A visit to Australia is not complete without learning some of the great facts about Australian Aboriginals & their culture, history & art forms. One of the oldest living cultures in the world, Australian aboriginal culture places its highest significance on nature. Rock engravings at various sites, Dream paintings, Didgeridoos & Boomerangs, and heritage walking trails are great ideas to get a glimpse of the Aboriginal culture.

To learn more about the indigenous culture & artforms there are various places across Australia with most of them spread across the Northern Territory. Here is a list of places recommended by Travel bloggers to experience indigenous culture, history & art. ( PS this will be soon updated for NSW locations)

Many of the aboriginal sites are considered scared & being the responsible travelers we are, it becomes our joint responsibility to ensure these sites are visited with the due respect it deserves.

Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

As the largest natural park in Australia, Kakadu stands out. 

Jointly owned by three traditional Aboriginal groups, the Gagadju, Gundjehmi, and the Jawoyn, this Northern Territory parkland contains over 40 000 years of human history. It’s no surprise, then, that Kakadu is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, it is listed for both its natural and cultural significance, a situation enjoyed by fewer than two dozen places across the world.

With rugged rocks, cool pools, crocodiles and waterfalls, the natural landscape attracts people looking to hike, birdwatch, swim and fish (although not at the same time.) And it is a fascinating place to experience Australian Aboriginal history and art as well.

Kakadu has one of the world’s greatest concentration of rock art sites, with some artwork dating back more than 20000 years. Rangers give easily accessible guided tours, particularly around Nourlangie and Ubirr rock and the Bowali Visitor Centre in Jabiru provides a lot of context for first-time visitors.

The artwork reflects the importance of nature to the artists – and a good way to relate to that influence yourself is to take a dawn boat ride and watch the sunrise creep over the skin of the crocodiles. 

For the best experience, drive to Kakadu from Darwin and spend a few nights within the grounds of the park itself. 

-Abigail King writes the award-winning blog Inside the Travel Lab on authentic travel and luxury. 

The Devil’s Marbles, Northern Territory

If you are traveling to Uluru or Alice Springs from Tennant Creek, you can’t miss out on the  Devil’s Marbles.

The Devil’s Marbles are called Karlu Karlu Aboriginal language which means ‘round boulders’ and they are located about 100 km south of Tennant Creek in the locality of Warumungu. Karlu Karlu originally belonged to the Alyawarre people. 

You can do a couple of trails around the site, admire beautiful rock formation and learn more about the Aboriginal culture here. If you like to stay overnight, there is also a campsite nearby. The most beautiful time to visit is definitely at sunrise and sunset when you can enjoy the beautiful red colors of the rocks.

The Devil’s Marbles have a great cultural and spiritual significance to the traditional Aboriginal owners. Devils Marbles are not just an extraordinary rock formation but for Aboriginal people, this place is also a scared site. The Devil’s Marbles belongs to a conservation reserve which protects the natural rock formation under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act.

Many people wonder why this place is called Devil’s Marbles. According to Aboriginal people, the dreaming is still there. There are stories about people who live under the rocks. These people are normal people like us but they can make you mad and make you one of them. It is unbelievable that this hidden gem is one of the oldest religious sites in the world. 

There is another story which describes how Karlu Karlu was created. There was a Devil Man who traveled around this area and came from a hill nearby. The Devil man made a hair-string belt and started twirling the hair to make strings. However, he dropped clusters of hair on the ground and these clusters turned into the big red boulders.

You can get to the Devil’s Marbles by car or with a tour as there is no public transport.
-Gigi Milkovic from www.beachaddicted.com

Standley Chasm, Northern Territory

Standley Chasm Angkerle is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on offer in Central Australia. Offering visitors a chance to appreciate and learn about the Western Arrernte people, the rightful landowners of this region, this is one unforgettable pit stop on any drive.

Located 50 kilometers from Alice Springs, Standley Chasm is easily accessible by car. There is a fee to enter to undertake this walk, which is currently set at $12 for adults. The experience here involves a 15-minute walk that takes visitors past many geological formations until they reach the 80-meter Chasm. On a sunny afternoon – which is the best time to visit, the rocks shine a bright orange in the sunlight, which makes the entire Chasm feel alive, especially with the shadows that are created along the corridor leading up to the Chasm at that time of the day.

The local communities who run this attraction are in large part descendants of the Arrernte people, which makes their half-day Angkerle Cultural Experience tour even more special. This tour is a 4.5-hour tour which allows for so much learning – from flora and fauna, the cultural significance of the site and its people, as well as insights into bush tucker and medicines, plus so much more. Guests are also able to participate in a traditional painting workshop and a buffet lunch.

Luckily Standley Chasm is not the only learning experience within the Alice Springs area, with a number of gorges and gaps also accessible on the drive back through to Alice Springs to see even more, including real Indigenous artworks. 
No matter what you do, a visit up here is well worth the road trip and you will not regret it. The views will truly blow you away.

-Toni Frazer From www.enchantedserendipity.com 

Uluru and Cultural Center, Northern Territory

Nicknamed as the Belly Button of the Earth , Uluru is one of the most well-known travel destinations of Northern territories in Australia. Travelers considered visiting the rock a pilgrimage, but the aboriginals treated the rock not only a natural wonder but also, a sacred site that is deeply respected and protected.

We visited Uluru on a 3-day excursion kicking off from Alice Springs. The excursion covers a number of locations within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a natural reserve that stretches across 1,326 square kilometers of Australia’s outback: The red desert, dramatic rock formations, unique fauna, and flora are distinctive; Besides, the hiking, camping, and star-gazing experiences guaranteed many outdoor activity lovers’ journey an unforgettable one.

