13 must-do Aboriginal cultural tours & experiences in Sydney

Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience 

Guided by an Aboriginal storyteller, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience by BridgeClimb. Burrawa is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘above’ or ‘upwards’, and the small group, three-hour tour offers sweeping views of Warrane (Sydney Harbour) while presenting Sydney’s history from the perspective of the Gadigal people. You’ll hear stories and discover the origins of familiar place names around the harbour, including Bennelong Point and Barrangaroo.  

Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience

Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour  

Learn how Australia’s native plants were traditionally used, and how they have been repurposed today, finding their way into some of the country's most innovative culinary settings on the Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden. Guided by a First Nations horticultural expert, you’ll be led through the Cadi Jam Ora garden, as well as being able to sample some of the wild flavours yourself.  

Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour - Credit: Botanic Gardens of Sydney

The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour with Dreamtime Southern X  

The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour departs twice daily from Cadmans Cottage in The Rocks. The 90-minute walking tour is led by an Aboriginal guide, delving beyond Sydney’s colonial surface to uncover the stories that continue to weave throughout the area. As you stroll through the urban and natural landscapes around the harbour, hear Dreamtime stories and learn about the local environment and the Gadigal people’s connection to it.  

Dreamtime Southern X tour with Margret Campbell, Cadmans Cottage

Tribal Warrior Cultural Cruise 

Climb aboard the Mari Nawi for a two-hour journey on a Tribal Warrior Cultural Cruise that will question everything you thought you knew about Sydney. Guided by Aboriginal hosts and crew, you’ll hear the stories of Sydney’s Traditional Owners, whose deep connection to the harbour can be traced back for tens of thousands of years. On Be-lang-le-wool (Clark Island), you’ll learn about traditional fishing techniques, food gathering and sustainability practices, with the day ending in a cultural performance of dance and music. 

Tribal Warrior Cultural Cruises, Clark Island

Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tours 

Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tours traverse the six-hectare headland of Barangaroo Reserve where more than 75,000 native trees and shrubs offer a living window into pre-colonial Sydney. Over 90 minutes, learn from Aboriginal educators about seasonal food cycles, traditional knowledge systems, and the enduring spiritual connection between the Gadigal people and Country.  

Barangaroo Aboriginal Cultural Tours

Bondi Aboriginal Walking Tours 

Long before the sun-kissed surfers and cafes, Bondi was, and remains today, a significant site for Aboriginal people. On Bondi Aboriginal Walking Tours, Elder, artist, and Bondi resident Walangari Karntawarra shares stories, art and culture, weaving Dreamtime Stories and his personal history into a fun, sometimes funny and sometimes edible narrative of this world-famous stretch of Sydney’s coastline.  

Walangari's Bondi Aboriginal Walking Tours - Credit: Bondi Aboriginal Walking Tours

Bangarra Dance Theatre  

Bangarra Dance Theatre is a cultural powerhouse, a historic dance company where every movement speaks to 65,000 years of Aboriginal storytelling. Bangarra blends contemporary dance with ancestral stories, original music, choreography and striking visual design. To witness a live performance in the great halls of the Sydney Opera House is an essential and unforgettable experience for both Sydney locals and visitors. 

Bangarra Dance Theatre performers at the Sydney Opera House - Credit: Daniel Boud

Natcha Cultural Tours  

Natcha Cultural Tours is an Aboriginal-owned organisation grounded in healing and connection to Country, community and self. Led by a former Aboriginal youth worker, Eric Brown (a proud descendant of the Yuin, Bidjigal, Dharawal and Gundungarra people), the walking tours take you through some of Sydney’s most breathtaking natural landscapes, including Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Kamay Botany Bay National Park and the Royal National Park. Along the way, you’ll learn about enduring traditions that have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, including language, bush medicine and song.  

Natcha Cultural Tours - Credit: Natcha Cultural Tours

Aboriginal Adventure Tour  with Splendour Tailored Tours 

Splendour Tailored Tours’ Aboriginal Adventure Tour is a full-day immersive experience that invites guests to engage with the history and culture of Sydney’s Traditional Owners through art, food and nature. Beginning in the quiet comfort of a luxury SUV, you will be collected and driven to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for a private tour of the Yiribana exhibition. Guests are then invited to enjoy a two-hour walking tour led by a knowledgeable guide revealing Sydney’s rich and long history (including sampling some bush tucker during your morning tea), before finishing the day with a two-course lunch.  

Splendour Tailored Tours, Sydney

Taste of the House Tour

Art, architecture and appetite meet at the Sydney Opera House’s Taste of the House experience. Go beyond the velvet ropes into backstage spaces and sample the Opera House’s culinary offerings: Opera Bar, House Canteen and Midden by Mark Olive, where celebrated Aboriginal chef Mark Olive’s menu is flavoured with native ingredients, from kangaroo prosciutto to saltbush lamb cutlets. The tour concludes at Bennelong, a multiple award-winning restaurant known for its broad interpretation of Australian cuisine.  

Bennelong, Sydney Opera House

Foraging at Dawn and Foraging at Dusk  

Meet at pristine Freshwater Beach for Foraging at Dawn or Dusk with Seadrift Distillery. The tour is led by Yaegl man Clarence Bruinsma, who shares knowledge about local sea botanicals and traditional foraging techniques. Guests will learn how to sustainably harvest seaweed before heading to the distillery to discover how seaweed and other botanicals are distilled in Seadrift’s award-winning non-alcoholic spirits. 

Foraging at Dawn or Dusk tour by Seadrift Distillery - Credit: Seadrift Distillery

Waranara Tour 

In Sydney’s CBD, a powerful encounter awaits at the Australian Museum’s Waranara Tour. Waranara, meaning "to seek", sets the tone for this insightful 45-minute tour, led by First Nations guides. The experience invites visitors to explore cultural objects that reflect tens of thousands of years of sustainable practices and knowledge systems. 

First Nations Gallery Tours (Waranara) at the Australian Museum - Credit: Stuart Humphreys | Australian Museum