Lirrwi Tourism

This is a 5 day, 4 night all inclusive experience for female guests only. A Lirrwi itinerary is flexible and your daily activities will depend on cultural and natural factors. 

The dilly bag is a powerful and important cultural symbol in Arnhem Land, where it was first created thousands of years ago. Woven with dyed pandanus leaves, the dilly bag has both a practical and a spiritual meaning. The practicality of holding foods and medicines gathered from the bush. The spiritual meaning of the dilly bag has given rise to the name of this tour, as it is also used to carry knowledge.

The women of Arnhem Land will share with you knowledge of the bush, the ancestors, the sky and the universe.

This tour is for women and girls only. In the modern western world this could be seen as sexism, but in the Yolŋu world there are clearly defined roles and activities undertaken exclusively by women and men. These roles have mutual respect , and many  activities , such as dancing and eating are undertaken together.

The Yolŋu often say the land is their mother. It nurtures, heals and guides their lives. This is why the female visitor experience and connection to Yolŋu people is often so profound. The Gay’wu women’s tour provide female visitors with the opportunity to come together with their Yolŋu sisterhood and learn about their culture, history and country. Equally it is an opportunity to reconnect with every aspect of their own lives – environment, spirituality and philosophy.

You will experience many extraordinary things on this tour, and time spent with the Yolŋu women is often described as “life-changing”. You will learn about and experience Yolŋu philosophy and kinship, weaving, painting, astrology, healing ceremony, crying ceremony (Nathi), cooking and bush medicine, dancing, gathering oysters or mud crabs and much more. Specific activities will vary according to the season and availability of materials.

During your tour, you will visit the remarkable art centre in Yirrkala - Buku-Larrnggay here you will see beautiful local works of art painted on bark, Larrakitj (ceremonial poles), woven baskets, jewellery and much more. Buku also has an extraordinary collection of historical material and is regarded as one of the best Aboriginal Art centres in Australia.