Indigenous gift ideas to make this Christmas extra special for your special someone

In search of a unique present for the artist, culture-seeker or adventurer in your life? Something special for the kids that will get them creative rather than captivated by their screens? Perhaps you’re looking to gift an experience you can share together rather than add to the clutter?

The best gifts are those that stay with you for a lifetime – and these unique Indigenous gift ideas will be an unforgettable way to show your love this Christmas, while sharing a whole new way to explore Queensland too.

Read on to discover the best Indigenous gift ideas across the state.

Brisbane

Celebrate the festive season at Birrunga Gallery & Dining

Perfect for: the foodie

Got a loved one who’s always on the hunt for the newest restaurant opening or new cuisine to try? Forgo a traditional Christmas present and instead gift a dining experience at Birrunga in Brisbane City. This First Nations owned immersive art space and café is sure to bring something new to the table; its menu packed with Indigenous flavours and unique ingredients, such as katsu crocodile, bush spiced kofta bao buns and emu tacos. Book a celebratory dinner in the restaurant, open Wednesday – Friday.

Take a cultural tour of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island)

Perfect for: the island-lover

Nothing says summer like an escape to Minjerribah – just a short hop from Brisbane’s mainland. If a bit of island-living is on the horizon this holiday season, treat your loved one to an art walk and walkshop with Quandamooka artist, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins. Over a few hours you’ll explore Goompee (Dunwich) to discover public art and make your own art to take home. Even if you’ve been to Straddie numerous times, you’ll experience a totally different side of the island with Delvene.

Gold Coast

Combine Indigenous culture and wildlife encounters

Perfect for: the whole family

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is the ultimate family day out, where you can bond over cuddling koalas, meeting kangaroos, hand-feeding rainbow lorikeets and learning about wildlife conservation efforts. Most interestingly, visitors can also catch a glimpse into the ancient world of the Yugambeh people during the Aboriginal Dance Show designed for kids. If quality time together is calling, gift the family entry tickets – or an annual pass to visit as many times as you wish in 2024.

Sunshine Coast

Set sail on a bushtucker-inspired cruise

Perfect for: couples

Treat yourselves to an evening on the water: sunsets over Mooloolaba’s canals sparkle more than new jewellery. Jump on board a heritage-listed sailing vessel and the crew from Saltwater Eco Tours will share Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi history, culture and live music alongside two-hours of the Sunshine Coast’s best views, grazing platters and licensed bar to keep the good times sailing.

Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Paint your own boomerang at Janbal Gallery

Perfect for: your artistic friend

Gift the opportunity to unleash creativity at Mossman's Janbal Gallery. This 100% Aboriginal owned art gallery is not just a place to peruse Indigenous art, but to learn Kuku Yalanji culture, local art techniques and create your own masterpiece on a boomerang or canvas to take home under the guidance of Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley, a Kuku Yalanji man, gallery owner and resident artist.

Gift a dining experience in the Daintree Rainforest

Perfect for: couples

Date night doesn’t get more special than a dining experience in the heart of the Daintree. Flames of the Forest is an Indigenous gift full of heart, especially if the way to your heart is through the stomach: together you’ll enjoy a banquet of local produce accompanied by a musical performances and storytelling from the local Kuku Yalanji People.

Snorkel or dive the Great Barrier Reef

Planning that long awaited Great Barrier Reef holiday? Make your family Christmas gifts a day exploring the outer reef with the marine biologists and Indigenous cultural guides from Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel to experience this ancient wonder through the eyes of its Indigenous custodians. Visitors have the opportunity to dive or snorkel exclusive reef sites throughout the day – while learning the Aboriginal history of the region, the connection of our First Nations People to the sea, and how our Indigenous communities work to protect the Reef.

Heal soul and spirit at Daintree Ecolodge

Perfect for: that person who needs time out

Does someone special in your life deserve a little indulgence? A spa treatment at Daintree Ecolodge is one of the most transformative Indigenous gift experiences in Queensland. Harnessing the therapeutic powers of the rainforest, treatments are inspired by Indigenous wisdom and the healing properties of Australian native botanical ingredients – with the world’s oldest surviving tropical rainforest as your natural soundtrack.

Delve into Dreamtime history

Perfect for: families with kids

Located in Kuranda outside of Cairns, Rainforestation Nature Park is fun for the whole family – with an experience that combines nature, adventure and culture into an action-packed day out. Grab front row seats to a traditional Aboriginal dance show in the rainforest amphitheatre, join the Dreamtime Walk to learn about hunting with spears and boomerangs, and how to play the didgeridoo, then take a Walkabout to learn about the rainforest. Throughout the day you can also hand feed kangaroos and wallabies, see unique Aussie wildlife like cassowaries and saltwater crocs, taste exotic tropical fruit from the orchard, and jump on board an amphibious World War II Army Duck for an all-terrain adventure through the rainforest.

The Whitsundays

Take a boat tour – with a twist – in The Whitsundays

Perfect for: the paradise chasers

Island hopping through The Whitsunday Islands feels like a dream, but there’s no better way to explore than with the seafaring Ngaro People. Forgo the Secret Santa this year and book your crew on Whitsunday Paradise Explorer’s Cultural Tour. This small group boat trip will zip you through the idyllic archipelago, stopping at remote islands to hunt for bushtucker, learn traditional spear fishing techniques, and discover ancient rock art dating back some 9,000 years.

Looking for more Indigenous gifts to share this Christmas? Find moving Indigenous experiences across Queensland here.