Australias indigenous culture is finally getting the attention it deserves at Ayers Rock Resort. A new program of indigenous cultural activities is the first step towards increasing Aboriginal involvement.
From this week, guests at the resort, which is now owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation, can take part in a range of free daily activities including children’s art classes and guided garden walks. Visitors might listen to bush yarns in the village square in the morning, learn to throw a spear or boomerang in the afternoon and then join in with a kangaroo dance (for men) or emu dance (for women).
There are didgeridoo-playing lessons at lunchtimes (although Aboriginal culture dictates that only men take part) and visitors also have the opportunity to buy local indigenous art and craft, with outdoor markets operating four days a week.
The managing director of the resort, Koos Klein, says the activities, which run to a daily schedule, are aimed at both Australian and overseas visitors. The village square was chosen as the location for the activities so they would be accessible to everyone, including those staying in the resort’s campground, he says.
This article is an excerpt from Jane E. Fraser’s weekly travel column in The Sun Herald, Sydney.
