Local Living Tours & Trips in Australia

A First Nations guide at Simpsons Gap shares stories about the Tjunba totem and traditional boundaries between Eastern and Northern Arrernte tribes. At Jim Jim Creek cultural arts centre in Kakadu, you'll try traditional weaving. The Guluyambi Cultural Cruise brings insights into local mythology and medicinal plants from Aboriginal guides. Your hotels throughout the Northern Territory have local connections, and dinners include an Outback barbecue at Earth Sanctuary under the Southern Cross constellations.

Head through the rugged Bloomfield Track by 4WD into the Wet Tropics rainforest, crossing the Bloomfield River near Wujal Wujal Aboriginal community. You'll stay at Bramwell Station, Australia's northernmost former cattle station, and swim in the croc-free Fruit Bat Falls. The trip includes visits to historic Cooktown, the well-known Lion's Den Hotel, and Thursday Island's rich Aboriginal culture.

See Western Australia's Kimberley landscapes, from the 750-metre-long natural tunnel at Tunnel Creek to the 80-metre King George Falls cascading down sandstone cliffs. Trek to the four-tiered Mitchell Falls with a scenic helicopter flight over the UNESCO-listed Purnululu National Park's orange and black striped Bungle Bungle domes. Learn about authentic Aboriginal culture with local guides sharing traditional knowledge of bush tucker and medicine at Mimbi Caves, where marine fossils and ancient ochre-stained rock paintings reveal 5,000 years of Wunambal heritage.

At Brisbane's Nyanda Waterhole Reserve, participate in a Welcome to Country ceremony where you'll sample bush tucker and try boomerang throwing with traditional owners. Spend three full days in Melbourne visiting the Koorie Heritage Trust and Fitzroy Gardens, plus the UNESCO-honored Shrine of Remembrance. Tour Canberra's Parliament House showcasing Australia's finest contemporary art, then head to a local winery for wine tasting and lunch.

Two nights at Cheela Plains Station reveal pastoral life in the remote Pilbara region through shared dinners and station hikes. Traditional Custodians share First Nations stories of the Banjima, Innawongka, and Eastern Guruma peoples at Karijini National Park's 2.5-billion-year-old gorges and waterfalls. Purchase picnic supplies in Tom Price's mining community, stop at local gathering hub Nanutarra Roadhouse, and stay in ensuite deluxe tents at Karijini Eco Retreat while connecting with the rhythms of outback station life and visiting Joffre Gorge, Hancock Gorge's Spider Wall, and Weano Gorge's Handrail Pool.