Hands On Country Eco Tour

3 Hours
Cairns, Queensland
Cultural Cruise
Year Round
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Join Traditional Owners, the Mandingalbay Yidinji people, starting with a 15-minute river cruise from the Cairns Marina experiencing ancient lands, discovering an Indigenous Protected Area and conservation programs, visiting a unique mangrove freshwater ecosystem and reconnecting with culture through language and stories.

This three-hour tour includes a Mandingalbay Yidinji welcome smoking ceremony and a guided nature walk, discovering how food and medicinal plants have been used for sustenance and healing for thousands of years.

Location

Trinity Inlet, Cairns, Queensland

What to expect

The Hands On Country Eco Tour begins at the Cairns Reef Terminal which is within easy walking distance from the city’s major hotels. Boarding our brand-new covered vessel, guests will cruise across the Trinity Inlet, dotted by yachts and luxury boats. Then continue up Hills Creek to a landing jetty where the salty water of the sea meets the freshwater flowing off the surrounding mountains.

Guests receive an authentic Mandingalbay Yidinji, welcome and cleansing smoking ceremony, and visit a cultural site which is also home to the Djunbunji Land and Sea Rangers who undertake traditional land practices to rejuvenate and nourish the land.

Our Indigenous guides, recognised as the Traditional Owners since their native title proclamation of 2006 will then escort guests on a 20-minute guided nature walk at the base of Greys Peak National Park, discovering the Mandingalbay Yidinji bush "supermarket and pharmacy".

The region is abundant with food and medicinal plants used for sustenance and healing, which include edible flowers, sweet fruit and native herbs. All year around the air is alive with a chorus of birds and, in the winter months, you can enjoy a stunning cloud of colourful butterflies dancing through the air.

Light refreshments of coconut damper, tea and fresh fruit are served before guests transfer back to the ferry by bus, returning to the Cairns Marina.

Experience Highlights:

  • Short 15-minute Scenic ferry ride from Cairns Marina across Trinity Inlet
  • Authentic Mandingalbay Yidinji welcome and cleansing smoking ceremony
  • Learn about native bush foods and medicines
  • Indigenous guided nature walk
  • Morning tea with coconut damper and fresh local fruit

What is included

This is a 3 hour experience that runs from 9:00am to 12:00pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Bookings are essential and the tour operates with a minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 20 people. Larger groups by request.

The tour departs from and returns to the Salt House Restaurant, Reef Fleet Terminal, Pier Point Road, Cairns Marina.

There is a 3-hour car parking facility available at the nearby Pier Shopping Complex/Shangri-La Hotel, located opposite the Reef Fleet Terminal.

Inclusions:

  • On-tour ferry and bus transfers
  • Fully Indigenous guided experience
  • Morning tea of damper, tea and fruit

Meeting point

The Salt House Restaurant, Reef Fleet Terminal, Pier Point Road, Cairns Marina.

What to bring

Camera
Hat
Sunscreen
Closed shoes
Water bottle
Insect repellent
Credit card for merchandise or art purchases

Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours is 100% owned and operated by the Traditional Owners of the land, the Mandingalbay Yidinji people of East Trinity.

The company provides guests with the chance to experience ancient lands including rainforest, open woodland, estuarine mangroves, wetlands, and marine environments with Mandingalbay Yidinji Guides who cover topics of cultural significance, and lead interpretive walks, showcasing traditional use of natural resources used for medicinal purposes and sustenance.

Straddling the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Areas in Far North Queensland, Mandingalbay Yidinji country lies just east of Cairns across Trinity Inlet and includes a great diversity of environments and landscapes.

The Mandingalbay Yidinji People (MY People) are the direct descendants of Jubalum, the Aboriginal people that continue to govern, manage, occupy, care for and sustainably interact with Country which has been undertaken through cultural and customary lore for many thousands of years. Sharing knowledge of our traditional lands and waters with guests entrusts a future for today and future generations.

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