16 Aboriginal tours in WA to make you have a cultural awakening.
The world’s oldest living culture stretches back over 50,000 years and fast forward to present times, educating yourself on the compelling history of the traditional custodians of the land is within easy reach.
There are over 120 Aboriginal tourism operators right here in Western Australia, offering people a chance to learn from some of the world’s first storytellers through a variety of unforgettable experiences.
Here we list 16 Aboriginal tours and experiences that celebrate Aboriginal culture and heritage in Western Australia.
For more tours, discover the full list at WAITOC.
Perth
Bindi Bindi Dreaming
It’s time to have an authentic and enhanced understanding of the unique Aboriginal culture of Perth with Bindi Bindi Dreaming. Journey like a Bindi Bindi (Nyoongar for butterfly) on this locally owned and operated tour while discovering aspects of the Nyoongar culture and engaging in the continuation of cultural traditions that exist today.
Website: Bindi Bindi Dreaming
Go Cultural
Enrich your awareness of Perth’s cultural past as Nyoongar guide Walter McGuire leads you through Perth’s most beautiful and iconic sites, discussing their intriguing history and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people. Walter performs a traditional welcome and incorporates ancient Dreamtime stories, traditional songs and the Nyoongar language. Be immersed in Walter’s take on our cultural past with tours in Kings Park (Karrgatup), Elizabeth Quay (Goomup), Yagan Square (Goologoolup) and Rottnest Island (Wadjemup).
Website: Go Cultural
Warrang-Bridil
Deepen your understanding of our ancient lands through a tour of Perth’s cultural precincts. This reflective one-hour experience provides awareness and knowledge of the Nyoongar heritage. The tour explores the shores of the Swan River (Derbal Yerrigan) and Matagarup Bridge leading up to the Optus Stadium precinct. The tour also delves into the heart of the Nyoongar culture, providing an insight into the pre-colonisation of Nyoongar lands and the importance of culture, language and social structures.
Website: Warrang-bridil
Djurandi Dreaming
Discover the layers of Nyoongar culture with Wadjuk tour guide and artworks specialist, Justin Martin. Djurandi Dreaming’s mission is to showcase the Aboriginal culture in informative and creative ways and to give a spiritual introduction to the land. There are several tours available, from taking a night stroll around Elizabeth Quay to receiving an in-depth perspective of Rockingham’s Point Peron. Take a journey through the Dreamtime embarking on a torchlight tour of Lake Walyungup or Lake Richmond and enjoy nature under the stars like never before.
Website: Djurandi Dreaming
Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery
Located in the heart of the Swan Valley is a place that exudes the ancient Nyoongar culture in the most vibrant of ways. Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery is an Aboriginal owned and operated enterprise filled with local Aboriginal artworks and high-quality Australian made souvenirs. It is also a hub for cultural activities, talks, performances and bushtucker experiences.
Visitors can also savour the taste of the Nyoongar culture with sampling sauces, jams, chutneys from the gallery’s bushtucker range.
Website: Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery
Outside Perth
Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours (Bunbury)
See Bunbury (Goomburrup) from a whole new perspective journeying through the Dreamtime. Natural storyteller and artist Troy Bennell intertwines his cultural knowledge with Dreamtime stories and whimsical yarns about Bunbury’s original inhabitants, the Nyoongar people, on both his Dreaming Town tour and Estuary Walkabout tour. Let Troy guide you to hidden locations along the Collie River to learn about the bush, bushtucker and the signs of life all around you. His tours also discuss traditional and modern ways of Aboriginal life, the Nyoongar six seasons and Dolphin Dreaming, connecting to Bunbury’s famed population of wild bottlenose dolphins.
Website: Ngalang Wongi
Uptuyu Adventures (Broome)
Mix walking through Broome’s famed Chinatown with a personal insight into Broome’s pearling history. Along the ‘Bingi through a Porthole’ tour, local Aboriginal guide Neville Poelina dives deep into his own tales as a third-generation pearl diver and those of Broome’s pioneers.
Website: Visit Broome
Hunters Creek Tagalong Tours (The Kimberley)
Tag along with one of the Kimberley’s most loved tour guides Brian Lee on an epic adventure exploring the beautiful turquoise water and red rust cliffs of the Dampier Peninsula. Once a camping ground for the Bardi (Saltwater) people, Brian takes you to the banks along Hunters Creek to learn of the area’s ancient stories and be taught traditional fishing and crabbing techniques. Tours end with a feast where you can cook your catch on an open fire.
