5 uniquely Australian experiences for culture-loving couples
Date night in Australia isn’t limited to dinner and a movie. If you’re looking to spice things up, grab your partner and try one of these experiences spotlighting Indigenous cultures. By Natasha Dragun
Jarramali Rock Art Tours, Laura, Queensland © Tourism Australia
Jarramali Rock Art Tours, Queensland
Through hidden rock art, delve deeper and unravel the ancient stories of the Kuku Yalanji people to learn more about Australia’s Indigenous history while visiting pristine and culturally meaningful Quinkan rock art sites, personally guided by Traditional Owners. Enjoy an unforgettable journey through what archaeologists say is a 20,000-year-old outback museum when you jump on board a helicopter in Cairns/Gimuy for a sky-high day trip to this incredible site with your host and Traditional Owner Johnny Murison.
Didgeridoo and clap stick demonstration, Firescreek Botanical Winery Aboriginal Experiences, New South Wales © Firescreel Botanical Winery
Firescreek Botanical Winery Aboriginal Experiences, New South Wales
Forget chardonnay and pinot noir – when you visit Firescreek Botanical Winery, expect a wine tasting with a difference. Across a hectare in Holgate on the Central Coast, Nadia and Francis O’Connell grow fruits, flowers and herbs, much of their bounty spotlighting native produce. Davidson plums, mountain pepper and riberry are some of the botanicals infused into their distinctive drops, sample-ready at the cellar door. A more memorable way to gain an understanding of the produce is on respected Elder Kevin ‘Gavi’ Duncan’s Aboriginal Storytelling and Wine Tasting Experience. Held from Wednesday to Sunday[LK1] , this mouth-watering discovery of Indigenous ingredients culminates with a tasting of Firescreek’s wines.
Venture North Safaris, Northern Territory © Tourism Australia
Venture North Safaris, Northern Territory and Western Australia
Is there anything more romantic than freshly shucked oysters and a flute of bubbles at sunset? It’s just one of many moving moments you’ll experience on a Top End expedition with Venture North Safaris. Along with end-of-day treats served at your seaside eco-retreat, you’ll get to splash about at the base of Kakadu’s blissful Barramundi Falls, tour one of Australia’s most exquisite rock art sites with an Aboriginal guide, and much more. It’s a trip that doesn’t only inspire connection with your significant other, but also with the world’s oldest living cultures.
Mitchell Falls, Kingfisher Tours, Western Australia © Tourism Australia
Kingfisher Tours, Western Australia
Close your eyes and picture the colours of Australia: ochre soil, wide blue skies, dusty greens of eucalypt forest – these await in the Kimberley. Kingfisher Tours’ Aboriginal guides lead tours on Country here, revealing landscapes that cleave off the edge of the Earth. Squeeze your partner’s hand on a scenic helicopter flight over immense gorges painted with 40,000-year-old rock art. And chopper low over Western Australia’s most dramatic waterfalls, pausing to cool off in a remote waterhole you’ll likely have to yourself.
Sleeping pods, wukalina Walk, Tasmania/lutruwita © Tourism Australia
wukalina Walk, Tasmania/lutruwita
Snuggle in your architect-designed pod on the northeast coast of Tasmania/lutruwita, and sleep to the sound of the waves tumbling toward Cod Bay. This is krakani lumi (‘place of rest’), your stylish campsite for two nights while on the wukalina Walk. This four-day guided trek (Tasmania/lutruwita’s first Indigenous-owned tourism experience) reveals the state’s width and wonder. Days are spent hiking to sacred middens, clambering up mountains and padding barefoot along a Tiffany-blue coastline toward the Bay of Fires. Nights at the communal lodge pair saltbush chips with scallops cooked over the fire, and serious Southern Hemisphere stargazing.
