If you’re looking for an authentic Aboriginal culture experience near Cairns, then I’m sharing my tour experience with Walkabout Cultural Adventures. Just an hour up the coast from Port Douglas, they took us into one of my favourite places in the world—the Daintree rainforest—where we shared stories, bush tucker, and spearfished for the FNQ delicacy, mud crabs.
If you’re wondering which Aboriginal tour to take from Cairns and whether a day out with Walkabout Cultural Adventures is worth the hype, this review will share exactly what our day looked like to give you an idea of what to expect.
Who are the Bama people?
Far North Queensland has one of the largest Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander populations in Australia (17%). Bama literally means ‘rainforest people’ and refers to the Indigenous peoples of FNQ, who once lived and foraged throughout these lush ranges, and still maintain a deep connection to the land. There are at least 18 Rainforest Aboriginal tribal groups in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, that we know of, representing a diverse range of languages and clans.
It still bedazzles me that Aboriginal peoples have lived in this country for at least 65,000 years, making it the world’s oldest continuously surviving culture. Ever since I moved back to Far North Queensland a few years ago, a region I have developed a strong connection to, I’ve been fascinated to learn more about Bama’s connection to country.
Being based in Port Douglas, I wanted to keep things local and head out with the Eastern Kuku Yalanji mob, whose land extends from here to Cooktown on the east side of these lush ranges.
Why Walkabout Cultural Adventures?
For a while, I taught at a small school in Mossman, within the foothills of the Daintree Rainforest. One of my incredibly sweet kids said that on weekends, he often went fishing for mud crabs with his family and cooked them over the fire. He was related to the owner of this tour group.
Walkabout Cultural Adventures is run by Juan Walker, who is a bit of a local legend around here. He is a Kuku Yanaji man who grew up in Mossman, and the Walkers are a prominent Aboriginal family in the area.
You may have seen Juan before on telly as he’s been in quite a few tourism promos— featuring on the Amazing Race Australia, giving a ‘Welcome to Country’, the Project’s special episode ‘The Lucky Country’, and even giving a tour to Nick ‘Honeybadger’ Cummins for a Nat Geo special, among others.
Juan’s tours are really well-reviewed, and as a former local, I’d only heard positive things about them. It’s also 100% Aboriginal-owned and operated, which I wanted to support.
Ngana Julaymba Dungay! (we all going Daintree)
The Sailor and I went on the half-day Daintree tour, so we were picked up from home at 8 am sharp. Our tour guide, Aaron, was a really friendly guy. As soon as we jumped in the van, he was yarning with us about the area and pointing out things to spot along the way.
We told him about all the hikes we’d done around Port Douglas until now. He pointed to Wundu (Thornton Peak) in the Daintree and said it’s a sacred mountain that his people are not allowed to climb (it’s about a 3-day, 24k return hike that requires a permit). It used to be a burial site for the Western Kuku Yalanji, he explained, who were laid to rest around the base of the mountain.
After collecting another family in Port Douglas, we made a quick stop at Scomazzan’s, an awesome little farm shop, and picked up some tropical fruit before picking up the last family near Daintree Village. To provide more personalised trips, group sizes are advertised as being small, with no more than 11 admitted —we had just 10 that morning, and everyone was lovely.
As we crossed a nearby bridge, Aaron briskly glanced over towards the sandbanks and told us, “Look over there, that’s Howard”. He reversed the car to give us a better look.
Howard was resting motionless on he sandbanks and so well camouflaged that the Sailor couldn’t see him. Aaron took a little detour to give us a better look.
Like many saltwater crocodiles around here, they are well known by the locals and affectionately given human names. Howard must have heard us coming as he was already gone by the time we reached the end of the dirt path.
“Later, we can take a look and see if Scarface is in the Daintree River.” As the name would suggest, Scarface was a beefy male saltie, over 5 metres long.
Bushcraft
Aaron told us early on that his boss gave him some snacks to pass on and to let him know when to stop so we could eat them, as he has a habit of talking too much and gets carried away. He was clearly passionate and knowledgeable about his land, and made a number of stops on the bus to show us a range of plants used for medicinal purposes and bush tucker. I didn’t know we had so much growing here —like wild passionfruit and tamarind —found just at the side of the road.
Aaron stopped the van and tugged a branch of leaves off a tree to show us how it can be used to repel mosquitoes and moisturise the skin.
It was the leaves of the Milky Pine tree. Just by adding water and rubbing it together, we watched it magically froth into natural soap. It was really cool!
Equally impressive was the lipstick bean. He opened it, put a stick inside to mix it up, then rubbed it onto our hands to show us the surprise. It was a shade of bright orange that only nature could produce, with the colour and texture of lipstick. He said the only problem was that it was hard to rub off if you put it on your lips. I then explained that women pay a lot of money for lipstick that doesn’t come off! It’d be way cheaper than Chanel. 😉
It was at that point that I started to wish I’d done this tour when I first arrived back in Port Douglas. Even though the Sailor and I have gone walkabout in this rainforest more times than we can count (Aaron said, more times than him!), there’s so much growing in the Daintree that I didn’t even know about.
Before we continued on, the Sailor let out a bit of a cough (he has a bit of a twitchy cough that I find annoying, lol), and Aaron said to the Sailor that he knows something to get rid of it later. What he showed us was the most impressive thing of all! But I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you the whole tour as it’d be unfair to Aaron and Walkabout.
Telling you though, if you have an ailment, Aaron knows how to solve it.
After quite a bit of time on the bus, we stopped to eat our tropical fruit. Being locals, we’d eaten most of it before, apart from the Rollina (part of the custard apple family, quite delicious). It was fun trying the black sapote again, which we’d only hesitantly eaten once years ago. Admittedly, it doesn’t look the most appetising (resembling bat poo on your finger!) and has a buttery texture, but it tastes like chocolate pudding. It’s even better in an ice cream.
