Aboriginal museums & sites| Visit NSW

Ancient Aboriginal rock art of emus painted in yellow ochre at the Mount Grenfell Historic Site, Nyngan,

Rock art

The Sandstone Caves region of Pilliga National Park, north of Dubbo, is a special place for the Gamilaroi People. They’ve lived here for millennia, and over the centuries left behind eye-opening rock art. You can explore it on a self-guided walk, or join an Aboriginal Discovery Ranger, who will share the stories behind this ancient gallery.

Mutawintji National Park, northeast of Broken Hill, is also home to jaw-dropping rock art – it’s hard to fathom that it was created tens of thousands of years ago and is this well preserved. While some rock art sites (such as Wright’s Cave) are accessible to all, visit the restricted Mutawintji Historic Site on a guided tour with Mutawintji Eco Tours.

Keanu Bates sharing Aboriginal art and culture on a guided tour, Mutawintji National Park

Significant sites

Muttonbird Island  Nature Reserve, off the coast of Coffs Harbour, is not only an ideal perch for whale watching during migration (May through November) but was also a sacred Aboriginal ceremonial site. It’s still extremely spiritual, particularly when explored with an Aboriginal guide.

Equally as sacred is the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains wilderness just outside Sydney. Join Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout to explore this immense natural drama, its sandstone cliffs appearing to cleave off the edge of the Earth. Here, among silvery gums and ferny groves, you’ll visit Aboriginal cultural sites along an ancient Songline, a path made during the Dreamtime.

There are a number of other trails across NSW where you can follow Songlines and walk in the footsteps of the local Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal Cultural Ways trail in Ballina hugs the North Coast and has interpretive signs revealing cultural stories, history and language. Meanwhile, the Bingi Dreaming Track in Eurobodalla passes campsites, ceremonial and trading sites, and important sources of fresh water and food.

Echidna walking across sand, Bingi Dreaming Track

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported to the moon when you visit Mungo National Park  in the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area. The luna-like landscape in far southwest of NSW is rich in Aboriginal history – it was here that evidence of human life dating back 60,000 years was discovered. Join a Walls of China Discovery tour to learn about the ancestral remains of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man, and how a culture was able to survive in the face of extreme climate change.

Man learning about the geology of the outback on a Mungo Guided Tour, Mungo National Park

Cultural centres & galleries

There are too many Aboriginal cultural centres and galleries to name. But some standouts include Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre at South Tweed Heads, located within the Tweed Heads historic site. Visit the centre’s museum, explore the natural surroundings and see an authentic Bora Ring – a sacred ceremonial site. The Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Corindi Beach north of Coffs Harbour offers the chance to dig deep into Aboriginal culture, whether through exhibitions, weaving workshops and bush tucker tastings.

The other way to experience the extraordinary diversity and significance of Aboriginal art is in regional public galleries, among them the Wollongong Art Gallery and Bank Art Museum Moree. The latter houses one of the most extensive Aboriginal art collections in regional NSW.