On the Rocks Dreaming Aboriginal Heritage Tour you’ll handle cultural artefacts, and hear the spoken language of the Cadigal people. Walk among the 29 poles that form the Museum of Sydney’s Edge of the Trees sculpture.
The World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains have more than 140 km of walking trails. Explore the area with a guide from Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout at Faulconbridge, 80 minutes from Sydney by train. Call at the Waradah Aboriginal Centre in Katoomba to see traditional dance and didgeridoo performances.
Sites of cultural significance
The spiritual and cultural connections Aboriginal people have with the land are strong and stories and teachings are passed down the generations. You can learn about these ancestral links at museums, art galleries and national parks, and on guided tours and walks.
The Yiribana Gallery at the Art Gallery of NSW, near the Royal Botanic Gardens, has a fine collection of Aboriginal art from across Australia. Highlights include Lin Onus’s sculpture Fruit Bats, and John Mawurndjul's intricate bark paintings from Arnhem Land.
On the forecourt of the Museum of Sydney stands Edge of the Trees. “Walking between the pillars you hear a soundscape of Koori voices reciting the names of places in the Sydney region that have today been swallowed up by the metropolis,” explains the museum.
Kamay Botany Bay National Park is rich in Aboriginal history with rock art and engravings found at some of 30 sites of cultural significance. The national park, in Sydney’s south, is also popular for whale watching, with a lookout at spectacular Cape Solander.
