4 Best Indigenous Tours in WA’s South West

Western Australia has a rich and enduring history. Learn about the world’s oldest living culture on one of these Aboriginal tours.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Best Indigenous Tours in South West Western Australia

There’s no better way to deepen your connection to Country than learning about the ancient land from the people that know it best.

Over in Australia’s South West, Noongar people have resided in the striking coastal region for over 50,000 years. It’s a spectacular locale to call home, filled with long stretches of pristine white shoreline wrapped in sarongs of blue, enchanting forests, caves, and lofty jumbles of granite outcrops.

Beyond admiring the South West’s natural beauty spots, see it beyond face value by appreciating the knowledge and traditions of the world’s oldest living culture.

The South West region has many Indigenous tours to guide your understanding of ancient land and the rich history of local Aboriginal people.

There are all kinds of cultural immersions, from going on a walkabout and discerning bush tucker treats to didgeridoo performances in caves.

Let us guide you on your next cultural awakening with our list of best Indigenous tours in Western Australia’s South West.

4 Best Indigenous Tours in South West Western Australia

1. Kodja Place

Location: Kojonup
Price: – Australian Rose Maze & Three Women’s Stories – Entry by donation
– Kodj Gallery and Storyplace – $10 per adult, $5 concession and children, $25 family ticket
– Billy Tea – $5 per person (minimum of 8 people)

Before you set the GPS ‘down south’, make a pit stop at Kodja Place. Located en route along Albany Highway, the community-centric interpretive centre focuses on local Indigenous history and culture.

There are a few cultural experiences available for loose change. Embark on a DIY cultural tour with informative displays around the centre, or join a Kodj Gallery and Storyplace tour for colourful storytelling.

For a sensory overload, join local Aboriginal guide Jack on a bush tucker tour, discovering what’s in store at nature’s supermarket in Kojonup. Expect to be moved during a walkabout around the Australian Rose Maze.

The rose-hedged paths share the captivating stories and special kinship of last-century Noongar, English, and Italian women who called the region home.

With many experiences on offer, it makes for an enlightening rest stop.

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2. Koomal Dreaming

Location: Margaret River
Price: – Ngilgi Cave cultural tour – $83 per adult, $49 per child
– Twilight didgeridoo cave tour – $65 per adult, $32 per child
– Aboriginal food, culture, cave and digeridoo tour – $155 per adult, $125 per child
Requirements: Protective footwear, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat, water, sunglasses

Be captivated by natural-born storyteller Wadandi custodian Josh ‘Koomal’ Whiteland.

Josh runs Koolmal Dreaming tours on Wadandi and Bibbulman country, which sweeps across Busselton, Dunsborough, and Margaret River.

He recaptures dreaming stories and the ancient traditions of his ancestors, who were the last people to live in the bush up until the 1960s. Josh will also share his vast knowledge and interpretation of Noongar culture, geography, and native bush foods and bush medicine in the Margaret River region.

 

 

Besides a forage in bushlands, let Josh take your cultural journey to new depths. See one of Margaret River’s famed tourist attractions, Ngilgi Cave, in a new light on a twilight cave tour.

The stage is set 39m below in the cave’s amphitheatre, with Josh delivering a live didgeridoo performance. Hearing the didgeridoo’s sound reverberant among crystallised growths – stalactites, stalagmites, and helictites – stirs and inspires. Expect to feel goosebumps whenever you reflect on the one-of-a-kind live didgeridoo performance in Ngilgi Cave. Just wow.

 

 

Whichever Koomal Dreaming tour you decide to do, you’ll undoubtedly be entranced by Josh’s knowledge and passion for his country.

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Read more: Here’s Where You Can Find Aboriginal Cultural Tours in Australia

3. Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours

Location: Bunbury
Price: – Dreaming Town tour – $80 per adult, $50 per child
– Dreaming Town twilight tour – $80 per adult, $50 per child
– Estuary Walkabout – $80 per adult, $50 per child
Requirements: Protective footwear, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat, water, sunglasses

Let Noongar guide and longtime cultural performer Troy Bennell show you a different side to the bustling coastal hub of Bunbury.

Troy runs Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours, with each walking tour combining Dreamtime stories and the history of Bunbury.

On the Dreaming Town tour, you’ll go on an urban walkabout, with Troy intertwining stories of the Traditional Owners, early settlers, dreaming stories, and the town’s history.

Embrace the cooling effect on an Estuary Walkabout tour. The Collie River and Bunbury Estuary are places of great cultural significance, with Troy letting you discover what nature thrives in the area.

Along the scenic wildlife tour, you’ll traverse through mangroves and along the shores at Koombana Bay. Along the way, Troy will share his local knowledge of hunters and gathers, as well as where to source bush tucker and bush medicine. Cap off the tour in the countryside by spotting Bunbury’s cute visitors – Bottlenose dolphins!

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4. Kaarak Dreaming

Location: Dwellingup
Price: – Maitland’s Nanga Brook Kep-Bilo tour – $65 per adult, $45 per concession, $25 per child
– Maitland’s Jarrahdale Walking tour – $55 per adult, $30 per concession, $25 per child
– Maitland’s Dwaarlindjirraap Art on Country tour – $200 per adult, $100 per concession, $74 per child
Requirements: Protective footwear, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat, water, sunglasses

Let Noongar man Maitland guide you on a discovery of Dwellingup.

Kaarak Dreaming offers varied tours across the region to suit your learning style. Each tour begins with a Welcome to Country in the local language, followed by an authentic journey.

Explore Dwellingup on a Nanga Brook Kep-Bilo cultural tour, heading on a native flora walk to discover bush medicine and traditional fishing techniques (sorry, no mud crabbing here!).

 

 

The tour continues around a Yarning Circle, learning what’s what with traditional artefacts and sand mapping.

If you’re seeking to declutter the mind, follow Maitland’s lead with a bush walk around Gooralong Creek in Jarrahdale. Or, if you’re wanting to chase creative pursuits, perfect your brushwork with a painting workshop.

Learn from the artist himself as Maitland showcases a distinctive traditional Noongar style of art called Carrolup. What better souvenir is there to take home than art you created on Country?

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Read more: These Campgrounds Offer the Chance to go Camping with Custodians

FAQs Indigenous Tours WA South West

Can you visit Aboriginal communities?

Travelling into some Aboriginal communities requires a permit. A permit can be obtained by a Land Council acting on behalf of Traditional Owners. Most commonly, Indigenous tours have been granted access to Aboriginal lands to offer the promoted experience.

Who are the Traditional Owners of South West WA?

The Traditional Owners of Australia’s South West are the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, having occupied the land for roughly 45,000 years.

What is the Aboriginal name for South West WA?

South West WA is known as Noongar-boodja country.

 

Images thanks to Tourism Western Australia