Flames of the Forest, QLD © Tourism Australia

Flames of the Forest Aboriginal Cultural Experience

A high-end dining experience, a unique insight into Aboriginal culture and a magical setting in an ancient rainforest is a combination that results in an unforgettable evening in Tropical Far North Queensland. An opportunity to immerse yourself in the traditional grounds of the Kaku Yalanji people, whilst connected with our country people through storytelling, didgeridoo and song.

The Flames of the Forest Aboriginal Cultural Experience involves heading into the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics rainforest for a seven-dish banquet dinner served under a silk canopy illuminated by hand-made crystal chandeliers. Cultural experiences are interwoven with the dinner, as your Kuku Yalanji hosts share music, ceremony and storytelling, as well as inviting guests to spend some time sitting quietly, listening to the sounds of the rainforest at night. The food is modern Australian, locally sourced where possible, and features plenty of bush tucker ingredients: the night’s signature dish is a lemon myrtle-infused kangaroo loin, served on a bed of wild rocket and toasted macadamia nuts garnished with homemade fig chutney. You’ll be dining on a table of 10, in the Aboriginal cultural tradition of communal dining, and numbers are limited to 60, to ensure an intimate atmosphere and facilitate personal connections with your Kuku Yalanji hosts. It all adds up to an extraordinary experience.

After being picked up at your hotel, it’s a short transfer (10 minutes from Port Douglas, 30 minutes from Palm Cove or 50 minutes from Cairns) to your rainforest destination. Follow the flame-lit path to the alfresco pre-dinner drinks area for canapés and sparkling wine, before one of your Kuku Yalanji hosts welcomes you in the local language and invites you into the forest to eat. Drinks – including Australian wines – accompany the six-course dinner, which is interspersed with music and storytelling, including a fascinating insight into one of the world’s oldest woodwind instrument, the didgeridoo, how it arrived in North Queensland and its cultural significance to the Kuku Yalanji people. The whole experience lasts three hours (plus transfers), which the organisers describe as 30 per cent rainforest, 30 per cent food, 30 per cent culture and 10 per cent imagination.

Experiences

Flames Of The Forest Aboriginal Cultural Experience
Take a dinner tour into the Port Douglas rainforest at night. Learn about Australia’s oldest living people in the timeless and spiritual setting of the world’s oldest living rainforest.

Days Operating: Tuesday and Thursday
Season: April – December
Duration: Three hours
Min Numbers: 1
Max Numbers: 60

Getting there

A 10-minute drive from Port Douglas, 50-minute drive from Cairns, or a 30-minute drive from Palm Cove on the Captain Cook Highway. Coach transfers are available as part of the evening package.