If you’re looking for an experience, an opportunity to learn as well as give back to Aboriginal communities, we have compiled this list of Indigenous Owned Australian companies that provide educational but fun, learning tours that promote traditional aspects of their culture. So, if you’re searching for Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours in Australia, this is a pretty comprehensive list by state.
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A Brief Australian History
Most of Australia’s colonial past has been widely unacknowledged and still today most Australian schools don’t teach any elements of invasion or colonisation as it really happened. Most of what we think we know is not factually correct and is based on a white-centric viewpoint that has deliberately mistold stories for its own benefit.
The UK first invaded Australia in 1770 when there were approximately 750,000 Indigenous Aboriginal people. With them, they brought mass death through disease and genocide reducing communities to very few, if any, people and eradicating large proportions of spoken language.
British troops brutally murdered thousands of Aboriginal people at a time as well as pillaging, enslaving and outlawing mobs. Women were forcibly raped resulting in illegitimate pregnancies where their mixed-race children were frequently killed or subsequently removed from mothers.
The deliberate removal of children happened between 1905 and 1969, although hundreds of Aboriginal children are still removed unnecessarily by Children’s Services every year. The deliberate oppression and incarceration of Aboriginals still remain with tens of Indigenous people killed in Police custody every year and thousands flung in jail.
Australia remains an openly racist country and racism is prevalent and evident at every level of society. How do I know this? I lived in Western Australia for two years and Queensland for eighteen months.
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This Is How Many Indigenous Communities There Once Were
Indigenous cultures in Australia are many and varied and the below map may help demonstrate this. Most cities now have cultural centres where you can connect with the local indigenous community but if you’re looking for a culturally sensitive tour that is owned by Aboriginals and directly benefits Aboriginal communities, we have compiled a list below.
10 Reasons Why Should You Take A Tour
If you’re looking for justification as to why you should take a tour, here’s ten reasons why!
- These are often marginalised communities that are less likely to benefit from Australian programs. Your direct money enables these community’s to thrive without government assistance.
- You’ll have the opportunity to meet real Indigenous members who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
- You can learn about Aboriginal culture, the landscape and traditions directly from the oldest living culture.
- You’ll gain a deeper appreciation of the damage done by invasion and oppressive government legislation.
- You might be able to hear about real & true history, not the oppressors’ version.
- It’s essential that Aboriginal people maintain and gain control over their stories and handicrafts.
- Most information we hear about these remote communities is pretty racist. By meeting Aboriginal people directly you can challenge learned oppression and racism.
- You might have the opportunity to see rock art from over 50,000 years ago!
- If you take a class from Indigenous members, you’ll be learning new skills.
- Any opportunity to be in nature and experience nature is incredible for our mental health and for learning about how to better protect our environment.
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Racist things you might hear in Australia and how you can combat them
- They breed like rabbits: Just 300 years ago Aboriginals made up 100% of Australia’s total population. Now it’s less than 3%. They can’t be breeding that quickly.
- They’re all drug addicts: Some communities have problems with drugs & alcohol, just like some communities do everywhere. White people introduced both drugs and alcohol into their communities and continue to exploit their vulnerabilities by dealing there. Children who are subjected to unresolved trauma are 6000% more likely to suffer from addiction problems. This is why it’s essential that Indigenous children have access to mental health teams, good education and why adults should be supported to be the best parents they can.
- It’s their fault we have meth labs: Meth or ice as it’s known in Australia was introduced by the white man and I can find no evidence online from any meth lab conviction that the labs were run by an Aboriginal person. Drugs are a problem in every country.
- They’re a drain on the health system: White people stole their land and cultivated their own crops on it, meaning that many lands can no longer be traditionally farmed or used. Many remote communities have been forced to be reliant on shops where they stock produce that is high in saturated fat, sugar and processed foods. They have no choice but to shop in these shops which contribute to their chronic health problems and poverty. If you want to know more about this, That Sugar Movement examines this problem.
- They don’t do anything to integrate: Think about how easy it is to live in a country when everything is stacked against you. When the British emigrated to Spain they stuck together because there’s safety in numbers and they wanted to support each other. If you’ve been subjected to a life time’s worth of oppression, regardless of what you do, how easy is it to integrate and do you want to? You want to be with people who have the same values and belief system as you and western culture currently sees capitalism and wealth of money and possession above everything else. This is at contrast to parts of the Aboriginal culture which values the earth and living in sync with it. Finding common ground has not been actively pursued until very recently.
- They’re always in trouble with the police: Aboriginal people are highly surveyed and controlled and white people call the police far more on them. Institutional racism within Australian police is high and stop and search orders are conducted more frequently on Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people are far more likely to be incarcerated than white people who commit the same crimes, they’re far more likely to die because of police custody and the school to jail route is sadly high.
- They don’t live by our rules: Aboriginals are more visible because of the colour of their skin. People who already hold racist beliefs are more likely to see and hear those Aboriginals who might be making more noise than others. Certainly, the police who arrest people of colour unnecessarily are going to provoke behaviour deemed less socially acceptable and it’s going to be more visible.
