and served with eucalyptus whipped butter; and braised wallaby shank.
Nearby is a bakery by Native Foodways, a First Nations-owned and -led social enterprise. Here you can find pastries, sausage rolls, pies, muffins and more made with native ingredients spanning aniseed myrtle, wattleseed, saltbush, kangaroo, native ginger and macadamia.
Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Bangarra Dance Theatre performance, Sydney. For media use only in Australian markets to promote NSW.
#feelnewsydney
Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Bangarra Dance Theatre performance, Sydney. For media use only in Australian markets to promote NSW.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Learn about native flora
Sydney’s harbour once flourished and thrived with plant life and flora, an integral part of life in the Eora Nation. Join a Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tour to discover how Traditional Owners flourished on the harbour’s once-pristine shores. Daily tours are led by a team of Aboriginal educators and take in the abundant flora of the six-hectare headland of Barangaroo Reserve – it’s home to some 75,000 Australian native trees and shrubs.
North of the city, Trip Slow offers an Aboriginal Bush Tucker and Salty Air tour, in collaboration with Bush to Bowl, a 100% Aboriginal-owned social enterprise. On the seven-hour excursion guests will wander through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park to Barrenjoey Lighthouse; enjoy lunch at Whale Beach; and go on an immersive walk in Narrabeen with a Bush to Bowl guide, exploring bush tucker and the medicinal uses of the local flora and fauna in the Northern Beaches.
You can also become more educated about native plants on the Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Led by a First Nations guide, you will wander through the Cadi Jam Ora garden and learn about how the bush foods were traditionally used and adapted to the modern plate and palate. On the tour you’ll have the opportunity to try some of the goods yourself, and afterwards you can browse the selection of native bush foods at the Garden Shop.
Aboriginal Cultural Tours, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal educator Tim Gray leading guests on an Aboriginal Cultural Tour in Barangaroo, Sydney.
#feelnewsydney
Aboriginal Cultural Tours, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal educator Tim Gray leading guests on an Aboriginal Cultural Tour in Barangaroo, Sydney.
Tweed Escapes, Tweed Heads Credit: Destination NSW
Tweed Escapes located in Tweed Heads. Take a journey through time and learn about the Traditional Custodians of this area.Now considered to be one of Australia’s most beautiful National Parks, take a stroll along the Tweed River, cutting through bushland and mangroves to discover the flora, fauna, bush tucker and culture of the Minjungbal people.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Tweed Escapes, Tweed Heads Credit: Destination NSW
Tweed Escapes located in Tweed Heads. Take a journey through time and learn about the Traditional Custodians of this area.Now considered to be one of Australia’s most beautiful National Parks, take a stroll along the Tweed River, cutting through bushland and mangroves to discover the flora, fauna, bush tucker and culture of the Minjungbal people.