Sacred Healing
Refuelled with fruit, Aaron asked if we wanted to visit a special healing place in the rainforest. He explained that it is an ancient, sacred site where Kuku Yalanji women would come to bathe, as the water is considered to have healing properties. They named it Wawu Karrba, meaning ‘healing of the spirit’. It was for ladies only, so all men would have to wait outside.
The waterhole was beneath a small waterfall at the Daintree Ecolodge & Spa, and to get there is only a short walk, about 200 metres. The Sailor and I stayed here a few years ago for our honeymoon, but didn’t know this walk and waterfall were here. It was a really peaceful spot, and fortunately, you don’t have to be a guest to visit —it’s open to anyone.
On the way back, Aaron was scouting the trees to see if he could find the Boyd’s Forest Dragon in his usual tree. He explained that it’s his clan’s totem.
For Aboriginal peoples, a totem can be a plant, natural object, or animal that’s inherited by a clan or family and becomes their spiritual emblem. If it’s an animal, they’re not allowed to eat it, and they’re given caretaking responsibilities for it, amongst other things.
Crabbing
Everyone was really looking forward to catching crabs (not that kind, lol). Spearfishing for mud crabs is advertised online as a tour activity, although nothing was mentioned that morning, probably because time got the better of us. When another guest asked if it was still going ahead, Aaron said he was going to take us to Mossman Gorge next, but was more than happy to change plans. He even said he’d still take us to the Gorge as our final stop, finishing up around 2-3. I thought that was really sweet of him to offer, as the tour was supposed to end at 1 pm.
Spearfishing took place on Cooya Beach, a popular hangout for mud crabs, as the south end is bordered by mangroves. Aaron began with a demo on two different ways to throw the spear. Everyone did pretty well, but I sucked, lol!
I was really interested to learn that it was Chinese immigrants who improved spearfishing practices for the Kuku Yalanji. They brought over bamboo, which was lighter, less prone to breaking from impact and floated on the water. Its use was quickly adopted widely throughout the region.
As the tide had receded, we walked out about 500 metres so that the water was below knee deep yet still visible to spot the mud crabs. You want to avoid coming out here when the water is waist-deep, as there might be a 4-meter lizard hanging out by the river mouth. He is seldom spotted going for a leisurely swim early in the morning on a high tide. But don’t worry, in shallow water you’ll see the fella coming.
The Aboriginal kids in my class said they love eating mud crabs and that they are good at catching them. I told them that when Ms Sherri ate one, it was very expensive at the restaurant! (It set me back $80!). Now I know why— they’re not the easiest to find or catch, but the fun is in the search.
The kids on the trip absolutely loved being on the beach and having a go, and the guys were all in hunter-gatherer mode. Then, just as the Sailor thought he had a good spot for finding one, it was time to go.
After our busy and eventful morning, we were ready for lunch. We all agreed that we could end the tour here as we’d each been to Mossman Gorge before. However, if you haven’t been, then this is a great opportunity. It’s such a stunning spot, with some intriguing fauna, and it feels almost spiritual here.
Final thoughts
Most people who come to Port Douglas and the Daintree only see it through the eyes of a tourist. And while we can appreciate the region’s beauty, there’s much more to Jabukanji (Port Douglas) than Four Mile Beach, and the high-end tourism sector that exists here.
There were still questions I had about Bama’s history, but a part of me didn’t feel right asking certain questions on this trip. Which was a missed opportunity, perhaps, as I’m sure Aaron would have been more than happy to answer. He was such a great guy and well-versed in sharing his knowledge. He went out of his way to make the experience enjoyable.
I did the tour a few months before I left Queensland, but I really wish I had done it sooner. Not only was it a really fun day out, but I learnt a lot about bushcraft and gained insight into Kuku Yalanji culture and beliefs. An indigenous tour like this was really grounding, almost like a spiritual welcoming to country. Their heritage is as rooted here as the trees, and it was really refreshing to experience the region from a new perspective. ✤
Bookings
When I did the tour back in 2021, it cost $180 for a half-day tour, which is what you’d expect to pay for a reef trip. The tours are much cheaper now, which I think was a good call, as they were on the expensive side. Now I think they’re very good value for money.
Here are the two tours they offer.
- The half-day Daintree tour that we did is currently listed on Viator for $125 – book here.
- The full-day tour is also a reasonable $160, which takes you deeper into the Daintree and up to Cape Tribulation (it also includes a simple lunch) – book here.
If I were to do it again, I would go for the full day. Not only to maximise the experience, but north of the Daintree River crossing is my favourite portion of the National Park, and this option includes more guided walks.
- For more info, visit Walkabout’s website, or check them out on Get Your Guide.
How to get here
Port Douglas is only an hour’s drive from Cairns. If you’re not renting a car, there are multiple shuttle buses that run regularly from Cairns and Palm Cove. Check out SR Coaches, who I’ve used in the past (about $65 pp return), and Exemplar Coaches, who also have a good reputation ($23 pp one-way).
Walkabout Cultural Adventures offers free pickup from Port Douglas, Mossman, or the Daintree Village. As they begin picking up from 8:00 am, it would be much easier to stay overnight before the tour.
Where to stay
As a well-established town, Port Douglas has no shortage of hotels and apartments, and would be the easiest place to base yourself. Check out my tips on places to stay when you’re in town, or head straight to Booking.com.
As always, my trip with Walkabout Cultural Adventures was not comped, and all views are my own – I pay my way so that I get the same authentic experience you do. In this article, I’ve included some useful links so you can easily book your trip with Walkabout, which are affiliate links, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Travel Mermaid.