Leading Indigenous tourism operator Lirrwi Tourism has introduced two new day tours to its calendar of touring itineraries of the East Arnhem Land Yolngu Homelands in 2018.
Developed by Yolngu traditional owners with several family generations participating, these immersive tours provide an economic base for Yolngu to remain on country and maintain their culture, while offering visitors an incredible cultural adventure.
The new day tours operate from Yirrkala via Nhulunbuy (Gove) and include:
- Bawaka Homeland Highlights Tour
A full-day four wheel drive rive tour to Bawaka Homeland, located 90 minutes south of Yirrkala. Bawaka is a much-loved weekend getaway for Yolngu, set on a pristine, white-sanded beach fringed with coconut palms and turquoise water lapping at the shore.
A Lirrwi guide introduces guests to Bawaka, sometimes with another family member. The guides tell stories about the area, talk about the seven Yolngu seasons, and demonstrate how the various plants and trees may be used for art, to create Yidaki (or didgeridoo), bush medicine, foods and more. Guests learn about Moiety – Yirratja and Dhuwa (Kinship) and how it connects Yolngu to the land and to each other. If the tides are right this tour might include spear fishing or crabbing.
The Bawaka Tour is a real cultural adventure, offering guests a connection with Yolngu land and traditional way of life, and with lots of opportunities to ask questions.
Fares are $489 per person, including lunch and the company of a Yolngu tour guide.
Crabbing with Lirrwi Guide Rrongba
- Gove Gululu Day Tour
Gululu means “Welcome to our Country” and this tour is a welcome to Yolngu Country. Yolngu are the traditional owners of Miwatj region sea and land. Guests are invited to learn more about Yolngu culture, spend time sitting and walking together, and share their knowledge.
The Gululu Tour is a full day tour to Dhimurru General Permit areas, where local Yolngu guides introduce visitors to places of cultural significance, with highlights including Daliwoi Bay, Maccassans Beach, and beautiful Turtle Beach (Little Bondi).
The $330 per person fare includes lunch, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka (Arts) Centre activities and the company of a Yolngu tour guide.
The day tours are designed to complement the multi-day itineraries already on offer including a Crossing Country Tour, a Women’s Tour and a Photography Tour. Each offer a rare and often life-changing chance for visitors to take time out from western routines and ‘go with the flow’ in Australia’s Indigenous heartland.
Lirrwi Tourism East Arnhem Land Tours
Any number of activities are included, from a ‘Welcome to Country’ and learning about Yolngu kinship, lore and language, weaving to traditional spear fishing, gathering of bush foods and medicine, dance (Bunggul), storytelling or learning how the Yidaki (didgeridoo) is made and played.
Unplanned events are always a possibility and make Lirrwi’s tours so special. Itineraries welcome visitors to Yolngu family communities and are designed to be flexible to work with the flow of the natural environment, the climate and the community.
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