Yolngu Family welcome visitors with a new book

The Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land have a strong vision for tourism and are welcoming visitors to gain a first-hand insight into Yolngu culture, through the Lirrwi Yolngu Tourism Aboriginal Corporation.

One of the families behind the vision for tourism in Arnhem Land has published a book telling the story of their land and culture, written as a welcome for future visitors and a record for the next generation.

Yolngu elder and teacher, Laklak Burarrwanga, and her family have written Welcome to My Country, which invites readers to imagine a tour of their homelands at Bawaka.

Laklak said the book helped convey the significance of her country, a land rich with meaning.

“In the Yolngu world, we have a library in the land,” Laklak said. “You can't destroy it. If you burn it, it grows again. The land is full of more knowledge than you can imagine.”

The Burarrwanga family is one of many Yolngu communities to have created a long-term vision to build tourism in north-east Arnhem Land.

Through Lirrwi Tourism, communities have put together a plan which aims to develop tourism businesses owned and operated by Indigenous people.