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Acknowledgement of Country
"Tourism Noosa acknowledges the ongoing connection to country of the traditional custodians of this beautiful region, the Kabi Kabi people. Visitors to Noosa can enhance their experience by learning of the region’s connection to the people and stories of the Kabi Kabi. We pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging."
The indigenous people of Australia have a rich culture stretching back at least 50,000 years making it the oldest living culture on Earth.
Every part of Australia is Aboriginal country and every part of that country has a series of stories and experiences that are unique to that place. What connects all indigenous people is a strong connection to its natural environment, landscapes and past and future generations.
Noosa is home to the Kabi Kabi people whose land stretches roughly 100km south and 150km north of Noosa. It is important that we all pay our respects to the traditional owners of this land – past, present and future – and their rich history.
You'll find information below to help you learn more about the culture, language and practices of the traditional people of Noosa:
Booin Gari Festival offers opportunities to immerse yourself in Australia’s First Nation culture through song and dance, art and craft, stories and yarning, bush tucker tastings and watercraft. This 1-day festival held in September each year, is an opportunity to build connections to people, country and culture.
An important landmark for indigenous people is the deciduous white fig tree that you’ll find while strolling through Tewantin’s Memorial Park. The enormous tree is over 30 metres tall and between 200 to 400 years old and was once an indigenous burial tree.
Cootharaba, the name of Noosa’s largest lake, is the aboriginal word for the place where the wood used in making notched or studded clubs is found.
For thousands of years, the Kabi Kabi people were one of the two host tribes for the great Bunya Nut Festival, which attracted many indigenous groups from distant areas and was an important social gathering. The Bunya Tree is an iconic tree of South East Queensland bearing spiky, football-sized fruit which taste similar to chestnuts or potatoes. While the tree is nowadays referred to as Bunya Tree, it is known as Bunyi/ Bonyi in the local Kabi Kabi language.
