Experience Indigenous culture on a 6-day solo road trip around Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
Road Trip
By Hannah Statham
There’s a perception that solo travel must involve partying along the backpacker circuit or sightseeing shoulder-to-shoulder with large tour groups of total strangers, but we do travel-for-one a little bit differently here in Queensland.
If you’re looking to experience Indigenous culture and connect with the oldest civilisation on the planet, there’s no need to put a pin on your plans until you have a plus one.
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef might be the most northern region of Australia, but this itinerary is far from remote – perfect for lone-travellers wanting to immerse themselves in the best of Indigenous culture, with the company of a guide and a handful of likeminded, soon to be new friends.
Pack your bags and pick up a boarding pass that reads CNS, with this six-day itinerary to explore Queensland’s cultural side.
Day 1: Get a lay of the land
There’s no mistaking you’ve arrived in Cairns with its balmy heat that washes over every arrival like a baptism into tropical time.
You’re here for Indigenous cultural experiences, so start this itinerary in the means you wish to carry on with your first immersive Indigenous tour, Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience.
After dropping your bags at one of these Cairns hotels, ask reception to connect you with Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to explore the rainforest village of Kuranda.
Not only will your ride take you over the famous foliage of the Wet Tropics Rainforest, you’ll descend after a 7.5km cableway ride into Kuranda for your first Indigenous experience of the trip.
Enter Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation, the recipient of the gold award at the 2019 Queensland Tourism Award’s for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism.
Set yourself aside an hour for the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience, which includes an Aboriginal dance performance held in a rainforest amphitheatre, followed by a Dreamtime walk accompanied by a host who will teach you hunting techniques, boomerang throwing and didgeridoo playing.
You can return to your Cairns base either by Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, or mix things up with one of the most scenic rail rides in Queensland, Kuranda Scenic Railway.
Day 2: See the Great Barrier Reef from a different perspective
There’s plenty of ways to see the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, but there’s only one way to see it with Indigenous sea rangers who share the reef’s story through the lens of both science and culture.
Join Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel and step back into the dreamtime on their day tour which ticks off two outer reef sites - Moore Reef, or Milln/Flynn Reef.
Across five hours under the guide of Traditional Owners of this very Sea Country, you’ll unlock a new side of the Great Barrier Reef as passed down from the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji, Mandingalbay Yidinji, Yirrganydji & Gunggandji people.
You can explore the reef at your own pace on this day tour with complimentary snorkel and flippers on board, glass bottom boat cruises and fish feeding, or you can up the ante with optional extras including introduction to diving, certified diving and guided snorkel tours of the reef.
If you’re not sure which is for you – snorkelling vs scuba – this guide will help and you’re welcome to change your mind to do the other at any point during the day (numbers permitting).
With the boat due to dock back into Cairns well before sunset (4.30pm), you’ll have ample time to find a spot to watch the sun go down over the water, indulge in a feast, and reflect on your day.
Day 3: Hear the stories of both reef and rainforest
You’ll need to put 70-kilometres between Cairns and your next destination, Port Douglas, where the next chapter of your Indigenous cultural experience begins.
Port Douglas might be best known for its reef, rainforests, resorts and relaxation, but if you dig a little deeper, its connection to country is what supports its most famous assets.
In fact, the Kuku Yalanji people are custodians of both land and sea, which is fitting considering Port Douglas is a stone’s throw from where the rainforest and reef meet.
To learn about the symbiotic relationship between both environments, join Walkabout Cultural Adventures for either a full or half day Indigenous experience you’re unlikely to forget.
Tours start in the rainforest before making their way to the mangroves and mudflats that hug the reef, where your host will teach you how to hunt for seafood that will turn what looks like an empty beach into a seafood smorgasbord.
You’ll learn what to look for under careful tutelage, learning the hunting craft honed by the Walker-family and their people for tens of thousands of years.
With small tour group sizes of between 2-11 people, you’ll have ample time to ask your host questions about culture and traditions of Australian Aboriginal people who have lived sustainably off the environment for tens of thousands of years before Captain Cook touched foot on dry land.
Expect no staged routine, this tour is as authentic as it comes. With no gift store on exit, your souvenir will come in the form of a full belly from a self-caught seafood lunch, memories and a greater connection to land, air and sea.
Day 4: Blend culture and creativity
Janbal Gallery
Arguably one of the most famous outputs of the Indigenous community in Queensland's tropical north is its artwork, and if you’re looking for a piece to celebrate your cultural experience, you must go to Janbal Gallery.
You’ll find this 100% Indigenous owned art gallery outside Port Douglas in the town of Mossman, with art works adorning the gallery walls, depicting reef, rainforest and life in the tropics – like a visual encyclopedia of the Kuku Yalanji people.
Want to get hands on? Learn to paint with Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley, a proud Kuku Yalanji man who teaches visitors how to paint the traditional way using sticks in lieu of a brush.
Across a 1.5-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to paint your own canvas or boomerang workshops, but of course if you’d like to leave it to the professionals, the gallery is open for sales Monday to Friday.
Allocate at least half a day to exploring Binna’s studio, which leaves your afternoon free to try a few of these things to do in Port Douglas or explore the magic of Mossman Gorge.
Day 5: Escape to the Cape
Jarramali Rock Art Tours
There’s no need to rule out the northern frontier of Australia, Cape York, when travelling alone – there are plenty of guided tours to this corner of the Queensland map.
Jarramali Rock Art Tours (not currently operating) run bespoke 4WD and helicopter tours to this remote and rugged part of Australia, leading to a homestay near the Indigenous community of Laura about a third of the way up the peninsula’s map.
Lead by a Traditional Owner, you can take Jarramali’s tour in either a full day or overnight format, to explore hidden rock art found in an exclusive location only available to Jarramali guests, which is reason enough to book.
The rock art in question are found at the site of Quinkan, which has been recognised by UNESCO has one of the top 10 most significant bodies of rock art in the world. This is no ordinary rock art site, consider it a living museum painted into the sandstone walls, sharing stories of the prehistoric flora and fauna found in Australia 20,000 years ago.
It’s worth staying the night to experience Jarramali bush camp at magic hour, if time permits on your itinerary.
Your hosts will set up a comfortable tent for your evening spent sleeping out under blanket of stars as you fall asleep to the round of a crackling fire, didgeridoo and nocturnal bird calls.
Day 6: Wake up with the birds before returning to reality
After waking up to the sound of Australian birdlife rather than the trill of your phone’s alarm, spend the morning exploring the homestead's fresh waterholes, old ruins and more rock art sites in the area.
You’ll be back on the road with your host just before lunch, to ensure an afternoon arrival into Cairns where your next adventure or homeward flight awaits.
As predictable that day turns to night, all good holidays must come to an end. Now that you know Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is solo-traveller friendly, you’ll have a few hours at 30,000 feet to start predicting and planning your next escape.
To get you started, we’ll leave these here for you:
