Coolayla

No trip to Australia is complete without an understanding of the Aboriginal Culture.

Aboriginal (or Aborigine) means Indigenous to Australia. They were the sole inhabitants of Australia before it was occupied by the British and other Europeans.

There were over 300,000 Aboriginals in Australia before the settlers arrived. With them, they brought Old World Diseases which simply wiped out thousands of Aboriginals. As well as this, they were not given any rights to the land which pushed them out.

These days, there is only a very small percentage of the population that is Aboriginal (3%) Many have health problems or alcohol related problems. There are however still areas within Australia where Aboriginals abide by their old values and beliefs and it is a wonderful experience to spend some time with them. Sacred places such as Ayers Rock are steeped in Aboriginal tradition and as such are a good place to uncover the Aboriginal belief system.

The Aboriginal Culture is made up of many beliefs and stories. Two well known aspects are music and art. The didgeridoo is well known but is actually only used by those Aborigines that are from the East of Australia. It is the clapping sticks that are more widely used in fact.

Rock Art is the oldest of the Aboriginal Arts and can be found in places such as Ayers Rock and Kakadu National Parks as these are sacred Aboriginal lands. It is the dot paintings that are particularly popular with tourists and these are generally easy to find throughout Australia.

Where To Experience Aboriginal Australia

There are lots of places you can go to learn about the Aboriginal Culture. There is not room in this article to explore them all. Arnhem Land which is near Darwin in the top end of Australia is in my opinion the best place to go. Numbers are restricted to this sacred area so you can guarantee a less touristy approach. You really do get to appreciate the real culture and see real Aboriginals dot painting and making crafts. You can easily incorporate a day trip here as part of your trip to Darwin or Kakadu National Park and I highly recommend it. Remember that this area has defined seasons so only come here between May and October.

If you want to incorporate some Aborigine experience into the more visited areas try the blue mountains walkabout as part of your trip to Sydney. The Rocks Half Day Dreaming tour which is taken by an Aboriginal Elder, Margaret Campbell is also very good. Don’t forget a detour to the Olgas if you’re driving a four-wheel drive – they are a strange yet eerie sight that Aboriginals from this region hold sacred

As the Aboriginals would say, lets go Walkabout. Discover Aboriginal Australia and see Australia in a whole new light.