Celebrate NAIDOC Week: Three Unforgettable Ways to Experience Aboriginal Culture and Food in Australia

From July 7-14, NAIDOC Week (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) celebrates the history and contributions of Australia’s First Nations cultures. To mark this special week, we’ve highlighted three immersive ways to explore Aboriginal culture through breathtaking sights, unique tastes, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

First Nations City Dining

Native ingredients are a growing food trend in Australia, with Indigenous chefs championing these delicacies on menus across the country.

• Midden by Mark Olive, Sydney / Warrane, New South Wales: Located in the iconic Sydney Opera House on Tubowgule, Gadigal country, this culinary experience draws on Mark Olive’s Indigenous heritage. The menu focuses on native Australian ingredients such as wattle seed, bush honey, saltbush, and succulents.
• Big Esso by Mabu Mabu, Melbourne / Narrm, Victoria: Situated in the heart of Fed Square, Big Esso is an all-day bar and kitchen celebrating contemporary Torres Strait Islander culture.

Immersive On-Country Food Experiences and Tours

Connection to Country is a fundamental part of Indigenous cultures in Australia. For those looking to venture beyond the city, these immersive on-country options offer rich cultural and culinary experiences.

• Firescreek Aboriginal Storytelling & Wine Tasting Experience, New South Wales: Led by talented Elders, this cultural tour includes traditional Aboriginal tools and native plants that have sustained Indigenous communities for generations.
• Palawa Kipli Tours, Tasmania: Join a 90-minute bush tucker tasting tour that delves into the history and culinary heritage of the area.
• Flames of the Forest, Queensland: Experience the culture of the Kuku Yalanji people in the Daintree Forest, enjoying Dreamtime stories and a tropical feast inspired by locally sourced produce.
• Koomal Dreaming, Noongar Country, Western Australia: In the Margaret River wine region, host Josh performs didgeridoo in the Ngilgi Cave amphitheatre, guides visitors through medicinal plant walks, and teaches traditional fire-making and fishing techniques. Local Wardandi Bibbulmun woman Dale Tilbrook also offers deep dives into Indigenous food, medicine, culture, and art with an emphasis on bush tucker.

Must-See Culturally Significant Natural Landmarks

While Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognizable landmarks, there are other culturally significant natural wonders worth adding to your bucket list.

• Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory: Home to ancient wonders and enormous monoliths, this park offers immersive Aboriginal stories and landscapes 500 million years in the making.
• Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Western Australia: Known for its striking and surreal landscape, this World Heritage-listed destination is a symbol of the Kimberley region, inhabited by local Aboriginal people long before it became widely known in the 1980s.
• Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory: Australia’s largest national park features rugged escarpments, lush rainforests, rock art galleries up to 20,000 years old, thundering waterfalls, and wetlands teeming with migratory birds. Learn about Aboriginal culture from Traditional Owners, the Bininj/Mungguy people.
• Three Sisters, Blue Mountains, New South Wales: Just an hour from Sydney, the Three Sisters rock formation is steeped in First Nations history and origin stories. Enjoy bush walks or views from Echo Point Lookout and learn about the sisters’ Dreamtime story.
• Daintree Rainforest, Queensland: Dubbed “the most extraordinary place on Earth” by Sir David Attenborough, this is the world’s oldest tropical rainforest. Visitors can indulge in luxury spa treatments, float down the river on a raft, and absorb generations-old knowledge from the Kuku Yalanji, the area’s traditional custodians.

Embrace the spirit of NAIDOC Week by exploring these enriching and unforgettable experiences that highlight the rich cultural tapestry of Australia’s First Nations.