Explore the rich culture of SA’s First Peoples

Posted 11 May, 2021 John Pedler

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are considered to be the oldest continuous cultures in the world, dating back more than 60,000 years.   Because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been here for so long, there are plenty of signs of their physical and spiritual connections to the land – if you know where to look. Here are a few tours and experiences for those keen to learn more about the First Peoples of South Australia.  

Iga Warta Flinders Ranges

The northern Flinders Ranges is one of the country’s truly spectacular landscapes. Parched creek beds lined with red gums wind across the plains and rugged mountains hide secret gorges, carved through solid rock over millions of years. This is the home of the Adnyamathanha people, who’ve lived in the region for millennia. In the heart of their land is the cultural tourism centre of Iga Warta, meaning ‘place of the native orange tree’. Found only in the arid outback, the tree’s fruit is about the size of a small green orange. Split it open and you’ll find yellow flesh and almost as many seeds as a pomegranate. Visitors can learn about the nutritional and medicinal properties of the local flora on a Plant Tour. Other experiences available at Iga Warta include overnight camping tours, artefact making, and campfire get togethers, where guests hear Dreaming stories that have been passed down through generations. Take the Malkii Tour and you’ll find yourself in a natural gallery of ancient paintings.  

Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Site Tours River Murray

Pelicans skim across millpond-still waters, spoonbills peer down from gnarled red gums and towering cliffs glow a rich, earthen orange in the midday sun. Anyone who’s visited the Murray knows of its timeless beauty. The mid-Murray region is the traditional home of the Nganguraku people, who’ve lived in the area for countless generations. A clear and vivid record of their rich culture can be found at Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park. At the base of the cliffs, engravings in the walls of a rock shelter are a record of a time long before locks and barrages dictated the river’s flow. A tour with a Nganguraku guide from the Mannum Aboriginal Community Association will reveal the meaning of these artworks and the Dreaming stories that connect the Nganguraku people to their country and heritage. This is also the site of significant archaeological excavations. Tools and animal remains have been unearthed here, providing an insight into the diet and lifestyle of the region’s First Peoples.  

Aboriginal Cultural Tours SA Yorke Peninsula

Long before caravanners and fisherfolk began making their regular pilgrimages from Adelaide to the Yorke Peninsula, the Adjahdura (Narungga) people called this region home. From the relatively quiet waters off the east coast to the towering cliffs, monster surf and jaw-dropping scenery of Innes National Park, the land is steeped in Adjahdura stories and traditions. Quenten Agius is the owner/operator of Aboriginal Cultural Tours SA. He offers a range of tours and experiences that allow visitors to look back through time and learn how generations of the peninsula’s traditional custodians lived on the land. At Pine Point, a chert quarry reveals the source of tool-making material. The tough, fine-grained stone is ideal for sharp cutting implements; remnants of which have been found all over the peninsula. At nearby Black Point, an ancient camp oven provides a window to the past, and a stone fish trap shows how food was traditionally caught. Full-day, 2 and 3-day tours are available – the longer Innes National Park trips include an opportunity to sleep in a swag under the stars.  

Coorong Adventure Cruise Coorong

Recognised by the environmental body Ramsar as a Wetland of International Importance, the Coorong is a 140km-long saltwater lagoon, crowded with local and international birdlife. It’s separated from the raging Southern Ocean by a broad strip of white dunes, which have been trodden by the Ngarrindjeri people for thousands of years. Spirit Australia Cruises works collaboratively with the Kula-Tind-Jeri cultural centre to provide genuine cultural content on their tours. A Coorong Adventure Cruise departs from Goolwa before heading through the lock in the Goolwa Barrage, a local hangout for fur seals. It’s then on past the Murray Mouth and deep into the Coorong’s waterways. Off-boat excursions take passengers through the vast dunefield to important cultural sites. Visit a midden, where remnants of seashells reveal a Ngarrindjeri meeting place for ceremonies and other occasions. En route to 90-Mile Beach, there’s an introduction to traditional bush tucker. Learn the ‘Coorong shuffle’, a method of unearthing pipis (aka cockles), then sample a freshly cooked serving of this seafood treat.          

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