Website: Kooljaman
Bungoolee Tours (The Kimberley)
Join Bunuba Elder Dillon Andrews on an extraordinary journey into the heart of Windjana Gorge, taking in its spiritual beauty that only a few get to experience.
Let Dillion guide you through WA’s oldest cave system at Tunnel Creek, a 350 million-year-old fossilised Devonian Reef System forming part of the Napier Range. It is here Dillion captures your imagination with the storytelling of Jandamarra, a freedom fighter caught between two cultures and who ultimately, defended Bunuba country against the odds. Hear the Dreamtime stories and learn of the natural history of this incredibly picturesque spot.
Website: Bungoolee Tours
Kodja Place (Kojonup, Great Southern)
Take a stroll through Nyoongar history and Australian country life at Kodja Place. A moving interpretive display of photographs, art and objects from Kojonup’s Nyoongar-Aboriginal and settler cultures that are woven together in stories that will move you.
Join local Elder Jack Cox for traditional billy tea and damper, or if you’re feeling adventurous, a guided bushtucker tour. Jack will also treat you to captivating displays of the Nyoongar kodj axe, a tammar-skin rug, a Nyoongar-Maori wedding cape and a newcomer’s bushfire experience.
Website: Kodja Place
Kooljaman and Cape Leveque (The Kimberley)
Get off the grid and head north into the wilderness with a stay at Kooljaman. This unique eco-retreat is locally owned and operated by the Aboriginal Bardi Jawi communities at Cape Leveque on Native Title Land, just a quick flight or 2.5-hour drive from Broome.
Kooljaman has a variety of accommodation options to choose from to receive a cultural and ecological awakening, from campsites, beach shelters, cabins to the impressive deluxe safari tents. This could be the most authentic eco getaway experience you’ll have, with plenty of activities on offer or just take your time to soak in the area’s spectacular scenery and incredible wildlife.
Website: Kooljaman
Koomal Dreaming (Margaret River)
Let local Wadandi guide Josh Whiteland take you on a cultural journey like no other as you experience Margaret River’s attractions in a new light. Discover Ngilgi Cave at twilight on a Didgeridoo Cave tour, which includes a moving performance deep inside the Earth. Listen to ancient stories, tales from the didgeridoo, and search and taste native bush foods and medicines.
Guests can also experience the Margaret River seascape while learning how the seasons influence what the Wandandi people hunt and gather.
Website: Koomal Dreaming
Luridgii Eco Cultural Tours (Kununurra)
See the Kimberley’s awe-inspiring natural beauty and the rare gems that the region produces. Kununurra-based tour guide Ted Hall leads the way to the Argyle Diamond Mine, where you’ll catch a glimpse of rare pink diamonds and discover the history and what is involved in their extraction. Ted has a variety of tours that include 4WD tag along, outback camping and cultural awareness programs in Miriuwung country.
Website: Luridgii Eco Cultural Tours
Narlijia Experiences (Broome)
‘Narlijia’ means ‘true to you’ and that is what proud Yawuru man Bart Pigram’s tours reflect, sharing his Aboriginal and multicultural perspective on the pearling town of Broome and its compelling history. On his tours, you will discover more about the Saltwater people and the relationship of food and land that has allowed this ancient culture to thrive. Take part in foraging for tasty morsels in Broome’s mangroves such as oysters and mud crabs at low tide.
Website: Narlijia Experiences
Ngurrangga Tours (Pilbara)
Join Clinton Walker, a descendant of the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people and see the Pilbara through the eyes of a traditional owner. Learn about bush foods and medicines, hear traditional stories and songs amongst a picturesque backdrop. Let Clinton guide you to Burrup Peninsula, one of Australia’s most significant heritage sites and home to the largest collection of ancient Aboriginal rock carvings, some dating back 40,000 years.
Website: Ngurrangga Tours
Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Adventures (Shark Bay)
The World Heritage-listed Shark Bay region is where the red sand meets the blue sea, and what better way to experience it than develop a deep connection to this saltwater paradise. Join Darren ‘Capes’ Capewell for an unforgettable Aboriginal experience, giving you a deeper understanding of the local Nhanda and Malgana Aboriginal people and their relationship to the land, home to some of Australia’s most unique wildlife and geology.
Capes offers an array of cultural guided tours available to suit including kayak, 4WD, SUP and Didgeridoo Dreaming. Multi-day trips are also available to truly immerse yourself in the region including exclusive escapes to Dirk Hartog Island (Wirruwana) Dreaming Safari.
Website: Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Adventures
We’re free to Wander Out Yonder – explore more of WA by visiting westernaustralia.com.
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All images featured courtesy Tourism Western Australia
