Dreamtime Southern X, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Group enjoying a Dreamtime Southern X tour with Marget Campbell at Balls Head, Waverton in Sydney.
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With 60,000 years of living Aboriginal heritage, New South Wales is a treasure trove of cultural wonders, with many of them hidden in plain sight. And whether you’re being moved by the timeless heartbeat embedded in Sydney’s streetscapes or exploring ancient trails across the Outback, Aboriginal cultural tours can refresh your perspective and deepen your connection to this ever-surprising state. This handpicked selection of some of NSW’s most sought-after Aboriginal-led experiences will see you enjoying art, food, cruises, iconic landmarks and wild landscapes through First Nations eyes.
Explore Sydney’s rich Aboriginal heritage
Prepare to be moved as you learn of the extraordinary relationship Sydney’s first inhabitants share with Sydney Harbour on Dreamtime Southern X’s The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour (Illi Langi). Soak up an astonishing depth of knowledge as you join Dunghutti-Jerrinjha Elder ‘Aunty’ Margret Campbell or one of her fellow guides on a 90-minute walking tour of The Rocks, and come away with a fresh perspective on this storied harbour and its foreshores.
See Sydney Harbour through Indigenous eyes on BridgeClimb Sydney’s Burrawa Indigenous Experience. Experience a heady combination of exhilaration and amazement as you ascend to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, taking in panoramic views of the Rocks and Circular Quay below as your Indigenous guide shares fascinating stories of Sydney’s Aboriginal past and present. Then take the water on a two-hour cultural cruise to hear stories of Sydney Harbour with Tribal Warrior.
Expand your understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures at the Australian Museum , or spend a memorable evening surrounded by First Nations art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on the Yiribana Experience. Here you can explore the gallery’s renowned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection with an Aboriginal host before tucking into a five-course meal featuring native ingredients and complemented by paired wines.
Get a taste for bush foods on an Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour in The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. And breathe in the salty air at Barangaroo Reserve, a culturally significant harbour headland a short walk from The Rocks, as your Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tours guide explains how the Gadigal people, the first inhabitants of the area, used the native plants found in the reserve as food and medicine and for cultural practices.
Aboriginal Tour, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Guests learning about the rich Aboriginal culture of the Gadigal people on a guided tour in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
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Aboriginal Tour, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Guests learning about the rich Aboriginal culture of the Gadigal people on a guided tour in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
BridgeClimb, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying the Burrawa Indigenous Experience at BridgeClimb, Sydney.
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BridgeClimb, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying the Burrawa Indigenous Experience at BridgeClimb, Sydney.
Discover the north’s ancient landscapes
Savour the unique experience of being serenaded by a didgeridoo played by Elder Kevin ‘Gavi’ Duncan before tasting bush foods paired with botanical wines infused with native ingredients with Firescreek Botanical Winery Aboriginal Experiences on the Central Coast, 75 minutes north of Sydney. Or get a thrill zooming around the southern hemisphere’s largest shifting coastal sand dunes in nearby Port Stephens with Sand Dune Adventures, which runs quad-biking tours in the private Worimi Conservation Lands.
See the ocean in a new light as you hear the story of how waves were created on a Gaagal Yuludarla (Ocean Dreaming) tour or delve into the heritage of Gaagal Wanggaan (South Beach) National Park with Unkya Cultural EcoTours at Scotts Head on the NSW North Coast, a five-hour drive north of Sydney.
Follow the coastal highway north another 50 minutes to explore the idyllic creeks of the Coffs Coast on a stand-up paddleboarding experience with Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours. Admire the fish darting through crystal clear waters as your Aboriginal guide brings the Dreaming to life, and introduces you to some coastal bush tucker.
Imagine what the iconic tourist town of Byron Bay on the Far North Coast was like before colonisation on a walking tour of Cape Byron led by Arakwal Bundjalung woman Delta Kay from Explore Byron Bay. Drift back to the Dreaming as Creation stories are shared in the shade of towering gum trees home to the odd dozing koala, and taste delicious bush tucker hiding in plain sight. Or treat yourself to a private tour hosted in Byron Bay, Bangalow or Broken Head
Stockton Sand Dunes, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Quad biking experience on the Stockton Sand Dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands, Port Stephens.
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Stockton Sand Dunes, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Quad biking experience on the Stockton Sand Dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands, Port Stephens.
Explore Byron Bay, Bangalow Credit: Destination NSW
Explore Byron Bay located in the Bangalow Parklands in the Byron Hinterland, guided by Delta Kay an Arakwal Bundjalung woman passionate about sharing local Aboriginal culture. Guests hear about Aboriginal existence before colonisation including how Bundjalung people cared for and preserved the land. Delta teaches some Bundjalung and provides information about local bush tucker, natural medicine, tools, weapons and artefacts.
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Explore Byron Bay, Bangalow Credit: Destination NSW
Explore Byron Bay located in the Bangalow Parklands in the Byron Hinterland, guided by Delta Kay an Arakwal Bundjalung woman passionate about sharing local Aboriginal culture. Guests hear about Aboriginal existence before colonisation including how Bundjalung people cared for and preserved the land. Delta teaches some Bundjalung and provides information about local bush tucker, natural medicine, tools, weapons and artefacts.
