The Northern Territory’s Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) in Nitmiluk National Park holds great significance for its Traditional Owners, the Jawoyn people, as the home of the spirits of creation. North-east of Katherine, and occupying almost 3000 square kilometres, the park’s 13-gorge system was carved over 1.6 billion years through ancient sandstone cliffs by the Katherine River, with the full scale of its majesty best taken in from the sky.

Nitmiluk Tours – a Jawoyn-owned operator – takes guests on the Nitmiluk Ultimate Adventure, a spectacular two-hour-and-40-minute helicopter experience over Nitmiluk Gorge, high above the escarpment and deep into the region’s hidden gems. As you skim over stone plateaux and rainforest gullies nestled within the gorge’s giant fissures, you may spot buffalo, black cockatoos, pig-nosed turtles and bounding mobs of kangaroos below. During your journey, you’ll also touch down at a secluded rock-art site where ochre paintings of turtles, fish and Bolung (the Rainbow Serpent) depict stories of creation. 

As the heat of the day takes hold, your pilot will lead you to a remote waterfall or swimming hole to cool down. While the Territory’s wet season (November to April) brings torrential rains, your guides will reveal the year-round opportunities to take a dip in some of the Northern Territory’s most pristine and largely unknown watering holes.

Departing from Gimuy (Cairns), Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel offers a powerful way to experience Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. There are 70 Traditional Owner groups whose Sea Country includes the Great Barrier Reef and their ongoing connection with the reef is recognised in the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage Listing, as a key component of its Outstanding Universal Value.

The full-day Great Barrier Reef Cruise catamaran tour is led by marine biologists as well as First Nations Cultural Guides, who share Creation Stories that anchor the reef in their ancient culture. While snorkelling among coral gardens and bommies, you’ll spy clownfish, moray eels, turtles and more. Back on deck, a buffet lunch prepared by renowned award-winning Ochre Restaurant fuels exploration of the next reef site. You’ll also witness a traditional dance and hear the rhythmic pulse of clap sticks and didjeridu – a reminder that this marine wonder is as rich in cultural heritage as it is in biodiversity.

Dive deeper into the Great Barrier Reef to find Creation Stories amid the corals. Book now at qantas.com.

You’ll need at least two days to explore Western Australia’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park, renowned for the hundreds of otherworldly domes that call it home. Known as Purnululu (the Bungle Bungle Ranges), the beehive-shaped towers of quartz sandstone, striped in horizontal bands of black and orange, were formed over 20 million years and now rise as high as 250 metres above the semi-arid grasslands of Wunan (the East Kimberley).

Largely known only to the local Gija people before coming into mainstream prominence in the 1980s, the Bungle Bungles and Purnululu National Park remain a living cultural landscape for their traditional custodians.

On Kingfisher Tours’ two-day Kununurra to Purnululu 4WD Safari, you’ll join a Gija guide and visit the Warmun Art Centre to see works by Gija artists depicting Creation stories, ancestral narratives and personal experiences; walk through dramatic natural wonders such as Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm; and hike the Mini Palms trail through a gorge of towering Livistona palms. At night, gaze at the glittering Milky Way and Southern Cross in the park’s dark skies before falling asleep in a cosy tented cabin at Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge.

The gold rush in 1851 profoundly reshaped the north-central Victorian town of Bendigo and its surrounds, the traditional home of the local Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung people) and now you can explore this complex history on a 90-minute Djaara-led Ulumbarra CBD Walking Tour that steps into the past, observes the present and imagines the future. 

The experience begins at the Ulumbarra Theatre, where relocated scar trees mark the entrance, before weaving through the city’s heart, where you’ll discover culturally significant landmarks that are often hidden in plain sight. From hearing stories of the creator spirit Bunjil at the Koori Courts to exploring the importance of the new Galkangu-Bendigo GovHub (a new state-of-the-art public services community hub), the tour offers a powerful perspective on Bendigo’s heritage through the eyes of its Traditional Owners.

Just two-and-a-half hours’ drive north of Sydney, Port Stephens is a holiday destination renowned for its white-sand beaches, marine life and natural beauty. But few visitors get to see it through the eyes of its Worimi Traditional Owners. Sand Dune Adventures, a 100 per cent Indigenous-owned experience, offers exhilarating quad bike tours across the Stockton Bight sand dunes, the largest coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere.

Led by Worimi guides, the 1.5 Hour Aboriginal Culture & Sand Boarding Quad Bike Tour is a hands-on journey combining adventure with meaningful storytelling. Guests gain exclusive access to First Nations lands to ride 400cc quad bikes across the shifting sands of the Stockton Bight dunes, the largest coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere.

You’ll stop to learn about ancient midden sites, dig for fresh water and find traditional bush foods and medicine. Atop the highest dunes, listen to the Dreaming stories that connect the Worimi people to Country before sandboarding down to the beach.

White sands and world class surf draw you in, but it’s the stories from Worimi Country dunes that remain long after you rinse the sand from your hair. Book your Port Stephens adventure now at qantas.com.

Attended by experts and aspiring collectors, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair sees more than 70 Aboriginal art centres set up at the Darwin Convention Centre to sell directly to enthusiastic art lovers. The program also includes the National Indigenous Fashion Awards and artist masterclasses covering carving, weaving, jewellery making and more. Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair runs 7 to 10 August 2025; National Indigenous Fashion Awards is on 6 August 2025.

Delve into the world’s oldest rainforest, explore the traditional fishing grounds of the Kuku Yulanji people, spot crocs on a Julaymba (Daintree River) cruise, see Aboriginal art at Janbal Gallery and swim at Manjal Dimbi (Mossman Gorge) (if conditions permit). Expect all this and more from a two-day Aboriginal-guided experience with Culture Connect.

Let Ngemba Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor show you her culture through cooking with an unforgettable meal at Huntington Estate winery near Mudgee, about a four-hour drive from Sydney. Warakirri, meaning “to grow with us”, blends native ingredients and traditional techniques with contemporary culinary methods, resulting in a unique five-course degustation. 

Food is culture served on a plate – the native flavours, local wines and storytelling of the Warakirri dining experience will leave you with much more than a full belly. Start planning your cultural feast now at qantas.com.

13 Immersive First Nations Food Experiences Around Australia