ABORIGINAL EXPERIENCES IN NSW AND THE NEW CORROBOREE INDIGENOUS FESTIVAL

Sydney will host the largest, annual, national Indigenous arts and cultural festival in Australia’s history. Called Corroboree, the new annual festival will find a home in Sydney for at least the next three years. It will be held over 11 days, from 14 November to 24 November, 2013 and is being put together by nine of Sydney’s major arts and cultural institutions which have strong Indigenous programs. It has unprecedented support from the Indigenous community.

Aboriginal tourism is a growing force on the State’s tourism scene. Using the knowledge of the landscape and its plants and animals gained over thousands of years as well as their intense spiritual connection with the land, Aboriginal Australians are now offering an array of unique experience to visitors. In Sydney, these include Aboriginal-guided cruises on Sydney Harbour, bush tucker tours, cultural performances and specialist galleries dedicated exclusively to Aboriginal art.

Surrounded by the exotic palms and statuary of Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Aboriginal Education Officer Clarence Slockee takes visitors on an Aboriginal Heritage Tour to taste the bush foods that were part of the diet for the Cadigal people, the original inhabitants of this area.

The Rocks Dreaming Tour is an authentic Aboriginal walkabout tour that uncovers Sydney’s fascinating history through Aboriginal eyes. The tour provides insight into the area’s original inhabitants, the Gadigal people, their heritage and their deeply spiritual connection to the natural world of Sydney’s harbour and surrounds.

Taronga Zoo’s new Nura Diya Aboriginal Discovery Tour investigates the powerful link between Aboriginal people and Australia’s native wildlife. With an Aboriginal guide, visitors learn about the shared history between animals and the land and hear stories of the Dreaming, describing the creation of animals and the landscape.

Tribal Warrior is an Aboriginal owned and operated cruise that views Sydney through indigenous eyes. The tour includes a visit to a Sydney Harbour island and a traditional welcoming ceremony with dance and didgeridoo.

Within the Art Gallery of NSW, the Yiribana Gallery is one of the largest spaces in the country dedicated exclusively to indigenous art and sculpture. Highlights of the collection include traditional works on bark and some spectacular pieces from Arnhem Land, in far northern Australia, one of the wellsprings of Aboriginal art.

The Indigenous Australians Exhibition at The Australian Museum uses artefacts, personal narratives and audio-visual presentations to capture the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture from the Dreaming to the present day.

Located in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba, 90-minutes from Sydney, Waradah Aboriginal Centre is a landmark tourist facility that celebrates Australian Aboriginal life and culture. Dance performances take place at regular times throughout the day. Audience members see Aboriginal Dance and Didgeridoo performances, with explanations of the stories that accompany each dance. The Centre also houses an Aboriginal art gallery and a shop where visitors can purchase Aboriginal artworks.

For an once-in-a-lifetime Outback experience join a Harry Nanya Tour of Mungo National Park, to explore one of the oldest places for human occupation dating back to Aboriginal life from around 60,000 years ago.

For more information visit the Destination NSW website.