The Best First Nations Tours In Western Australia

Dive into the heart of the Wildflower State.

There’s much to love about boomerangs and bush tucker, however many people seem to believe that’s where Aboriginal tourism starts and ends. But that’s just scratching the surface, especially in Western Australia, where some of the world’s oldest living cultures date back more than 60,000 years. From mud crabbing and women’s healing ceremonies to rock art galleries older than the pyramids, learn stories and traditions, both ancient and modern, from this generation’s custodians on one of these exceptional First Nations tours and experiences.

1. Follow the journey of the tide drifters

Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours, Dampier Peninsula — Sail into secluded coves aboard a powerboat. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Jawi Country, Cygnet Bay, Dampier Peninsula

“We were the first paddleboarders," says Jawi woman Rosanna Angus as we navigate King Sound’s Middle Passage in a powerboat. Home to impressive whirlpools and the world’s highest tropical tides, Jawi people once crossed these treacherous waters on biel biel (small rafts made from mangrove wood) to hunt, fish and trade on the mainland. “They perfected the art of navigation, from the stars to the tides." Named Australia’s Top Tour Guide in 2023, Angus, who owns Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours , shares stories of the tide drifters and her experiences growing up in a mission on Ewuny (Sunday Island), on a 4.5-hour tour.

2. Some of the world’s oldest petroglyphs

Murujuga National Park on the Burrup Peninsula — The site is home to engravings that are estimated to be over 50,000 years old. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Murujuga Country, Burrup Peninsula, Pilbara

Granted UNESCO World Heritage status for its First Nations cultural heritage, Murujuga’s petroglyphs (rock engravings) are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. There are more than one million engravings – some as old as 50,000 years – and, unlike those famous monuments overseas, this site’s significance and stories haven’t been lost. They’re held by the area’s traditional custodians, the Ngarda-Ngarli peoples. Learn more about them on a 1.5-hour rock art tour at Nganjarli (previously known as Deep Gorge) with Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. 

3. A healing experience for women

Reddell Beach from above — The rugged sand cliffs at Reddell Beach. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Djugun and Yawuru Country, Broome

The day is slipping towards sunset, and the otherworldly Reddell Beach is awash with deep pinks when a smiling Pat Torres emerges from behind a sand dune. I’m here for a two-hour healing experience exclusively for women , which the Djugun Jabirr Jabirr Elder offers through Jarndu Ngaank Tours (she also runs other experiences, open to everyone). Torres leads me through water and smoking ceremonies before we settle in for an enlightening chat over a thermos of tea made from Davidson plums, a native superfood.

4. A lesson in Bardi-Jawi survival skills

Southern Cross Cultural Tour, Dampier Peninsula — Meander through mangroves on a fascinating four-hour cultural walk. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Bardi-Jawi Country, Dampier Peninsula

The Kimberley is known for its rust-red earth and turquoise waters, but Bardi-Jawi man Bolo Angus wants to show you some of its other faces. The owner of Southern Cross at Lullumb , Angus shares the diverse landscapes of his ancestral homeland on a fascinating four-hour cultural walk, which begins on a salt marsh and meanders through mangroves, paperbark forests and along creeks. We drink from a freshwater spring, search for crustaceans and learn which rocks are best used as tools and cooking mortars.

5. Kayak with dugongs and other sea creatures

Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Adventures in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area — Paddle up the picturesque and sacred waters of Shark Bay. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Where: Guthaaguda, Shark Bay

There’s no denying Shark Bay, 800 kilometres north of Perth, is special. The area is UNESCO World Heritage-listed for its vast sea-grass beds, dugong population and stromatolites (layered rock-like structures that are among the oldest life forms on our planet). The best way to experience it is on an 8-hour tour with Nhanda and Malgana man Darren “Capes" Capewell, who runs Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Cultural Adventures . It begins with a 4WD tour, with stops to follow animal tracks and find bush medicine, before you slip into a kayak and head out on the water in search of manta rays, dolphins and the elusive dugong.

6. A lesson in ancient traditions, from ochre to coolamons

El Questro Wilderness Park, East Kimberley — East Kimberley’s legendary El Questro encompasses deep gorges and rugged sandstone ranges. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Ngarinyin Country, East Kimberley

One of Australia’s most extraordinary stays, El Questro is a privately owned parcel of wilderness in East Kimberley that encompasses sandstone ranges, rainforest, salt flats and thermal springs across 700,000 acres. In 2022, 165,000 hectares of land were returned its traditional owners, the Ngarinyin people. Now, El Questro guests can join a two-hour experience, Injiid Marlabu Calls Us , that includes timeless rituals such as a burning and cleansing ceremony, storytelling and song-sharing, and explains the symbolic importance of charcoal and ochre, and the coolamon (a shallow vessel used for carrying things).

7. See Perth through an entirely new lens

a Noongar guide from Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences, Elizabeth Quay — Learn about the traditional uses of boomerangs from a Noongar guide. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where: Karrgatup, Mount Eliza and Kings Park, Perth

Did you know that many of Perth’s roads were built on the tracks trodden for millennia by the Noongar people? Or that the banks of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) were lined with paperbark trees less than 200 years ago? A Noongar guide from Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours & Experiences leads guests on a 90-minute walk at Karrgatup (Mount Eliza and Kings Park), sharing the first story of this land, traditional Noongar life and song, and points out some of the park’s native flora along the way. The Aboriginal-owned and operated business also offers a moving 60-minute tour of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island).

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

The best First Nations tours and experiences in Western Australia