8 ways to experience Indigenous culture in WA

In a vast and ancient landscape, First Nations culture and stories, which stretch back through millennia in an unbroken line, are generously shared with those who seek them out.

While the fact that Australia is home to the oldest living culture in the world is a relatively recent discovery for many beyond our shores, the stories and histories and knowledge of this continent’s First Nations peoples have been carried and felt and handed down through generations like sacred totems over 60,000 years.

The vast expanse of the WA landscape is home to a united nations of peoples, languages and narratives that are joined together within the outline of the state, as if in a giant patchwork. Conscious exploration and a desire to hear and encounter Indigenous culture firsthand from the people empowered to share it pays rich rewards, with a roster of tours and experiences to delve into, from bush-tucker expeditions to staying on Country with the custodians of the land you stand on and the sky you sleep under. All you have to do is seek it out.

Terry Hunter of Borrgoron Cultural Tours, Indigenous Tours in WA — Terry Hunter of Borrgoron Cultural Tours shares stories of his history and culture. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

1. Camping with Custodians

A unique WA initiative, Camping with Custodians allows travellers to stay in quality campgrounds operated by the communities of the land they are situated on. Such privileged access affords the opportunity to interact and learn from the Traditional Owners through everything from tours to cultural experiences, and gives an insight into the importance of Country to those who don’t just live on it, but who come from it. The fees paid for campsite accommodations stay within the community, while the program helps to generate not just income but also employment pathways.

Bungle Bungle Range, Indigenous Tours in WA — Visit the beautiful Bungle Bungle Range with a Custodian for Country. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

There are currently six sites within the Camping with Custodians roster.

Imintji Campground and Art Centre

Imintji Campground and Art Centre is located on the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley, at the foot of the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges. The Imintji (Ngarinyin) people are gracious hosts, sharing Aboriginal history and culture and welcoming visitors into their colourful Art Centre to see artists from the community at work. The shaded wilderness camp also sits within easy striking distance of Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

Mimbi Caves Tours & Campground

Mimbi Caves Tours & Campground is operated by the Gooniyandi people of the Mimbi community, for whom the surrounding landscape and caves are of deep cultural and spiritual significance. While the secluded campground at the foot of the Emmanuel Ranges – known as Jarlarloo Riwi (jarlarloo meaning coolamon tree and riwi meaning camp) in the local Gooniyandi language – has modern amenities, hot showers and a barbecue shelter, a stay here is all about exploring the landscape with local guides, including hearing Dreaming stories deep within the cave system itself.

Aboriginal Art work during Camping with Custodians Stay, Indigenous Tours in WA — A Camping with Custodians stay at Imintji Campground and Art Centre includes the chance to see local artists at work. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Peedamulla Station

In the Pilbara, the pastoral Peedamulla Station sits on 226,000 hectares of land some 75 kilometres outside of Onslow. Owned and operated by the Jundaru Aboriginal Corporation, the nature-based campsite includes hot showers, drinking water and gas barbecues.

Violet Valley Campground

Violet Valley Campground, off the Great Northern Highway near Purnululu National Park, offers 14 secluded campsites in a natural bush setting on the banks of the Bow River, the presence of which is helping the Gija people return to living and working on traditional country and re-establish connection with cultural and ceremonial sites.

Doon Doon Roadhouse

Doon Doon Roadhouse, owned by the nearby Woolah community, has both a caravan park and campground with powered and unpowered sites, as well as four air-conditioned cabins some 110 kilometres south of Kununurra.

The Djarindjin Campground

Owned and operated by the nearby Djarindjin community, the Djarindjin Campground, located on the newly sealed Cape Leveque Road on the stunning Dampier Peninsula, has 37 powered sites and 10 unpowered sites with hot showers, a large camp kitchen with gas barbecues, a sheltered dining area and communal fire pit.

Go culture, Indigenours Tours in WA — Explore various pockets of the city which showcases Indigenous culture and history. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

2. Go cultural

Tour the land of the Whadjuk people with a Noongar guide to get a transfixing insight into Perth’s Aboriginal history and significant cultural sites. The family business of Walter and Meg McGuire, who work alongside their eldest daughter Lucy, Go Cultural share the first story of the Whadjuk people, detailing the traditional way of life and the spiritual connection to the country, river and the animals that inhabit Noongar Boodja. Tours explore various pockets of the city including Karrgatup (Kings Park), Goomup (Elizabeth Quay) and Goologoolup (Yagan Square).

Go Culture’s Walter McGuire, WA Indigenous Tours — Tour the land of the Whadjuk people with Go Culture’s Walter McGuire, who provides insights into Perth’s proud Indigenous history. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

3. Koomal Dreaming

Wadandi custodian Josh “Koomal" Whiteland guides his guests on a very personal journey through the histories, experiences and culture of the Wadandi and Bibbulman people who have lived in the Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River areas of Australia’s South West for thousands of years. On his signature Twilight Didgeridoo Cave Tour , Koomal leads a short bushwalk to discover traditional medicine plants and share local knowledge about the region, before heading to Ngilgi Cave for a live didgeridoo performance within the cavernous surrounds deep below the surface of the Earth.

Ancient traditions during Koomal Dreaming, Indigenous Tours in WA — Explore ancient traditions with Koomal Dreaming. (Image: Frances Andrijich)

4. Southern Cross Coastal Walk

On the four-hour Southern Cross Cultural Walk, Bardi-Jawi man Bolo Angus shares insights into his ancestral homeland at Lullumb , where the bush meets the sea in the Kimberley region. With knowledge passed to him by his grandfather and a passion for keeping these traditions alive for future generations, Angus and his family impart cultural knowledge on ancient hunting techniques, share insights into identifying bush tucker and bush medicine and demonstrate how to find fresh water. A delicious cook-up of the bush tucker collected and caught during the tour crowns the experience.

Bolo Angus of Southern Cross Coastal Walks, WA Indigenous Tours — Experience a Cultural Tour with Bolo Angus of Southern Cross Coastal Walks. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

5. Ngurrangga Tours

Belonging to the Ngarluma/Yindjibarndi language group and Burungu skin group, Clinton Walker is a descendant of the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people, who are the Traditional Owners of the coastal and inland areas of the West Pilbara region. Having spent his life learning the traditional ways of his people, including speaking the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi languages, Walker’s tours aim to educate visitors in the ways of his culture and history, encompassing bush foods and medicines, ancient rock art, traditional stories and songs, and raise the profile of the little-known Burrup Peninsula, home to up to one million Aboriginal rock carvings, some dating back 40,000 years.

Ngurrangga Tours, Indigenous Tours in WA — Take a walk on Country with Ngurrangga Tours. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

6. Borrgoron Cultural Tours

Operating out of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, Terry Hunter is a fourth-generation pearler and proud Bardi man, who generously shares his story while exploring tidal flats, foraging for oysters and demonstrating ancient coastal hunting techniques on his Coast to Creek tour . You can also book a personalised culture and history tour for a walking Q&A session that allows you to dive deeper into Hunter’s cultural knowledge, as well as the landscape you are walking on.

Pearl shells from Indigenous tour in WA — Observe the tradition of carving pearl shells. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

7. Wala Gura Nyinda Eco Cultural Adventures

These on-Country tours explore the ancient cultural stories and practices of the Shark Bay region’s First Nations peoples, the Nhanda and Malgana. In a place that they know as Gutharraguda, owner Darren “Capes" Capewell, a descendant of the Nhanda and Malgana people, offers escapes to Wirruwana (Dirk Hartog Island), Francois Peron and Steep Point, as well as kayaking and wildlife adventures and an evocative Didgeridoo Dreaming Night Tour.

Bec Sampi of Kingfisher Tours in Purnululu National Park, Indigenous Tours in WA — Join head guide Bec Sampi of Kingfisher Tours in Purnululu National Park.

8. ROC-certified Kingfisher Tours

EcoTourism Australia’s Respecting Our Culture (ROC) certification is at the forefront of encouraging the Australian tourism industry to adapt practices and operate businesses in a way that shows respect to and reinforces First Nations cultural heritage, as well as the living culture of First Nations communities. ROC-certified operators make a commitment to “protecting cultural authenticity and integrity, developing sound business practices, environmental protection and acknowledging Indigenous peoples’ spiritual connection to the land and water".You can see this ethos firsthand with ROC-certified Kingfisher Tours in the Kimberley, whose tours to spectacular locations such as the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park are conducted by Custodian for Country guides like head guide Bec Sampi, who has also been assisted in establishing her business producing soaps using traditional bush medicine from the Purnululu area.

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.