Northern Territory 5 Day Women's Tour - Gay'wu (Dillybag)

• Get up to $240 cash back per person when you book with us

• All transport in the East Arnhem Region including airport transfers and ground touring

• All meals whilst on tour

• Cultural experiences on Yolŋu homelands

• All camping equipment and bedding supplied

• Exclusive Yolŋu driver and guide

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 and why this tour has been designed exclusively for women and girls only.

While in the modern western world this could be seen as sexism, 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. This Gay’wu Women’s Tour provides 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.

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 as it  is also used to carry knowledge.

On this tour, the women of Arnhem Land wish to open their hearts to visitors and share the knowledge that have acquired over many thousands of years. Knowledge of the bush, the ancestors, the sky and the universe.

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 “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, jewelery and much more. Buku also has am extraordinary collection of historical material and is regarded as one of the best Aboriginal art centres in Australia.

So, what are you waiting for? It's time to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and to discover a world of women-wonder on this incredible tour.