Guurrbi Tours - The Rainbow Serpent Tour

Australia » Queensland » Cooktown » Guurrbi Tours - The Rainbow Serpent Tour

Type: Tours - Aboriginal Tours

This magical award winning tour with Aboriginal Elder, Wilfred (Willie) Gordon, is listed as one of Australia’s Ultimate Must-Do Experiences.

Willie, the traditional story-teller of the Nugal-warra clan, takes guests to his ancestral rock art sites, set high in the hills above Hope Vale, outside Cooktown. Here he shares the stories behind the art, and explains how the paintings speak of the essence of life and the lores of his people.

With his great smile and infectious laugh, Willie gives an amazing insight into Aboriginal society, and shows how we all have a spiritual place, wherever we come from.

Rarely do visitors have the opportunity to hear the stories behind the rock art which bring the pictures alive. But Willie says that the cave paintings were stories put on the walls by his ancestors so they would be handed down from generation to generation, keeping Aboriginal philosophies and lores alive. He passionately believes that these philosophies and lores should be available for everyone - and once you've been on one of our tours, or read some of the stories in Willie's book, we hope that they become your stories, and that you will pass them on too.

The rock art sites are about 40 minutes drive from Cooktown, travelling along the Endeavour Valley. It’s a very beautiful area surrounded by hills – six of which mark the boundaries of the Nugal lands. The road is predominantly unsealed, but passable except in very bad weather. We then leave the road and travel on a small track, climbing through woodlands to the area known as Wangaar-Wuri, which is the location of the rock art sites. This is a stunning area with giant rocks, sandstone escarpments and spectacular views. It’s a beautifully peaceful place, and we walk on tracks which have been used by the Nugal people for centuries.

The Rainbow Serpent Tour takes you through a dramatic landscape to six rock art sites, including the Rainbow Serpent Cave and an ancestral Birth Site where Willie's grandfather was born. The tour includes an estimated 30-minute bush walk. There is a short climb to two of the sites, but generally the terrain is easy. (Morning departures.)

Rates and Tariffs

2010/2011 Season

1^st Apr 2010 to 31^st Mar 2011

The Rainbow Serpent Tour - Self-drive, ex-Hope Vale.

$85.00 per adult
$42.50 per child

The Rainbow Serpent Tour - Inclusive ex Cooktown

$120.00 per adult
$75.00 per child

Transfer Details

Transfers available from Cooktown accommodation.
Self Drive Option available from Cooktown.
You should allow 45 minutes for the drive from Cooktown to the Guurrbi Tours’ meeting point.
The road to the site is mainly unsealed, so 4wd is recommended, particularly during or after wet weather. If in doubt, please check with us prior to departure.
The rock art site is located in an area for which alcohol restrictions apply. Please do not carry alcohol in your vehicle.

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