wukalina Walk

For more than 65,000 years, the palawa, or Tasmanian Aboriginal people, have called wukalina (Mount William National Park) and larapuna (Bay of Fires) in northeastern Tasmania home. The best way to experience this remote region known for wallabies, wombats, and Tasmanian devils is on the Indigenous-owned and -operated wukalina Walk, a moderate hike of roughly 22 miles. The four-day, three-night adventure is led by palawa guides who share their perspectives on topics ranging from Tasmania’s dark history of dispossession and the impacts of colonization to traditional use of medicinal plants and the importance of cultural burning practices in a region prone to bushfires. (palawa ancestors only burned at the beginning of the dry season to allow plenty of green growth to slow the spread of future fires.) Walkers follow guides, tracing the footsteps of the relatives who came before them through breathtaking white sand beaches, granite headlands, and coastal heathland, staying in Indigenous-inspired huts and a lightkeeper’s cottage along the way. Newly debuted bush tucker menus invite trekkers to try native palawa fare such as pickled samphire (a coastal plant) and smoked muttonbird, with all of the collecting and preparing of native ingredients done by the team. A new Indigenous healing experience also just launched. Held at a cultural living place, it’s a way to accept and acknowledge the past and the ways history continues to shape Aboriginal lives today while fostering a deeper connection with one of the oldest cultures on Earth.

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