There are few places on Earth where stories stretch back 60,000 years, and even fewer where those stories are still being lived, told and passed down through generations. Western Australia is one of those rare places: a vast, wild land where the world’s oldest continuous living culture invites travellers not just to admire the stunning landscape they walk through, but to connect with it.
Across the state, from the rugged red cliffs of the Kimberley to the turquoise waters of the South West, a growing number of Aboriginal tourism experiences offer visitors the opportunity to connect deeply with self, with others and with country. Designed for all ages, the tours are fun, hands-on and moving. To walk alongside an Aboriginal guide in WA is to see the land not just for what it is, but for everything it holds: knowledge, culture, spirituality and identity.
In the state’s South West, two tour operators – Kurrah Mia in Albany and Koomal Dreaming in the Margaret River region – offer immersive journeys that bring the beauty of this incredible place to life through the eyes of its traditional custodians.
Kinjarling: walk with Kurrah Mia on Menang Noongar country
Aboriginal Walking Tour with Kurrah Mia, Denmark. Photo credit: Base Imagery.
Near the coastal city of Albany, also known as Kinjarling, or “place of rain”, the team at Kurrah Mia welcomes visitors to walk in the footsteps of the Menang Noongar people. Guided tours pass on knowledge from elders to the next generation and to all who walk with them on country.
On the Mount Clarence Walking Tour, guests walk with an experienced Menang guide, learning how the Menang people used ochre, plants, stone, bone and fire in daily life, as tools for hunting, medicine, storytelling and survival. Every element of the landscape has purpose and meaning, from the native flora that once healed wounds to the birds whose call signals change with each season.
The Aboriginal Walking Tour to Quaranup takes guests deeper still, following ancient paths to Quaranup (or Kwooranup – place of the brush-tailed wallaby). It’s here that you begin to understand how closely the Menang people lived in rhythm with the tides and seasons. Among granite outcrops and sea-swept cliffs, tour participants discover ancient stone structures, engravings, waterholes and artefacts left untouched by time. When the tides allow, the group ventures to the rocks to forage for shellfish, just as the ancestors once did.
Dreaming stories, woven with culture and song, bring the walks to life and cast the land in a new light. The experience isn’t just about what you see; it’s about what you begin to feel. Kurrah Mia’s tours are an invitation to slow down, listen and start to understand the bush as a vibrant, living classroom. Through bush food tastings and lessons in native medicine plants, visitors gain an understanding of how the Menang people thrived here for tens of thousands of years – long before Albany became a port town and maps drew lines across the landscape.
Margaret River: into the heart of country
Aboriginal Cultural Tour at Ngilgi Cave Ancient Lands Experience with Josh Whiteland from Koomal Dreaming. Photo credit: Tourism Western Australia.
Further west, in the picturesque Margaret River Region, the founder of Koomal Dreaming, Josh “Koomal” Whiteland, offers guests a deeply personal encounter with Wadandi and Bibbulmun country.
The Aboriginal Food, Cave and Didge Tour is a multisensory experience that begins with a gentle walk through native bush, where guests learn to identify seasonal foods and medicinal plants that have nourished generations. Then, the journey moves underground into Ngilgi Cave, a sacred site where time seems to slow down.
A gifted storyteller, musician and cultural custodian, Josh shares Dreaming stories passed down by his ancestors. His didgeridoo performance, in the cave’s cool, cathedral-like chambers, reverberates with a haunting, ancient beauty.
After emerging from the cave, it’s time to gather around the campfire to feast on the likes of kangaroo, emu and seasonal bush foods such as saltbush and quandong – all paired with local Margaret River wines and beers.
For an experience of a different kind, the Twilight Didgeridoo Cave Tour invites guests into Ngilgi Cave after hours. As the sun sets above ground, the cave becomes a sanctuary of sound and story. This 90-minute tour ends in stillness, with the soft glow of lanterns casting shadows on the limestone walls while the didgeridoo speaks its ancient song.
On his tours, Josh encourages guests to reflect on their place in the world, their responsibilities to nature and the importance of keeping culture alive.
A deeper way to travel
Aboriginal Walking Tour with Kurrah Mia, Denmark. Photo credit: Base Imagery.
Whether you’re exploring cultural sites, learning about bush foods or listening to elders share history, these guided Aboriginal tours give context and depth to the landscape around you. For travellers who want to understand more than just the scenery, the tours offer a powerful way to see the South West region through a different lens – and to better understand the deep cultural connections that continue to shape life across Western Australia.
