Introduction to the Central Coast’s Aboriginal experiences
Helping you connect with Country
From intimate tours walking in the footsteps of the Ancestors to a community-wide festival, the Central Coast has some incredible Indigenous tours, events and experiences.
The Central Coast is home to over 2,000 registered sites of cultural significance, from ancient stone engravings, grooves made for grinding and crafting tools, to sandstone shelters and ancient shell middens.
Seeing these significant Aboriginal Sites is one thing, but understanding Country under the guidance of a Traditional Owner is another. As a first step, they will help you to understand the concept of 'Country' as a term for Indigenous values, places, resources, stories, and cultural obligations associated with a particular area. Taking a tour under the guidance of an Aboriginal Elder, and Aunty or an Uncle, will also help you better understand the Creation stories of Ancestor Spirits, including the history and significance of the Country you tread on the Central Coast.
For an introduction to our destination's cultural heritage, join these local Aboriginal-run experiences to listen and learn about Aboriginal culture; and to walk in the footsteps of the world's oldest living culture.
"Aboriginal cultures are the oldest continuing cultures on Earth. Their nations are as separate as the nations of Europe and Africa. Every plant and every animal are their family; they are their ancestors. Such an interconnected perspective is radically different to the West where the landscape is seen as separate, or literally outside of the human experience as we know it. In Aboriginal cultures, people and the land merge; they are part of each other."
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Reference Guide 2023
Girri Girra Aboriginal Experiences; 100% Aboriginal owned
Credit: Remy Brand x Destination Central Coast
Credit: Remy Brand x Destination Central Coast
Girri Girra Aboriginal Experiences
100% Aboriginal-owned business on the Central Coast
Run by cultural educator Tim Selwyn, Girri Girra is a 100% Aboriginal owned business that offers guided tours of the Central Coast for visitors, schools and corporate groups. Girri Girra tours include a guided walk around Bulgandry Aboriginal Art Site and Staples Lookout in Brisbane Water National Park, a three-hour tour of Pearl Beach, or a walk through the beautiful Bouddi National Park. You can also witness traditional smoking ceremonies, an Acknowledgement of Country, as well as hands-on activities including tool-crafting and ochre-grinding and painting.
Image: Bulgandry Aboriginal Art Site
Credit: Cameron Board x Destination Central Coast
Credit: Cameron Board x Destination Central Coast
Darkinjung Aboriginal Cultural Education Tours
Tour Country through Aboriginal eyes
Run by Aboriginal Identified guides through the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council, Darkinjung Aboriginal Cultural Education Tours offer three main tours to request, all best experienced with a group. The first is a Waraba Ocean Tour that visits Ettalong Lookout in the south of the region and an Aboriginal midden; the second is a Mundoe Footprint tour, which is a half day bush experience venturing from the Bulgandry Aboriginal Art Site with engravings (includes a visit to Girrakool Waterfalls also in Brisbane Water National Park). Lastly, they operate a special invitation-only Warre Warren tour, which visits a protected sacred site in State Forest, with over 200 rock art sites encompassed within it.
Image: Uncle Gavi Duncan at Firescreek Botanical Winery, Holgate
Credit: Nathan Lowe Photography
Credit: Nathan Lowe Photography
Firescreek Aboriginal storytelling & wine tasting experience
Hosted at Firescreek Botanical vineyards in the heart of the Central Coast
Combine a natural fruit wine tasting with an unforgettable cultural storytelling experience among the vines at Firescreek, located in Holgate near Erina on the Central Coast. The unique experience, guided by an Aboriginal Elder, includes a storytelling session featuring live didgeridoo and clap stick playing, plus a hands-on experience with traditional tools and artefacts, and a delicious tasting of native Australian plants in season. Guests can then take a guided wine tasting tour through the grounds in the botanical gardens, with the winemaker leading the way.
Credit: 5 Lands Walk by Roslyn Donohoe Photography
The Central Coast 5 Lands Walk
Traverse five headlands wrapped in culture for the winter solstice
Organised by the local Indigenous community and considered a cultural, physical and spiritual event, the 5 Lands Walk has grown into a multi-day festival. Held over the winter solstice in June, it is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the local Aboriginal community and Indigenous song, dance, art and more. Starting with a large opening event featuring a smoking ceremony, the 10km walk begins at MacMasters Beach and continues to Copacabana, Avoca Beach and North Avoca along the beach, through the bush and along scenic back roads, finishing in Terrigal by the ocean. Shuttle buses between stops and disabled access are available and all walkers are encouraged to take in the exhibitions, cultural displays and performances along the route. You can also do this walk any time of year, with permanent signage in place at pit-stops along the way to guide your journey.
Girri Girra Aboriginal Experiences; 100% Aboriginal owned
Credit: Syl Marie Photography
Credit: Syl Marie Photography
This article was originally authored by Shaney Hudson, as part of a Love Central Coast grant project brought to you by Destination Central Coast, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund. To maintain accuracy, some editorial changes may have been made since publication.
Destination Central Coast understand it’s vital that we work collaboratively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to portray an accurate, inclusive and authentic representation of Indigenous Australia, informed by best practice cultural guidelines provided by Tourism Australia. Due to any sensitive cultural content, we wish to acknowledge this as a 'living article' created in ongoing, open consultation with the Indigenous peoples it aims to represent.
If you're an Aboriginal-owned or Aboriginal-run business on the Central Coast, we'd love to hear more about it. Simply get in touch with us here, create a free Love Central Coast business listing here, or tag us when sharing your local story on Instagram and Facebook.