We had a walk around the rock once we reached Uluru and explored various sites that provided fresh water, food source, and shelter to the native people. There was evidence from the frescos in caves that showed the aboriginals once lived here, and then I understood the intimate and profound connections between Uluru and the aboriginals. The Uluru Cultural Center introduced more about the importance and history of the rock and explained why the authorities and native people strongly request the visitor to not climb Uluru, for both religion and safety reasons.

-Kenny Chow from Knycx Journeying

Do you know that Didgeridoo is one of the world’s oldest musical instruments and is made from limbs and tree trunks hollowed out by termites?

Didgeridoo Hut & Aboriginal Art Gallery, Northern Territory  

A 30-minute drive out of Darwin, NT in the direction of Kakadu National Park will take you to the Didgeridoo Hut & Aboriginal Art Gallery which is located in the small community of Humpty Doo. This authentic aboriginal art gallery is home to a stunning collection of indigenous artwork as well as handmade, hand-painted didgeridoos all produced by local artists.

The gallery features many different indigenous art styles from across the Northern Territory.  Along with the beautiful paintings and didgeridoos, you can also find handmade and painted boomerangs, handwoven baskets, painted wooden plates, traditional jewelry and much more. 

A trip to the Didgeridoo Hut is an excellent way to dive into the indigenous culture while learning about and watching the artists in action. The artists regularly work from the gallery allowing visitors to meet and interact with them in a natural way as they work. They tell traditional stories and share interesting facts about their style of artwork.  

The Didgeridoo Hut has so much more to offer than just paintings and didgeridoos on show, this is a truly unique and memorable way to experience the aboriginal culture first-hand and maybe even take away a souvenir.

-Ann from TheRoad-IsLife.com

Nitmulik Gorge, Northern Territory

An amazing spot to immerse yourself in Australian history is Nitmulik Gorge formerly known by and still often referred to as Katherine Gorge. This area is rich with Aboriginal history and taking a Nitmulik Gorge tour is the best way to find out all the history of the surrounding area.  Nitmulik National Park is approximately 3.5hrs from Darwin, Northern Territory and could be done on a day tour, there are many you can choose from, range in price that includes a few stops at picturesque waterholes along the way.

We visited right on the tail end of the wet season and the gorge hadn’t been cleared of saltwater crocodiles so we were only able to do the guided 3 gorge tour on the boat. If you visited during the dry season and the gorge has been deemed clear, you are also able to do the tour via kayak which would be lots of fun. The tour requires you to walk between the gorges and this is when you will view some traditional Aboriginal rock art from the Dreamtime dating back to 40,000 years ago. The traditional landowners of this area are the Jawoyn Tribe and they have the final say over where tourists are able to visit as this area.

–Sally Lucas from Our3kidsvtheworld

Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Victoria

Visitors to Australia often think they need to head to the outback to learn about Aboriginal culture. But this isn’t true as Australia’s First People live throughout the land.

Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre is located on Wadawurrung Country in the city of Geelong. The centre is dedicated to promoting Aboriginal history and traditions in a welcoming atmosphere. And the expert staff share amazing facts and information about indigenous uses of land, traditional medicines and food, laws and spirituality. 

Visitors can even learn how to throw a boomerang! 

Narana has an excellent art gallery that exhibits some of the best indigenous art from across the country. Many pieces are for sale and come with a certificate of authenticity and an explanation of the story behind the painting as well as the artist.

The whole complex sits amongst native trees, walkways and natural gardens. And a highlight of any visit is to stroll the grounds and meet the resident wildlife. Here you’ll find emus, wallabies and friendly kangaroos that welcome a pat from visitors.

There’s a lovely onsite café that offers tasty dishes made with indigenous ingredients. Finish your visit by the open fire with tea and wattleseed scones.

–Audrey Chalmers from See Geelong

Krowathunkooloong (Brabawooloong Country), The Keeping Place, Victoria

The Krowathunkooloong Keeping place is a small museum located in the town of Bairnsdale around 3.5 hours from Melbourne. The name Krowathunkooloong comes from one of the 5 clans of the Gunaikurnai people. The Krowathunkooloong clan came from an area near a local town called Orbost.

This museum aims to keep the traditions of the local Aboriginal people the Gunaikurnai preserved and for future generations to be able to learn about how they lived in the Gippsland area. At Krowathunkooloong you can see how bark huts were made, traditional tools, fighting weapons and many artworks done by locals artists.

At Krowathunkooloong you are able to do a self-guided tour of the facility or you can join a group led tour. It does not matter whichever one you choose, there will be people around to answer any questions that you may have. It is not a large museum but well run and very informative.
Krowathunkooloong is open Monday to Friday 9-5. 

-Bec Wyld from TravelsinGippsland

The Tarkine Region, Tasmania

The Tarkine region of Tasmania’s North West is one of the best areas in the state to experience aboriginal culture and history. It’s named after the aboriginal Tarkiner people who traditionally lived in the area. It’s also an important area for biodiversity and home to the world’s second-largest temperate rainforest. You can explore the entire region on an epic road trip known as the Tarkine Drive.

There are many aboriginal and cultural and historic sites in the Tarkine region. However some of them are quite sensitive, so to visit you need to hire a guide from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. 

There are two coastal sites open to the public that are easy to reach. West Point is the western-most point in Tasmania and is known as nungu to the Tarkiner people. Explore the coastline to see hut depressions and a HUGE shell midden – it’s 90m long! To get there, take the gravel side road to the West Point Reserve from highway C214. 

Another easy to reach the site is Sundown Point, known as laraturunawn. It is one of the most important rock carving sites in Tasmania. It’s about a 45-minute hike to the site. From highway C214, take Sundown Point Road into the summer shack community. Park your car, then walk along the coast north to the mouth of Sundown Creek.

–Taryn from Happiesoutdoors.ca