4 Aboriginal-owned tourism experiences to seek out in Queensland

Walkabout Cultural Adventures

Walkabout Cultural Adventures owner, Juan Walker might have gone down a very different path had he started a planned electrical apprenticeship instead of taking his grandmother’s advice to become a tour guide. He’s now been showcasing his backyard in the Daintree-Mossman region of Cairns and Great Barrier Reef – drenched in myth and lore – to curious visitors for 15 years, sharing his Kuku Yalanji culture and the concept of belonging to, not owning the land.

Over the course of a day you might learn how to spearfish, forage for pipis, and decode bush medicine as you explore the most significant cultural sites in the Daintree Rainforest. Through sharing stories of the Dreamtime and of his ancestors, Juan creates a meaningful connection to Country – allowing you to see through new eyes and understand the significance of sites like Mossman Gorge.

“I think it’s really important that more people learn about the land and learn about the environment and gain a bit of respect for it,” Walker says. “Because if we connect to it, we can respect it, and if we respect it, we can start to learn and respect each other a lot more.”

Jarramali Rock Art Tours

When former carpenter, Johnny Murison, stumbled across a gallery of Aboriginal rock art while four-wheel-driving near Laura a few years ago, his life changed forever. “My jaw hit the floor when I saw the art the first time,” says Johnny. “It gives me goosebumps to think they were painted by my family members, Kuku Yalanji people.”

Johnny started Jarramali Rock Art Tours in 2017 to show visitors this so-called “Magnificent Gallery” – a collection of 450 well-preserved works across a 40-metre swathe of remote sandstone. Rated by UNESCO as one of the Top 10 rock art sites in the world, it’s thought 10,000 such rock art sites adorn the 230,000 hectares of wilderness in the Laura Basin, collectively known as Quinkan Country. But the Magnificent Gallery is particularly special because there are no boardwalks and getting there is a lesson in grit along the ‘Thousand-Dollar Track’ (what it’ll cost you to fix your car after you’ve driven it) in Johnny’s 4WD. You can reach it by helicopter if you prefer.

The etchings of kangaroos, emus and echidnas alongside female ancestral bodies, lore men and medicine men provide a window to life 20,000 years ago. “I can show you the whole structure of our society by looking at that gallery,” Johnny says.

Besides the art, the overnight campsite is almost worth the journey alone; perched on the edge of an escarpment with a natural rock infinity pool.

Janbal Gallery

Though formally trained as an artist, Brian “Binna” Swindley first learned to paint from his uncles, Kuku Yalanji elders. “They painted didgeridoos and boomerangs and bark paintings; I’ve never painted on bark in my life,” Binna says. “Things always change. You can’t go backwards, you have to go forwards. How I paint changes every year.”

Binna is the only Aboriginal artist in Tropical North Queensland to own his own gallery. At Janbal Gallery (named after his mother Shirley “Janbal” Swindley) in Mossman you can explore artworks celebrating the reef and rainforest culture of the Kuku Yalanji or join a hands-on workshop to paint your own canvas or boomerang.

Armed with a simple bamboo stick and carried along by Binna’s storytelling, you’ll create your own dot painting masterpiece to take home in this accessible Indigenous tourism experience. “We belong to the rainforest; the dots represent the raindrops,” Binna explains.

Spirits of the Red Sand (not currently operating)

You may think you know the story of Australia’s colonisation from your school days, but at Spirits of the Red Sand  that story is told through Indigenous eyes; translated through a “roving theatre” experience through a historical village, in a moving mash-up of storytelling, song and dance.

Played out on Yugambeh country between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, nearly 96 per cent of Spirits of the Red Sand employees are Aboriginal. Though sharing a painful slice of history, this storytelling is a form of healing; a way for young performers to honour what those before them endured.

After this humbling experience, you’re invited to share more stories with cast and crew over a BBQ feast that includes emu, kangaroo and crocodile.

“I know there’s a lot to process, and it’s not always enjoyable,” says Shannon Ruska, a Spirits of the Red Sand performer and co-founder. “But we’re not about creating guilt here – it’s about acknowledging and moving forward, bringing our cultures together.”

More Indigenous Queensland tours with Aboriginal guides:

• Go hunting for mud crab with Aboriginal brothers Linc and Bradnon Walker at Cooya Beach, north of Port Douglas with Adventure North Australia
  
• Discover the 31,000 Normanby Station and its hidden rock art riches with Traditional Owner Dylan Harrigan on a Culture Connect tour
• See the Great Barrier Reef through an Indigenous lens with Sea Rangers from four Traditional Owner groups, as well as Torres Strait Islanders, aboard a Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel tour from Cairns
• The Kuku Yalanji are the perfect hosts, offering a blend of intimate storytelling, didgeridoo and song at the Indigenous-inspired dining experience in the rainforest, Flames of the Forest
• Expect a dance performance in a rainforest amphitheatre and a Dreamtime walk involving didgeridoos, boomerangs and some impressive spear throwing (a couple of the guides are world record holders) at Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park
• Take a walk with an Aboriginal guide while learning traditions such as ochre paint making at Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia - Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre