16 Unmissable Kimberley Aboriginal Experiences
By Julia D’Orazio
The Kimberley offers many unique experiences to immerse yourself in the Aboriginal culture among ancient landscapes.
Indigenous experiences offer a chance to deepen your connection to Country. From topsy-turvy outback tagalong drives, vivid artworks, culinary adventures with native ingredients and nights of Corroboree, there are many ways to expand your knowledge of the world’s oldest living culture.
Here we share with you our top Aboriginal experiences in the Kimberley.
Tours
1. Narlijia Experiences Broome
Join Yawuru man Bart Pigram to appreciate Roebuck Bay’s natural beauty on one fascinating walkabout on Country. Tread shallow waters as you explore the bay’s tangled mangrove ecosystem and mudflats at low tide while gaining insight into Broome’s culture and history.
2. Mabu Baru
Let proud Yawuru, Karrajarri, Nyul Nyul, Bardi man Johani Mamid and elder Mervyn welcome you to an evening of Wakaj – a social gathering of story, song, and dance.
Broome’s only traditional Aboriginal dance experience begins around a yarning circle, listening to culture and family over billy tea and damper. The Wakaj experience continues a corroboree with Pintirri Dancers singing in the Karajarri language under a starry sky.
3. Kimberley Cultural Tours
Experience Broome through the eyes of a local. Let proud Nyul Nyul man Robert Dann guide you on a three-hour walkabout around Broome to uncover the town’s cultural past. Learn of bush foods and medicinal plants scattered across Broome. Hear song lines with a stirring private didgeridoo performance. Appreciate the craftsmanship of traditional Nyul Nyul artefacts. Cool off at the end of the tour with Robert’s speciality outback drink – home-brewed boab ginger beer and iced tea.
Robert also operates cultural tours in Beagle Bay with transfers included.
4. Warrwany Cultural Tours
Discover the rugged beauty of Karajarri Country, stretching from halfway up Eighty Mile Beach to the south of Broome’s Roebuck Bay. Meet your guides for a leisurely walk along the coast, passing limestone rocks and caves with Karajarri guides sharing stories. Tours include a smoking ceremony, bushfood tastings and a traditional cultural dance by Karajarri dancers.
5. Kimberley Dreaming
Venture the roads less travelled on an epic 4WD tagalong adventure with Kimberley Dreaming. These thrilling tours range from half-day to 13-day tours, travelling on red-earth Country and partaking in fishing, bushwalking, wildlife and Aboriginal-led walking tours. Dream on.
What will be your 'must do' experiences? Start planning your Kimberley holiday now for 2023 and beyond!
6. Bungle Bungle Guided Tours
Grasp an Aboriginal perspective of the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park with Bungle Bungle Guided Tours. The locally owned company highlights the area’s history and Aboriginal culture predating 40,000 years on a walkabout around the remarkable beehive-patterned domes.
7. Kingfisher Tours
See a different side to the Kimberley with Kingfisher Tours. The locally-owned Indigenous-led tours share the history and Dreamtime stories of the region’s most iconic locations, including Kununurra, Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle Range), Punamii-Uunpu (Mitchell Falls), and Kalumburu Coast, by air, 4WD and on foot.
8. Girloorloo Tours Mimbi Caves
Grab the torch to explore the darkened corridors of Mimbi Caves. Led by a Gooniyandi guide, the caves are regarded as one of Australia’s significant natural geological sites, containing part of the 350 million-year-old Devonian reef system. It is also a place of profound spiritual importance to the Gooniyandi people.
Camping experiences
9. Camping with Custodians
Have a unique experience under the stars Camping with Custodians. The network of campgrounds on Aboriginal lands is owned and operated by local Indigenous communities. Each campground is well-placed to explore some of the region’s most outstanding landscapes and offers first-rate campground amenities. Payable camping fees help to generate income and provide employment opportunities for local communities.
Calling the campground home for the night is a unique opportunity to interact with local community members and immerse yourselves in the local culture.
Event experiences
10. Ord Valley Muster
Revel in all the excitement at the Kimberley’s biggest party, The Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster. The annual extravaganza celebrates cultural diversity and is regarded as one of Australia’s top regional events. Running from May 17 to 25, 2024, the line-up includes Indigenous cultural events such as Indigenous cuisine tastings by Blak Tapas, live music, family-friendly events, wellness activities, and an adrenaline-charged rodeo.
Not all events require an Akubra hat and flannel shirt—with events such as the black-tie Kimberley Fine Diamonds Dinner and a special concert under the stars, Aviair HeliSpirit Kimberley Moon Experience.
11. Mowanjum Festival
Immerse yourself in the unique art and culture of the Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunambal people at the Mowanjum Festival. The one-day family-friendly event in Derby hosts various workshops, including didgeridoo playing, boab nut carving and ochre painting.
The next Mowanjum festival is on 7 July 2023.
12. A Taste of Broome
Savour all the flavours of Broome in one tantalising event. A Taste of Broome is just one of the many events hosted in the long-running Shinju Matsuri Festival. The event celebrates Broome’s Indigenous multiculturalism through performance, cuisine, traditions, music, and film – just be ready for a sensory overload!
Food experiences
13. Mabu Mayi Café
Go on a culinary adventure in Broome’s Mabu Mayi Café. Translating to ‘good food’ in the local Yawuru language, the Indigenous-owned-and-operated café combines Asian and native flavours to create dishes inspired by the town’s multicultural heritage. Besides serving nourishing food, the café empowers local Yawuru people by improving the community’s social, cultural, and economic outcomes.
Art experiences
14. Aboriginal art & cultural galleries
Appreciate the creativity and storytelling of locals through vivid artwork and textiles. Many regional galleries showcase local Indigenous artists’ talents in stunning displays.
Broome
Discover Nagula Jarndu Designs
Discover Broome Time Art Gallery
Derby
Discover Mowanjum Art & Cultural Centre
Halls Creek
Kununurra
15. Waringarri Aboriginal Arts & Art Tours
Besides showcasing artworks, the gallery offers tours around the art centre and at Mirimia National Park, where you will learn about rock art with a local Aboriginal guide.
16. Munurru (King Edward River Campground) Art Tours
Uunguu Rangers and Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners at Ngauwudu (Mitchell Plateau) offer 1.5-hour guided walking tours through the Munurru rock art sites from Munurru Camp ground. Junba (traditional song and dance) will also take place on Thursday 20th July and Saturday 12 August at the camp ground, where Uunguu Rangers and Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Ownersare are looking forward to sharing Wanjina Wunggurr culture with Uunguu Visitor Pass holders staying at Munurru.
If you need more inspiration for your trip to the North West, download our free holiday planner.
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We’re a super friendly bunch in the Kimberley and always happy to help with sharing a local insight of where to go and what to see. Please get in touch if you have questions we can help answer.
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