- They’re always drunk: Many communities are dry and don’t have access to alcohol (grog as it’s referred to) however some dry communities are flooded with alcohol deliberately by non-Indigenous so they can exploit them for financial gain.
- But All Lives Matter: All lives cannot matter until black lives matter. Dr Ali Meghji from Cambridge Uni explains why.
Further reading
If you’re interested in knowing more about how Australia oppresses the Aboriginal communities, these nine links are a good start.
- How Australia oppresses Aboriginal people today
- Why is Australia so unwilling to change its prejudices
- The forgotten struggles of Australia’s Aboriginal people
- Genocide is still happening in Australia. Why?
- Racial discrimination in Australia
- How capitalism oppresses Aboriginal people.
- Does the Australian government discriminate against Aboriginals?
- Experiences of racism in the health service
- Why do so many Aboriginals experience disadvantage?
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
Here’s a list of tours sorted by states.
Western Australia
- Kooma Dreaming – Yallingup near Dunsborough.
- Wuddi Tours – Dumbleyung area, 3 hours south-east of Perth.
- Go Cultural – Central Perth
- Mabu Buru Tours – Broome
- Kimberley Cultural Adveentures– Broome
- Lombadina– Broome
- Narlijia– Broome
- Uptuyu Adventures– Broome
- Lullumb Tours– Broome
- Kooljaman – Broome
- Narlijia Tours – Broome
- Wula Gura Nyinda – Shark Bay
- Nyungar Tours – South Perth
- Bindi Bindi Dreaming – North Perth
- Bungoolee – Windjana Gorge
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
New South Wales
- Kinchela Boys Home – Waterloo
- Aboriginal Blue Mountains Tour –Faulconbridge Railway Station
- Me Mel Island – Me-Mel (Goat Island)
- Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness.– Handkerchief Beach
- Bundyi Cultural Tours– Wagga Wagga
- Wajaana Yaam– Coffs harbour
- Unkya Eco Tours– Scotts Head
- Dreamtime SouthernX– Sydney
- Guringai Aboriginal Tours– Kuringai Chase National Park. Sydney
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
Northern Territories
- Banubanu – Nhulunbuy in East Arnhem Land.
- Arnhemland Safaris– Mt Borradaile, Arnhemland,
- Kakadu Cultural Tours– Jabiru
- Injalak Arts– Gunbalanya
- Nitmiluk Tours & Cicada Lodge– Katherine
- Pudakul Aboriginal Cultural Tours– Beatrice Hill
- RT Tours– Alice Spings
- Maruku Arts– Uluru
- Remote Op Shop Project (this is not a tour but an opportunity to give to Indigenous-owned op (charity) shops.)
- Karrke– Watarrka National Park
- Girri Girra Tours – Bouddi National Park
- Lirrwi– North East Arnhem Land, Australia.
- Standley Chasm– Alice Springs
- Northern Territory Indigenous Tours – Howard Springs, Darwin
- Rainbow Valley Cultural Tours – Rainbow Valley, Alice Springs
- Hermannsburg Historic Precinct – Hermannsburg
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
Queensland
- Spirits of the red sand – Beenleigh
- Walkabout Cultural Adventures– Daintree
- Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks –
- Nyanda Cultural Tours– Nudgee
- Mungalla Aboriginal Tours (I am 90% sure this is owned by the landowners although it was established by an Irish man). – Ingham
- Girringun Art Centre – Cardwell
- Mossman Gorge Centre – Mossman Gorge
- Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre– Burleigh Heads
- Kuku Bulkaway Indigenous Arts and Craft shop– Cooktown
- Djunbunji – Bessie Point
- Laura Dance Festival (Beginning July) – Laura
- The Bama Way– Cairns
- Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours– Cooya Beach
- Guurrbi Tours – Cooktown
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
South Australia
- Bookabee – Grange
- Yirramboi First Nations Arts Festival– Melbourne
- A-TAEM -Melbourne
- Aboriginal Cultural Tours– Pearce
- Iga Warta – Copley
- Four Winds Cultural Guiding – Quorn
- Wulde Waiirri Cultural Tours – Macgillivray
- Tandanya Spirit Festival – Adelaide
- Camp Coorong – Murray Bridge
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
Victoria
- Victoria Indigenous Cultural Festival – Melbourne
- Budj Bim Tours – Heywood
- Wurundjeri walking tour – Kallista
- Narana Cultural Education – Charlemont
- Charcoal Lane stories & food – Fitzroy
- Koorie Heritage Trust – Melbourne
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Culturally Sensitive Aboriginal Tours
Tasmania
- Wukalina Walk – Bay of Fire
- Tiaggara – Devonport
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Have I missed any company that should feature here? Have I made a mistake and you’ve spotted a company that is NOT owned by Indigenous people? Please let me know so I can make changes.
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What Else Could You Do In Australia?
We spent just short of four years living in Australia, although we didn’t blog back then. Here’s a selection of places to visit and things to do.