Aboriginal owned and operated Bookabee Tours Australia is taking a singular approach to familiar Adelaide sites and beyond. In 2008 the company won Traveling in Australia magazine's National Indigenous Experience Award and also were awarded Best Indigenous Tourism Company for 2008 at the South Australian Tourism Awards. As the original inhabitants of Australia, Aboriginal people have a rich culture and history embedded in the arts, food, and land dating back over 45,000 years. Until recently, authentic Aboriginal cultural experiences were few and far between, usually accessible only to adventure travelers. Indigenous people are now coming forward in greater number to offer a taste of their culture.
Haydyn Bromley, owner of Bookabee Tours, from the Adnyamathanha tribe in the northern Flinders Ranges, thrives on personal interaction. He commands enough respect among the local indigenous population to allow his guests special encounters with places and people who would be otherwise inaccessible. For a short introduction to Aboriginal culture, visitors to Adelaide can take a two-hour stroll around the Botanic Gardens with Bromley to learn about bush foods, plants and medicines, and how boomerangs are made. The tour ends with a sampling of Outback cuisine amid the botanic landscape. In addition to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens Bush Tour, guests can choose an all day cultural experience. Following the morning at the botanic gardens, this tour includes a visit to Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, lunch in Adelaide's East End, and a private tour of the South Australian Museum Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, one of the largest collections of Aboriginal artifacts in the world.
The Cleland Wildlife and Culture Tour fuses indigenous cultural history with abundant native wildlife in the Adelaide Hills. Participants can walk among kangaroos and emus and listen to "dreamtime" creation stories of how the animals developed their unique characteristics. Bookabee Tours also guides visits to traditional Aboriginal sites and teaches people about the relationships between indigenous people and the land and animals. Luxury tours into the Outback include chauffeured 4WD touring, stays at five-star Outback accommodation, and unique cultural experiences.
Aboriginal Cultural Tours is another recommended South Australian company that provides visitors with opportunities to visit remote areas. Owner Quenten Aguis takes guests for half day to five-day tours to Adjahdura Land on the Yorke Peninsula, an north of Adelaide. Here guests can visit such places as the Point Pearce Aboriginal lands, Innes National Park, and more. The Aboriginal lands, national parks and coastal areas of Adjahdura Land are remote with rugged cliffs, beaches and crystal clear sea water. It's been a rich farming region ever since white settlement, in the mid 1800s. Aguis's tours are enhanced by his dreamtime stories and the rich historical narrative he provides on his tours. For more information, visit www.southaustralia.com.
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