Tjapukai Relaunches After $13m Upgrade

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Australia's Aboriginal culture and history showcased in 'new look' Tjapukai tourism experience

Cairns tourism icon relaunches after $13 million upgrade to tell the story of 'Where Australia Begins'

Renowned Cairns Aboriginal tourism experience, Tjapukai, has been relaunched following a A$13 million upgrade with the unveiling of new exterior and interior designs, new theatres and restaurants, and a completely refreshed range of productions, tour options and packages.

The significant upgrading project has seen the 28 year old tourism icon reinvented with a new vision and identity – 'Tjapukai – Where Australia Begins' – that reflects the venue's aim to provide visitors with an informative and stimulating immersion into Aboriginal Australia's rich history and culture.

Tjapukai is located to the north of Cairns, next to the Skyrail terminal and set in 25 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens with a backdrop of the Barron Gorge National Park rainforest.

Visitors will be greeted by new exterior and interior designs that reflect the local Djabugay people's beliefs that everything in society and life is divided between wetand dry.

Tjapukai's natural rainforest backdrop has been brought into Tjapukai with vast windows providing views towards Red Peak, as well as a new rainforest installation in the arrival lobby and gallery.

The 'dry' is represented by a dramatic contemporary new exterior design with red and orange panels backlit to provide an illusion of fire that is an integral part of Aboriginal culture and tradition.

A newly designed 'Night Fire by Tjapukai' programme has been launched to provide visitors with an entertaining and interactive night-time experience that includes dinner, performances, camp fire stories and culminates with the dramatic lighting of a 40 metre fireball.

The range of packages has been expanded to provide new half-day options in addition to the full-day and night packages. The new packages include activities such as an Indigenous-guided bush foods journey, boomerang painting, weaving and jewellery making.

New productions have been developed and two new theatres have been launched to showcase the talents of the famed Tjapukai performers.

Buluru Storywater Theatre provides an 'in the round' theatre experience that uses advanced visual and audio effects for a new production, which explains the local Djabugay people's Dreamtime story of the creation of the world.

Bundarra Dingal Cassowary Egg Theatre is an innovative, architecturally ground-breaking auditorium designed in the shape of a cassowary egg that can seat up to 150 for a range of dance, art and multi-media performances.

The Cultural Village has been made an all-weather venue and fully upgraded. The Dance Theatre showcases local and Torres Strait Islander dancers.

A new History and Heroes timeline gallery has been created utilising a range of media to explain and explore Australia's diverse Indigenous history, covering the impact of the stolen generation as well as the inspiring and motivating stories of Australia's Indigenous Heroes, both past and present.

Interactive bush tucker and medicine tours have been introduced, while visitors can also try their hand at spear and boomerang throwing.

Tjapukai's dining options have been expanded with the opening of the Flame Tree Restaurant & Bar, which overlooks the serene Storywaters Lake. The restaurant and outdoor cafe will offer a range of dishes, many inspired by Indigenous recipes and bush tucker produce.

“We've re-imagined the entire Tjapukai experience, engaging the most up to date technology to tell the stories of Indigenous Australia in even more engaging and compelling ways than before,” says Tjapukai CEO, Greg Erwin.

“Australia's Aboriginal history has such rich character and great stories that with the launch of the new facilities and concept, and an emphasis on interactive experiences, we believe Tjapukai will become an even more important and popular tourism experiences for international visitors who want to discover more about the fascinating history and culture of Australia's Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who were living in Australia thousands of years before European colonisation.

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”Far North Queensland is renowned for its rainforest and Reef, and now with the re-launch of Tjapukai, we believe the region will become as well known for the quality and variety of its Indigenous-owned attractions and activities.”

Packages start from A$60 for a half-day tour, including performances.

Full details of the new facilities and packages: www.tjapukai.com.au