Unrivalled Aboriginal Experiences: Issue 10
Welcome
Balab joogarra roowil arrinya jardon booroo.
We like to welcome our Connect to Country readers in one of the hundreds of Aboriginal languages spoken throughout Australia. For this, the 11th edition of this digital publication by Tourism Australia and Discover Aboriginal Experiences (DAE), it is the Bardi-Jawi people from Western Australia who would like to welcome you with the phrase, Balab joogarra roowil arrinya jardon booroo — all you people come walk with us on our lands.
It’s a touching and appropriate introduction to this magazine, which invites you to take part in Indigenous-led journeys that reveal Australia from perspectives shaped by tens of thousands of years of knowledge, care and connection to Country.
From twilight cave walks and Creation stories shared on the shores of Byron Bay, to sacred river cruises and urban Aboriginal experiences, this edition explores what it means to truly immerse yourself in place, guided by Traditional Custodians who know these landscapes best.
For those who like their experiences hands-on and a little muddy, we head onto tidal flats, into rivers and coastlines for catch-and-cook adventures where food is stalked, gathered and prepared using cultural practices passed down through generations. These are barefoot, back-to-basics experiences that reconnect you to the rhythms of land and sea.
Some parts of Australia are simply too vast, wild or sacred to fully grasp from the ground. In Sky High, we take to the air to see Country from above, gaining a deeper understanding of its scale, story and significance as shared by Indigenous guides.
In Climate Smart, we explore how Aboriginal nations thrived across dramatically different environments, from lush coastlines to the dry inland, by developing sophisticated systems of land management, food production and sustainability that continue to this day.
When indecision strikes between visiting city or remote regions, our Great Southern Road Trip shows you how to do both, linking Melbourne and Adelaide with a rich inland and coastal route that reveals fascinating layers of culture, history and landscape along the way.
And finally, Paddle through Country invites you onto rivers, lakes and ocean, where stories flow as freely as the currents, and more than 65,000 years of knowledge is shared from the water.
We hope this edition inspires you to slow down, listen closely and experience Australia through the voices and stories of its First Peoples.
Happy reading!
Welcome
Balab joogarra roowil arrinya jardon booroo.
In each edition of Connect to Country, we like to welcome readers in one of the hundreds of Aboriginal languages spoken throughout Australia. For this, the 11th edition of this digital publication by Tourism Australia and Discover Aboriginal Experiences (DAE), it is the Bardi-Jawi people from Western Australia who would like to welcome you with the phrase, Balab joogarra roowil arrinya jardon booroo — all you people come walk with us on our lands.
From twilight cave walks and Creation stories shared on the shores of Byron Bay, to sacred river cruises and urban Aboriginal experiences, this edition explores what it means to truly immerse yourself in place, guided by Traditional Custodians who know these landscapes best.
For those who like their experiences hands-on and a little muddy, we head into tidal flats, rivers and coastlines for catch-and-cook adventures where food is stalked, gathered and prepared using cultural practices passed down through generations. These are barefoot, back-to-basics experiences that reconnect you to the rhythms of land and sea.
Some parts of Australia are simply too vast, wild or sacred to fully grasp from the ground. In Sky High, we take to the air to see Country from above, gaining a deeper understanding of scale, story and significance as shared by Indigenous guides.
In Climate Smart, we explore how Aboriginal nations thrived across dramatically different environments, from lush coastlines to the dry inland, developing sophisticated systems of land management, food production and sustainability that continue to offer lessons today.
When indecision strikes between city and remote regions, our Great Southern road trip shows you how to do both, linking Melbourne and Adelaide with a rich inland and coastal route that reveals fascinating layers of culture, history and landscape along the way.
And finally, Paddle through Country invites you onto rivers, lakes and ocean, where stories flow as freely as the currents, and more than 60,000 years of knowledge is shared from the water.
We hope this edition inspires you to slow down, listen closely and experience Australia through the voices and stories of its First Peoples.
Happy reading!
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this publication may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.