Soak up the south’s cultural wonders
Drink in a wealth of knowledge in the Riverina region as Wiradjuri guide Mark Saddler of Bundyi Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge takes you on a cultural tour of the riverside city of Wagga Wagga and surrounds. Spot living artefacts alongside the Murrumbidgee River on his Aboriginal Walkabout Tour and feel the spirituality of important sites visited on an Aboriginal Special Places Tour.
Admire the craftsmanship of the boomerangs, didgeridoos and clapsticks on display in Wiradjuri Elder Michael Lyons’s Sandhills Artefacts gallery in nearby Narrandera before joining him on a cultural tour to sacred birthing rocks and caves along the Murrumbidgee.
Revel in the wild and rugged scenery of Kosciuszko National Park on a five-night kayaking adventure with Alpine River Adventures. Paddle and camp in the rugged Byadbo Wilderness with your Aboriginal guide on this unforgettable experience on a remote section of the Snowy River, home to a number of significant cultural sites.
Broaden your horizons in Yuin Country on the South Coast of NSW. Explore the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the Shoalhaven, around three hours south of Sydney, on a bespoke experience crafted by Djiriba Waagura. Join one of their regular group cultural bushwalks, beginning with a grounding Welcome to Country ceremony.
Feel culture all around you as you follow a coastal Dreaming track dotted with middens (ancient piles of shells and bones) in Eurobodalla National Park near Moruya with a local Elder from Minga Cultural Experiences. Also based in the Eurobodalla region, directly south of the Shoalhaven, Southbound Escapes offers a range of experiences in partnership with local Aboriginal guides – feel transformed by a
Bingi Dreaming Walking Tour with Yuin Nation knowledge holder Patricia Ellis or cruise Narooma’s serene turquoise Wagonga Inlet with Nar-Oo-Ma Aboriginal Cultural Tours.
Reflect on Aboriginal wisdom on the two-night Yuin Retreat hosted by Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness near Narooma. Hear sacred Dreaming stories passed down over generations as you walk on Country, bear witness to traditional ceremonies around a crackling campfire, and savour gourmet catering showcasing native ingredients.
Bundyi Cultural Tours, Wagga Wagga Credit: Destination NSW
Bundyi Cultural Tours, Wagga Wagga. Bundyi Cultural Tours specialise in sharing Wiradjuri/Aboriginal culture on full and half day tours by bus or 4WD. A 2 hour walking tour is now also available. All tours are conducted by Mark Saddler, a proud Wiradjuri man from whom visitors can learn about the oldest people and culture in the world.
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Bundyi Cultural Tours, Wagga Wagga Credit: Destination NSW
Bundyi Cultural Tours, Wagga Wagga. Bundyi Cultural Tours specialise in sharing Wiradjuri/Aboriginal culture on full and half day tours by bus or 4WD. A 2 hour walking tour is now also available. All tours are conducted by Mark Saddler, a proud Wiradjuri man from whom visitors can learn about the oldest people and culture in the world.
Sandhills Artefacts, Narrandera Credit: Narrandera Tourism
Wiradjuri Elder Michael Lyons leading a cultural tour at Sandhill Artefacts, Narrandera.
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Sandhills Artefacts, Narrandera Credit: Narrandera Tourism
Wiradjuri Elder Michael Lyons leading a cultural tour at Sandhill Artefacts, Narrandera.
Go west to meet the Outback’s Traditional Custodians
Immerse yourself in Aboriginal culture in major towns throughout the vast Central West plains of Country NSW. Absorb the ancestral learnings of Wiradjuri Elders on half-day and full-day Aboriginal-led cultural tours to notable sites around Bathurst, a three-hour drive west of Sydney.
Be astounded by the breadth of knowledge imparted by Gerald Power of Indigenous Cultural Adventures in the renowned wine region of Orange. His food-focused cultural tours begin in a local bush tucker garden before venturing out of town to visit ceremonial grounds and other significant sites.
Surrender to the mesmerising open road to Outback NSW and explore Mutawintji National Park, less than three-hours’ drive from the outback city of Broken Hill, where the Mutawintji Cultural Festival celebrates the region’s extraordinary First Nations heritage.
Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji.
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Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji.
Indigenous Cultural Adventures, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Native plants shown on a tour with Indigenous Cultural Adventures, Orange.
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Indigenous Cultural Adventures, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Native plants shown on a tour with Indigenous Cultural Adventures, Orange.
More Inspirational Stories
Mulwala Water Ski Club, MulwalaCredit: Destination NSW
Mulwala Water Ski Club located in the Riverina Murray region in Mulwala, offers an outdoor bar and casual relaxed dining overlooking Lake Mulwala. Learn to water ski on a world-class, private, twin lake the Max Kirwan Ski Park.
