All senses on Country: immersive Aboriginal experiences that engage every visitor
For many Aboriginal tourism operators, connecting with Country is not something you simply observe – it’s something you feel, taste hear, and breathe.
Enjoying a sunset over Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia © Tourism Australia
The land speaks in textures, flavours, rhythms and rituals. And across Australia, a growing number of experiences are being consciously designed to engage all five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste and smell – creating powerful, participatory journeys that are especially meaningful for travellers with visual or hearing impairments.
These immersive offerings are not about spectacle – they’re about sensation. Deep, elemental connection. Here are some of the most transformative.
The Wintjiri Wiru drone and laser show lights up the night sky around Uluru, Northern Territory © Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
Uluru: feel the light and hear the Ancestors
Operators: Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
Uluru is one of Australia’s most visually arresting icons – but it’s also a place where sound, scent and story ripple through every rock face. Two immersive light-and-sound installations invite visitors to engage more deeply. Wintjiri Wiṟu, staged above a desert dune, uses drones, laser projections and Anangu storytelling to create a multisensory theatre in the sky, with vibrations and narration that transcend language. With an early-morning backdrop of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Sunrise Journeys offers a mindful celebration of culture and nature via a stunning piece of artwork created by three Anangu women – it comes to life through laser projection, music and the natural canvas of the desert floor.
Also at Ayers Rock Resort, you can taste Country on the Bush Food Experience, where Aboriginal hosts introduce native spices and bush foods through smell, touch and storytelling. Or experience Tali Wiru, a sensory fine-dining experience under the stars, where desert flavours like wattleseed, bush tomato and lemon myrtle are paired with song, music, smoke and sacred storytelling.
Bush Tucker Experience, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, NSW © RBGS
Sydney: Gardens you can hear, smell and taste
Operator: Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
In the heart of Sydney overlooking the Harbour, the Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney turns the senses outward. Visitors are invited to smell lemon-scented tea tree, crush saltbush between their fingers and taste native herbs and fruits – all while hearing guides play clapsticks and share cultural stories that have echoed across this waterside landscape for thousands of years.
A traditional smoking ceremony with Kristian Coulthard, Wadna, Ikara-Flinders Ranges, South Australia © Tourism Australia
Ikara-Flinders Ranges: sand, smoke and story
Operator: Wadna
On Adnyamathanha Country in South Australia’s Ikara-Flinders Ranges, the Wadna Chambers Gorge Cultural Tour is a hands-on immersion into ancient land. Guests feel the warmth of ancient rocks, listen to the resonance of language in caves, cleanse spirits during a traditional smoking ceremony and sample bush foods while guided by passionate Adnyamathanha hosts. The texture of carved rock art, the taste of native mint, the crackle of fire – it’s culture you can feel.
An Aboriginal guide hosting a traditional smoking ceremony during Injiid Marlabu Calls Us at El Questro in the Kimberley region of Western Australia © Tourism Australia
Healing Western Australian waters and soundscapes
Operator: El Questro- Aboriginal experiences
Held on the grounds of El Questro Homestead along the banks of the Pentecost River, this powerful experience invites guests to listen with more than ears. Led by an Indigenous family, Injiid Marlabu Calls Us weaves together ceremony, song and spirit. A didgeridoo echoes through the gorge. Smoke curls around the body in welcome. Hands are immersed in flowing water during a cleansing ritual. Bush medicine is shared. Voices rise in song. This is not a tour – it’s a calling.
