Traditional owners at Anthwerrke, also known as Emily Gap, in the East MacDonnell Ranges of Central Australia are using an interactive visitor app to teach tourists about their culture.
The free app, Sites and Trails NT, was launched recently and it was hoped it would help boost visitor numbers to the area.
"The app tells our story, we got bush tucker around here, the snails out here and the caterpillar story about the Yipirinya," traditional owner Lynette Ellis said.
It is a story Ms Ellis and other traditional owners are keen to share with visitors.
"This place means a lot to me, because I have a responsibility to look after the country," she said.
"It's a special place, a spiritual place."
Anthwerrke is the home of a significant dreaming story, a place where the three caterpillar song lines, Yeperenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye, intersect.
"No interpretive sign can pass on the knowledge the way we can," Ms Ellis said.
While the East MacDonnell Ranges are only a short drive from Alice Springs, many tourists leave it off their travel list, instead choosing to visit the more popular West MacDonnell Ranges.
"I'd like more tourists to visit the East MacDonnell Ranges," Ms Ellis said.
"We don't get many tourists, but now the app is coming we might get more tourists coming this way. See the special place we got here."
App 'a first for Central Australia'
The Central Land Council have hailed the app as a first of its kind for the region.
The software cost $34,000 to build using rent money from the Northern Territory Government.
The app, which was in development for more than four years, features a welcome to country and an interactive tour.
"The app is like having a cultural tour guide, it explains a lot of the stories of the area, and the cultural heritage," Ian Sweeney from the Central Land Council said.
"It's unique because it's driven by traditional owners, it was their idea and the Central Land Council has supported the development of it.
"But all the content in the app is designed by and presented by traditional owners."
