The best kid-friendly Indigenous experiences in Queensland

List

By Danielle Reckless

Queensland is home to the world's oldest surviving and most fascinating Indigenous cultures, and there's so much to learn outside the classroom.

From artist-led painting workshops and rainforest tours in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, to Dreamtime stories on the Gold Coast, and ancient rock art in the outback, these incredible Indigenous experiences will keep the kids captivated - whether you're looking for a weekend activity or something unique to incorporate into your next holiday.

1. Experience timeless culture on Country

Aboriginal man teaching young girl to throw a boomerang, while her family watches, on the Mungulla Aboriginal Tours to learn the culture and history of the Nywaigi Aboriginal people — Mungulla Aboriginal Tours, Townsville

Across Queensland, Indigenous communities welcome visitors onto Country to learn their history, traditions and ways of life still practiced today.

Family-owned Taribelang Bunda Cultural Tours in Bundaberg is one of the newest kid-friendly Indigenous experiences. On a half-day tour, families can taste bush tucker, learn about traditional artefacts – like how Boomerangs were used in everyday life – and discover the unique culture of the Taribelang People who have lived in the region for more than 60,000 years, while touring many of the region’s most significant sites. This tour is recommended for children aged 8 years and over.

Visiting Townsville? Make your way to grand Mungalla Station for a fascinating tour that will introduce you to 45,000 years of Nywaigi Aboriginal Culture. Not only will the kids have the chance to learn how to throw a boomerang or a spear, but they’re sure to be captivated by the unique stories shared by Mungalla Aboriginal Tours. Explore the original homestead site to hear pioneering stories about Irish settler James Cassady and his family: they were the first European settlers on Mungalla and advocated for Aboriginal People and allowed their ancestors to remain on their traditional lands. Then, learn more about the lives of the Nywaigi People at the Captive Lives exhibition displayed in the homestead. You can also add on an eco-tour to discover efforts to regenerate their wetlands and save endangered species.

2. Hit the Southern Gold Coast

Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers from Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | NAIDOC week Queensland — Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast

Burn off some energy on a storytelling walk around Dreaming Mountain at Burleigh Head National Park, run every weekday by the friendly folk at Jellurgal Cultural Centre. Kids will love the beachfront ceremonial dancing, didgeridoo performance, ochre anointments and smoking ceremony.

At nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, littlies can catch a glimpse into the ancient world of the Yugambeh people during the Aboriginal Dance Show before meeting a koala and feeding the resident rainbow lorikeets by hand.

3. Explore, hunt and gather in the Daintree

Young girl and father explore the mangroves with an Indigenous guide at Walkabout Cultural Adventures — Walkabout Cultural Adventures, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Looking to reconnect as a family? World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest is just the place, with a range of kid-friendly Indigenous experiences on offer.

Head out with Kuku Yulanji Cultural Habitat Tours to learn to live off the land at Cooya Beach, just 7km northwest of Port Douglas: this is a great tour for teens. Explore the mudflats, mangroves and tidal lagoons as you discover the traditions of those who first inhabited the region.

You can also book a full day cultural experience with Walkabout Cultural Adventures. Your local Aboriginal tour guide will walk you through culturally significant sites and explain the relationship between the Kuku Yalanji and their land. Then, you’ll learn how to collect bush tucker, how to hunt and how to catch a mud crab - right on the beautiful beaches of Cape Tribulation.

4. Feel the magic of the rainforest

Young girl having her face painted by an Aboriginak man at Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park — Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Begin your day at Rainforestation Nature Park in the rainforest village of Kuranda with front row seats to a rousing Aboriginal dance show in the rainforest amphitheatre, then let the little ones try their hand at boomerang-throwing on the Dreamtime Walk. The experience continues with an all-terrain adventure through the lush, tropical rainforest aboard the amphibious World War II Army Duck.

5. Get a taste of the outback

Family of four and an Aboriginal tour guide explore bushland on Turraburra — Turraburra, near Aramac, Outback Queensland

Head into Queensland’s vast red dirt country for an outback experience the whole family will remember. Set on almost 9,000 hectares near Aramac and Barcaldine in Outback Queensland, Turraburra is a former cattle station that has been restored by Traditional Owners in order to showcase the significant Indigenous rock art gallery located on the land. The Marra Wonga sandstone escarpment is known as the ‘teaching wall of life’ and contains thousands of etchings, petroglyphs (rock carvings) and stencil paintings left by generations of the Iningai People. Turraburra offers a range of tours – including immersive multi-day experiences – but the three hour tour is perfect for kids of all ages to explore the rock art, sampling local bush tucker along the way.

6. Dive into Butchulla culture and practices

Indigenous performer adorned in traditional body paint performs for an audience on Turtle Discovery Tour — Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours, Fraser Coast

Take the kids on an ecotour to spot sea turtles in the calm waters of the Great Sandy Marine Park near Hervey Bay and K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), while learning about the culture of the Butchulla people and importance of Butchulla Lore.

Big kids will be able to dive in the marine park and see fish habitat amongst the coral reef, while younger kids can see turtles, dolphins and occasional dugong from the viewing deck.

7. Unleash your inner artist

Close up of Indigenous artist, Brian "Binna" Swindley, hands as he demonstrates Aboriginal dot painting during an art class at Janbal Gallery, Mossman — Janbal Gallery, Mossman, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Kids often learn best by getting hands on, so unleash their creative side at Mossman's Janbal Gallery - where they won't just look at art, but make it themselves.

Paint your own canvas or boomerang workshops run at 10am and 2pm Monday to Friday, and can cater to children and families as well as education and tour groups. Learn the stories and meanings behind Binna Swindley's artworks, then dive into the paints.

8. Explore the site of ancient ceremonies

Aboriginal performer draws in the sand at Gummingurru Cultural Learnscape — Gummingurru Cultural Learnscape, Queensland Country

Just two hours’ drive from Brisbane into Queensland Country – a new cultural learning experience known as Gummingurru Cultural Landscape invites visitors onto a historical ceremonial site of the Jarowair Aboriginal people. Set on the location of stone arrangements which have been dated between 4000-6000 years, this land holds huge cultural significance – a place of ceremony and initiation by Aboriginal People making their journeys to the Bunya Mountains.

The Traditional Custodians of Gummingurru have cared for the land since it was handed back to them in 2008, and today families can join a tour to hear the histories and stories passed down through generations, witness a smoking ceremony, and explore ‘hands on’ with artefacts, tools and plants in the cultural centre and nursery.

Still on the hunt for more kid-friendly ideas? Prep for your next family visit with our guides on great stuff to do with the kids in Brisbane and Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.