While exploring star-studded skies around the world has never been more popular, in Australia a slew of new stargazing experiences are on offer with travellers able to see the stars from the perspective of the world’s oldest living culture, connecting them to ancient stories of the land.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are regarded as the world’s earliest astronomers, having called this land home for over 65,000 years, having used the stars to anticipate seasonal shifts and identify vital food sources. Intricate pathways, known as Songlines, are a network of orally shared routes delineated by celestial markers.

“The rich cultural heritage of our Aboriginal peoples is something that truly sets our country apart from other destinations around the world,” says Nicole Mitchell, executive officer, Discover Aboriginal Experiences at Tourism Australia.

On tours with Discover Aboriginal Experiences operators, travellers can gaze up at the night sky as guides share stories decoding the constellations and connections to culture.

See the stars from the water

On the recently launched Yellow Water Algohgarring Night Tour, in Kakadu, in the Northern Territory travellers can embark on a stargazing journey aboard a Yellow Water vessel equipped with a retractable roof. This setup provides exceptional views of the night sky, showcasing stars, planets, and constellations above Kakadu National Park.

Expert guides share astronomical knowledge with the cultural stories of the Gagudju people and Greco-Roman mythology, offering insights into the solar system, moon phases, and distant galaxies. Each two-hour tour presents a unique celestial display, including events like meteor showers and planetary alignments, alongside the stories behind constellations such as Orion and Scorpius. Guests tune into the night life and nocturnal sounds of the billabong, while learning the history of the world as told in Dreaming stories and illustrated in the stars.

Overnight adventures where travellers can immerse in nature with the world’s oldest living cultures are also popular.

Wilpena Pound 

Wilpena Pound Resort, a remote pocket of Adnyamathanha Country in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia, is red peaks, gorges and valleys tinged with the silvery glow of eucalypts. There is one road, few settlements and even fewer people. The landscape humbles – geologically and historically. On a hike with an Aboriginal guide to Akarroo Adnya (a sacred rock-art site), guests are treated to a glimpse of the region’s amazing, striated rock formations, which create an enormous natural amphitheater (the Pound) and insights into 800 million years of the Earth’s history through an indigenous perspective. Visitors can expect starry skies blanketing an ancient landscape when glamping in the Ikari Safari tents. Home for the night is the solar-powered Ikara Safari tent, where visitors can spend the night in style beneath the stars.

Western Australia

Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Cultural Adventures explores the Shark Bay/Gutharraguda region of Western Australia. A wildlife refuge, this pocket of the state is all powdery white coves and gin-clear waters that naturally attract dolphins, whale sharks and (during migration) the world’s largest population of humpback whales (more than 10,000 of them).

On Francois Peron Camping Tours and overnight safaris, guests might catch their own dinner – think fish, or briny oysters cooked over the fire. Then it is time for the Milky Way to shine. With no light pollution for miles, the only thing between guests and a bedazzlement of stars is a swag, spread out on pindan soil.

Southern NSW

As vast and open as Australia is, pockets of the country are virtually inaccessible, because their sacred status requires that they be visited only in the company of an Aboriginal guide. Welcome to Mount Dromedary / Gulaga in southern NSW, the backyard of Yuin guide, Dwayne ‘Naja’ Bannon-Harrison. A Traditional Landowner and the founder of Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness, Dwayne welcomes guests to Country via song and a smoking ceremony.

Spending two days at Yuin Retreat gives time to grow connection to the land and to learn about ancient customs through traditional yarning circles, and hike to spiritual Gulaga Mountain via escarpments that appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth. Darkness does not temper the natural drama. It’s all about Southern Hemisphere stargazing – even from bed in a luxe safari tent.

Kakadu and Arnhem Land

The 3-Day Kakadu and Arnhem Land Cultural Adventure with Kakadu Cultural Tours takes guests deep into the wilderness to Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge at Cannon Hill.

Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge.

The sandstone cliffs that surround this pocket of the state are colored with rock art dating back millennia and guests have exclusive access with guides from Injalak Arts Centre.

For another celestial encounter, join Jarramali Rock Art Tours, in Queensland on an overnight camping excursion for unprecedented views of the cosmos, revealing the intricate rings of Saturn and the majestic cloud bands of Jupiter. In this part of the state, there is no light pollution.

Tourism Australia continues to see a demand from travellers for Indigenous experiences. In response to this increased demand, an expanded offering of Indigenous tourism experiences is available through Discover Aboriginal Experiences, a collective of over 200 quality and authentic Aboriginal guided tourism offerings, which is part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia Program.