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Cool off with an adventure: NSW is a watersports playground
Mulwala Water Ski Club, Mulwala Credit: Destination NSW
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Hot sands, wild rivers, bays with towers of coral and waves that curl like a rockabilly quiff – NSW is a paradise for adventure on and under the water. For adrenaline-chasers, there are world-class waves and whitewater runs, foils and jet boats built for speed, and reefs home to sharks and turtles. For the quiet adventurers, try paddleboard expeditions, fishing for rainbow trout and bass in pristine rivers, and colourful snorkelling spots.
Your next adrenaline hit
Surfing may be the famous action-hero of the NSW watersports scene, but the state’s rivers, lakes, bays and beaches also host a huge diversity of aquatic adventures to get the heart racing. Take in Sydney Harbour’s icons, while spinning, splashing and thundering past in a jet boat with Oz Jet Boating or Thunder Jet Boat. In Western Sydney, Penrith is a hub for adventure. Penrith Whitewater Stadium, purpose-built for the 2000 Olympics, is uniquely set up for both beginner paddling and intense raft adventures, as well as kayak courses where you can test yourself against Olympic times; Cables Wake Park teaches you to wakeboard via zipline (jumps and obstacles included); and Jet Pack Adventures lets you feel like a water-powered Iron Man.
In Brooklyn, on the Hawkesbury River, Jet Ski Safaris will take you around the bends of the river at 30 knots, while Fliteschool Manly and OzFoiling (with multiple locations on the Mid North Coast) will teach you how to cruise the coastline via eFoil, a motorised surfboard that glides above the water like an elegant seabird. Outside of Sydney, on the Murray River, encounter one of the greatest and oldest waterski clubs in the world at Mulwala Water Ski Club.
Find a wave
With reliable breaks on some of the world’s most picturesque beaches, NSW is a premium spot on the international surf circuit. Surfers with their own board and years of experience behind them can find world-class waves all up the coast while newbies can join in on a surfing lesson, all you have to do is choose which one and which beach. You can also practice on a perfectly shaped, perfectly reliable wave (with multiple options suitable for beginners or experts) at URBNSURF, Olympic Park’s surf park, and finish off with a meal at RAFI, the onsite Applejack-run restaurant and bar that overlooks the waves.
URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
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URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Explore NSW’s coral reefs
The pristine, ecologically rich seas of NSW have seen the development of 10 protected marine parks covering more than 100,000 square kilometres, offering a haven to wildly diverse range of sea life. Beyond those areas, in the harbour and the bays of the coastal cities, there are also vibrant ecosystems ripe for snorkel or scuba dive trips. Self-guided snorkelling can be done in most places along the coast and, provided you have the equipment and training, so can diving. Or learn the ropes with a tour. Woebegone Expeditions and Courses will teach you how to explore the reefs of the South Coast with safe, freediving techniques; Region X Snorkel Tours has you jumping off a kayak with a snorkel around Batemans Bay; and Ecotreasures fits in a headland walk between time in the aquatic reserve around Manly. For new divers, you can explore the lower North Coast with Jetty Dive Centre or the tropical far North Coast with Cooly Eco Adventures. While Sydney Underwater Scooters will set you up with a handheld swim-assister and show you the clear waters and underwater fauna of Sydney’s Gordon’s Bay.
Paddling sunrise to sunset
Every river, bay and lake has a different scene and a different story, and cruising on a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) lets you discover at your own pace. NSW is also full of explorers and local experts ready to guide you along the way. In Sydney, Sydney Harbour Kayaks and Sydney by Kayak will introduce you to the harbour at its multicolour best with dawn and dusk paddles. Manly Kayak Centre has both hire and guided options for kayaks and SUP, as well as giving you the opportunity to try your hand at SUPBALL, which is like polo but replaces the horse with a SUP. Cronulla SUP and Balmoral Paddlesurf let you explore less famous, but no less beautiful, beaches of Sydney’s south and north respectively.
On the Sapphire Coast combine your next river adventure with a story, like on Navigate Expeditions’ Aboriginal Culture Tour, where you journey into the land’s Indigenous heritage, or a Kayak and Shuck Tour where you visit the oyster farms. On the North Coast, social enterprise and SUP tour guides Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours offers cultural eco-tourism on a paddleboard around the pristine waters of Solitary Island Marine Park. Not far away in The Tweed, Watersports Guru offers SUP lessons and hire, allowing you to cruise the waters Cudgen Creek while taking in the local birdlife – if you’re lucky you may even see a pod of dolphins.
Reel in a new experience
With pristine rivers and wild oceans, NSW is a dream for fishing for both newbies and those looking for the next big catch. Out on the oceans of the South Coast Kiama Charter Service will help you pull in your first deep-sea fish (go for blue-eye trevalla, gemfish or hapuka). While Port Macquarie Fishing Charters, Reel Ocean Adventures (in Tuncurry) and Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters, provide the boats, deep-sea equipment and vibes on the North Coast. Inland, learn traditional yabbying in the bush at Narrabri Fish Farm, or set up your own line on NSW’s most epic jetties at Coffs Harbour, Lake Macquarie and Lake St Clair in the Hunter Valley. If you know the ways of a fly fisher, the Snowy Mountains and Blue Mountains are the hot spots.
Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
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Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru
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Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru