Australian Geographic features wukalina Walk

“The difference between us mob and your average tour guide,” explains Uncle Hank Horton, “is we open ourselves up, bare bones and all.” He’s seated among Elders, guides and guests around a long table enjoying morning tea at the Aboriginal Elders Council of Tasmania in Launceston, where wukalina Walk begins and ends. “We don’t skirt the true history,” he adds. “You’ll learn about what it means to be Aboriginal and why being on Country is so important to us. We like to say that our tour is not a tour, it’s more a journey.”

The walls of this 1927 building are adorned with framed shell necklaces and quilts that speak of the music, muttonbirding, shell collecting, cultural foods and returned service people of truwana (Cape Barren Island). Rows of monochrome portraits of Elders past and present, by photographer Ricky Maynard, overlook a yarning circle – where speaking and listening from the heart is practised.

‘Walk this way’ appears in Australian Geographic this month written by Elspeth Callender with cultural consulting by wukalina guide Jam Graham-Blair. Photography by Luke Tscharke. Elspeth and Luke both joined us on the Walk late last year.