August 3, 2021

As we head towards the grand reopening of Tropical North Queensland luxury bolt hole Silky Oaks Lodge this spring, we’re excited to be working with a range of excellent local operators including guest experiences with Kuku Yalanji First Nations operators Mossman Gorge Dreamtime Walks and Walkabout Cultural Adventures.

The First Nations Kuku Yalanji Peoples are the Indigenous inhabitants of the Daintree Rainforest, with a history dating some 50,000 years. The Kuku Yalanji are the Traditional Owners of the land extending from south of Mossman to Cooktown in the north, and Palmer River in the west. They are true rainforest people, living in harmony with their environment. Guests at Silky Oaks Lodge meet the Kuku Yalanji and learn about their beliefs and way of life during an Indigenous guided walking tour of Mossman Gorge.

The guided Ngadiku Dreamtime walks at Mossman Gorge are an essential part of a discovery of the Daintree, where Ngadiku (Nar-di-gul) represents the stories and legends from a long time ago in the local Kuku Yalanji language. An Indigenous guide takes guests along private, meandering tracks, visiting special places and culturally significant sites, past traditional bark shelters and across cool rainforest streams. The 90-minute walks run on several scheduled departures each day and start with a traditional ‘smoking’ ceremony to cleanse arriving visitors and ward off any bad spirits.