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Climb aboard the Hands On Country Eco Tour at the Cairns Marina, before your Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours’ guide begins narrating your cruise along Hills Creek, pointing out wildlife that can include, at low tide, saltwater crocodiles.
You’ll get to explore an Indigenous Protected Reserve and experience a traditional Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, learn about bush foods and medicines, and listen to stories passed down through generations.
You’ll be back in Cairns / Gimuy by midday, leaving time to wander the Esplanade, browse local galleries and have a dip in the inviting lagoon by the sea.
Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours
Today you can cross ‘Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef’ off your bucket list. This full-day tour, which includes visits to two premium outer reef sites, is led by Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel’s Indigenous guides and a marine biologist.
The coral reef, teeming with colourful fish, is the world’s largest organism. It attracts visitors from around the globe, but you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of this Sea Country’s cultural significance through the stories shared by Dreamtime's Indigenous Guides, who will showcase fire poles, clapsticks and the didgeridoo during traditional dance performances between dives.
Say a temporary goodbye to Cairns / Gimuy as you head north along the scenic Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas, via the mountain village of Kuranda, which you can reach via the photogenic Kuranda Scenic Railway or Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
As well as being home to Australia’s largest Butterfly Sanctuary and Koala Gardens, Kuranda is where you’ll find the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park. Here, in a rainforest amphitheatre, Aboriginal dancers present a high-energy interactive performance. You will be invited to join in, ahead of a guided Dreamtime Walk through ancient fern gullies. After a spear-throwing demonstration, you can try your hand at getting a boomerang to come back.
You’ll need an hour for these cultural experiences alone but, especially if you are travelling with kids, you’ll want to book the Big Nature Package, which includes a ride on an amphibious Army Duck vehicle, and the opportunity to see saltwater crocs and elusive cassowaries up close at the Koala & Wildlife Park. Continue on to your Port Douglas accommodation. You’ll be charmed by the laid-back town’s cafés, boutiques, and its pristine Four Mile Beach.
Just 20 minutes north of Port Douglas, is the Daintree; the world’s oldest tropical rainforest – you’d need more than 180 million candles for its birthday cake.
This is Kuku Yalanji Country and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre’s Aboriginal guides lead 90-minute Dreamtime Walks that will leave you in no doubt of the Daintree’s natural and cultural value. Each tour begins with a smoking ceremony to ward off bad spirits before you head into the lush rainforest, learning survival techniques and visiting culturally significant sites.
Mossman Gorge
At nearby Janbal Gallery, renowned Kuku Yalanji artist Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley will teach you how to paint your own Aboriginal-style souvenir.
In between demonstrating his artistic skills, Binna will share insights into Kuku Yalanji culture, including the significance of the line work and traditional symbols used in his artworks.
Alternatively, for a full-day experience, Down Under Tours will pick you up from your Port Douglas (or Cairns / Gimuy) accommodation for its Daintree Dreaming tour that sandwiches a visit to Mossman Gorge with a coastal adventure led by a Kubirri Warra clan member and a visit to Janbal Gallery.
During this coastal adventure you can hone your bush survival skills when you try your hand at throwing a traditional spear and learning about bush foods.
You’d be excused for succumbing to the temptation of a day relaxing on Four Mile Beach to recover from the pace of the past few days. But, those with adventure running through their veins can take to the skies with the ultimate Aboriginal experience — a private helicopter tour with Jarramali Rock Art Tours.
Departing Port Douglas (or Cairns / Gimuy), you’ll soar over the rivers and sandstone escarpments of the Queensland outback before landing at Jarramali Camp, an exclusive spot 50 minutes drive West of Laura in Cape York. Your Kuku Yalanji guide will escort you to the ‘Magnificent Gallery’— a culturally-significant, awe-inspiring rock art site that is home to more than 450 rock-art panels, dating back 20,000 years.
Jarramali Rock Tours helicopter tour
Keen for more reef and rainforest? You can travel north of the Daintree River on Walkabout Cultural Adventures’ Ngana Kulkinga Dungay tour.
From rainforest tracks to stunning coastal lookout points where the ocean meets the forest, your Kuku Yalanji guide will share ancestral knowledge of seasonal cycles, bush foods and medicines. Cassowaries, Australia’s largest flightless bird, and crocodiles may also make an appearance. Morning tea, lunch and roundtrip transfers from Port Douglas are included.
Cape Tribulation
After a leisurely morning in Port Douglas, drive back to Cairns / Gimuy to spend a leisurely afternoon with a swim at the Esplanade lagoon or a final walk through the botanic gardens before heading home to share your incredible week of cultural immersion with family and friends.
