Indigenous Indulgence
Teaming culture with five-star comfort
INDIGENOUS INDULGENCE
Teaming culture with five-star comfort
Immerse yourself in five-star luxury experiences.
Collaborations between Aboriginal tour providers and Luxury Lodges of Australia are catering to those who prefer to experience cultural immersion in five-star comfort.
MARGARET RIVER
Western Australia
The Margaret River wine region is a slice of paradise that combines beautiful beaches and forests with wineries, river systems and caves and, of course, is steeped in Aboriginal history and culture. Now you can combine learning about the Wadandi people’s connection to the area with a luxury stay at the stunning, five-star Cape Lodge.
The luxurious Cape Lodge at Margaret River.
Luxury accommodation
Tucked away on 40 acres of manicured parkland and ornamental lakes, a stay at Cape Lodge provides guests with a private country estate experience, complete with swimming pool, tennis courts and restaurant. Surrounded by its own vineyard, the lodge produces award-winning Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc and its restaurant menu features locally sourced seafood and farm produce, as well as homegrown food. Choose from 22 secluded rooms or the 5-bedroom private residence.
Aboriginal experience
Take a guided tour of the bush with Wadandi custodian Josh Whiteland during Koomal Dreaming’s 90-minute Twilight Didgeridoo Cave Tour and you’ll learn how to identify traditional medicinal plants and the art of traditional fire lighting. Then head into the visually stunning Ngilgi Cave to see its stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is an incredible venue to listen to the Wadandi’s Creation legends and hear a spine-tingling didgeridoo performance by Josh. Private tours are available on request.
Josh's Twilight Didgeridoo Cave Tour.
Daintree National Park
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland is home to both the world’s oldest rainforest, the Daintree, and the Great Barrier Reef. You can explore these incredible World Heritage Listed areas on Kuku Yalanji Country whilst learning more about Aboriginal culture by day and staying in ecoluxury at Silky Oaks Lodge by night.
Dive in to Silky Oaks Lodge's inviting pool.
Luxury accommodation
Those who grew up reading Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree will love staying at Silky Oaks Lodge’s luxury treehouse suites. The suites’ floor-to-ceiling windows maximise their pristine location adjacent to the Daintree National Park. Revel in the view whilst kicking back in a hammock on your spacious balcony. Listen to the sounds of the forest over a candlelit dinner in the open-sided Treehouse Restaurant, where you can select each day from a changing menu of dishes made with local and Indigenous ingredients. The lodge is perfectly positioned to offer a range of activities; from snorkelling and canoeing, to hiking through the ancient rainforest. If relaxing is more your style, Healing Waters Spa also offers a full range of therapies.
Rest in a hammock listening to the sounds of the rainforest.
Aboriginal experience #1
Enjoy a refreshing plunge in swimming spots hidden within the Daintree Rainforest and discover the local Kuku Yalanji people's strong connection to Country. Then gain insight into the marine life along the spectacular coastline of the Port Douglas area during a Walkabout Cultural Adventures tour led by Kuku Yalanji guides. Cruise mangroves and hunt for mud crabs on tidal flats, forage for pipis in the shallows and learn how to throw a spear to catch your next meal. Private tours are an option.
Aboriginal experience #2
Aboriginal artist and the owner of Janbal Gallery, Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley aims to give people a better understanding of Aboriginal art, and the reef and rainforest culture of the local Kuku Yalanji people, through his hands-on workshops and storytelling classes. Binna runs his painting workshops his own way. So, you may find yourself wielding a bamboo stick instead of a brush as you paint a boomerang or canvas.
Create your own Aboriginal-inspired artwork at Janbal Gallery.
The Top End
Northern Territory
Kakadu National Park is filled with lush rainforest, wildlife, rugged escarpments and rock galleries that date back tens of thousands of years. You can explore Kakadu whilst staying in an exclusive lodge on the adjacent Mary River floodplains before travelling on to Nitmiluk National Park, the home of the Jawoyn people, as part of a 5-day Top End Luxury Lodges Tour.
Bamurru Plains safari tents offer incredible views.
Luxury accommodation
Bamurru Plains offers African-style bush luxury on the edge of Kakadu National Park in a spot so remote that access is by four-wheel-drive or a private charter plane that provides sweeping views of the Mary River floodplains, giving you a taste of the exclusive adventure that is to come. Each of the 10 safari bungalows are built on stilts that sit above the wetlands and feature floor-to-ceiling screenings that enable you to immerse yourself in the spectacular sunrise and the abundant bird and wildlife without leaving your bed. Begin your morning with an exhilarating airboat trip on the floodplains and wind down at the end of the day with a cool swim in the 10-metre infinity pool before sundowner drinks and canapés, followed by a three-course dinner.
Aboriginal experience
Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris’ 5-day Top End Luxury Lodges Tour has a packed itinerary that will see you take a helicopter flight to Nitmiluk to explore the maze of waterways sculpted from sandstone by the Katherine River and discover ancient Jawoyn rock art galleries. Your guide will teach you how to interpret rock art and, during a sunset dinner cruise on Nitmiluk Gorge, you’ll hear more about the spiritual world, culture and history of the Jawoyn.
Explore ancient rock art at Kakadu.
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