Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park

Travelers who wish to get a glimpse of Australia's rich culture and history should visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park in Northern Cairns. This site started as a cultural dance theater in 1987. Later, it has turned into a cultural park with different areas featuring the different aspects and stages of the Australian aboriginal heritage. The actual park is situated on a 25-hectare land proudly owned by the aboriginal tribe Tjapukai. This monumental establishment combines culture and technology to preserve and showcase the aboriginal heritage, making it a one-of-a-kind tourist destination. Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is just 15 minutes away from northern Cairns. However, some buses in the Cairns business district also pass through the Captain Cook highway, where the park is located.

The park has four theaters -- the Creation Theater, the History Theater, the Tjapukai Dance Theater, and the Magic Space. Each theater showcases a phase of the Tjapukai aboriginal culture.

In the Creation Theater, visitors are presented with an imaginative way of storytelling about the origins of the Tjapukai tribe.  Stunning holographic effects and theater visuals are used to convey the creation story to the audience. The original Tjapukai language is used throughout the presentation, but visitors can have individual headsets, translating the storyline into many languages.

Mostly used for conferences, the History Theater has a massive movie screen and projector. Thus, the cultural park makes use of this theater to present the movie (produced by the park's staff) telling the story of how the aborigines were discovered by white men and how this historic event has changed their history. Through the movie, the park provides the audiences with a critical view on the cultural clashes.

Meanwhile, live entertainment is provided in the Tjapukai Dance Theater.  Set against a rainforest backdrop, the Tjapukai tribe performs native dances and rituals, and plays ethnic musical instruments such as the giant Australian flute, Didgeridoo.

A crowd favorite, the Tjapukai Camp Cultural Village is a place where travelers can communicate with the Tjapukai tribe, and learn how to hunt with a spear or throw a boomerang. Within the camp, visitors can also learn how to create sounds using the didgeridoo and use plants as medicine. A look into the kinds of food eaten by the Tjapukai people is also showcased in the camping ground.

On the other hand, an art gallery showcasing the works of the Tjapukai tribe, the Magic Space preserves the Aboriginal culture through paint and paper.

As a successful business establishment, the cultural park is also open for those who wish to use its facilities for corporate events. This historic foundation is definitely one of Australia's prime tourist spots that should not be missed.