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Aboriginal bush tucker tours in NSW
Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour at the Royal Botanic Garden
Where: Sydney
Explore how the Gadigal People once lived right on Sydney Harbour during the one-hour Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour through the Royal Botanic Garden. Led by a First Nations guide, journey through the Cadi Jam Ora garden – a site of Aboriginal history as well as land that the First Fleet cleared to plant their foreign seeds. You’ll learn to recognise native bush foods that grow all over Sydney – smell the leaves of lemon myrtle, touch the swollen, water-filled trunk of a bottle tree, and taste the sour bursts of a finger lime.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Bush Tucker Tour with Explore Byron Bay
Where: Bangalow
Join local Arakwal Bundjalung woman Delta Kay on a Bush Tucker Tour through the Bangalow Parklands. With knowledge passed down from her mother and grandmother, Delta points out the diverse range of edible fruits, roots, nuts, seeds and leaves that are native to the Australian bush. Watch the natural scenes of Byron Creek as you linger over a cup of bush tea and biscuits, and listen to some of the traditional Indigenous stories of the region.
Taste of Wiradjuri Tour with Bundyi Cultural Tours
Where: Wagga Wagga
Along the Murrumbidgee River near Wagga Wagga, proud Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler shares the connection to nature his people have fostered for many years on his Taste of Wiradjuri Tour. Learn about significant places and natural sites, try speaking the language of the Wiradjuri People, taste the native plants that grow along the river and the Wagga Wetlands, and see how nature provides in the art of traditional tool making.
Gaagal Yuludarla Tour with Unkya Cultural Eco Tours
Where: Scotts Head
The ocean, or Gaagal in Gumbaynggirr language, is a revered source of food for all of us. On this 1.5-hour Gaagal Yuludarla (Ocean Dreaming) Tour around Scotts Head and Junay Gaagal (Little Beach), you’ll wander this pristine mid-north coastline with an Aboriginal guide, and learn the creation story of the ocean and how the first wave was made. See traditional fish traps and hunting methods and learn about the medicinal plants that grow along this shoreline.
Unkya Cultural Eco Tours, Scotts Head
Aboriginal Storytelling and Wine Tasting Experience with Firescreek Winery
Where: Holgate
This family-run boutique organic winery in the Central Coast hinterland pays homage to its First Nations people of the region in an engaging Aboriginal Storytelling and Wine Tasting Experience led by a local Darkinjung Elder. As the didgeridoo and clapping sticks vibrate around you, connect with the Elder’s storytelling – tasting native plants and holding traditional tools in your hand. You’ll also meet a Firescreek winemaker for an intimate tasting, and learn how Australian native flora and other botanicals are utilised in their award-winning wines.
Firescreek Botanical Winery Aboriginal Experiences, Holgate – Credit: Nathan Lowe
Bush Food and Cultural Knowledge Walk with Nura Gunyu
Where: Ulladulla
Teacher, horticulturalist, chef and historian, Budawang Elder Noel Butler from the Yuin Nation shares his vast knowledge of local history, environment and plants used for food, medicine and survival on his 4km Bush Food and Cultural Knowledge Walk along NSW’s South Coast. Noel and his wife Trish guide visitors along the stunning shorelines of Ulladulla. Pick native berries, fragrant leaves and fuel up with a bush-food morning tea. Keep an eye out on their Facebook page for upcoming tours.
Yuin Retreat with Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness
Where: Narooma
For a completely immersive experience, the two-night Yuin Retreat, offered by Aboriginal-operated company Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness and traditional custodian Dwayne Bannon-Harrison, explores the sacred significance of Djirringanj country of the Yuin Nation or Narooma, Bega Valley and Bermagui regions. Starting with a traditional smoking ceremony, dance and yarning circle, guests will either embark on a guided walk on Gulaga Mountain or follow the Djirringanj Dreaming Trail, followed up with an Indigenous Twist Food Journey experience, a collaboration with some of the best chefs in the country and the oldest food culture in the world.
