TOURS WITH AN ABORIGINAL FOCUS

STAY IN LUXURY WITH A REMOTE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY � NEW PRODUCT Gunya Titjikala allows visitors the opportunity to be hosted by a remote Aboriginal community, the 300-strong community of Titjikala which belongs to the Arrente, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara groups, located 120kms south of Alice Springs. Accommodation is in five luxury safari tents with wonderful views high above the Simpson Desert. Stays include gourmet meals, hunting and bush tucker gathering tours, visits to rock art and fossil sites, and Dreamtime stories with elders around the camp fire. Accommodation for disabled visitors is available on request. www.gunya.com.au

NEW LUXURY ECO TOURISM CAMPS ON ABORIGINAL LAND � NEW PRODUCT Eco tourism expert, Maningrida Safaris, is opening up the pristine landscape of Arnhem Land with the establishment of a new luxury safari camp 400 kms north east of Darwin. The operator has negotiated exclusive rights to the camping area with the traditional Bawinanga Aboriginal owners, guaranteeing guests a special cultural and wildlife experience. Facilities include luxury ensuite tented accommodation with a communal dining room and library perched on top of an impressive escarpment overlooking the Liverpool and Tomkinson Rivers.

Maningrida tours will operate from May until October, with safaris starting from three days in duration. They include guided visits to aboriginal art sites dating back 30,000 years, excursions to the floodplains in search of bush �tucker� with a traditional owner, and bird watching and crocodile spotting on the Liverpool River. Fishing tours operate between March and December, with barramundi being the main catch, over and above saratoga, tarpon, threadfin and giant trevally. www.safarimail@bigpond.com

LEARN TO PAINT ABORIGINAL STYLE! � NEW PRODUCT A new dot-painting workshop has opening at Ayers Rock Resort, where Aboriginal artists share their local knowledge of traditional Western Desert art with tourists. With the assistance of local artists and an Aboriginal language interpreter, guests have the opportunity to complete their own canvas using their own designs and concepts, and to take home their work as a souvenir of the trip. www.anangutours.com.au 2/.

TAKE TEA WITH THE TIWI ISLANDERS � PRODUCT FOCUS Mary Margret Orsto, Ruth Kerinaiua and DoreenTipaloura, known as the Morning Tea Ladies, are three Tiwi Islanders who have been sharing their culture with thousands of visitors over the past two decades. Their work with Tiwi Tours won them an NT Brolga Award for Tourism Excellence in 2003 and they continue to provide morning tea for tourists, conduct art and craft demonstrations, including weaving and painting on shells and bark, explain totem dances and perform smoking ceremonies to cleanse the spirit and bless the tourists. www.aussieadventure.com.au

NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO WITNESS ABORIGINAL CULTURE AND HERITAGE � NEW TOUR Aussie Adventure Holidays and AAT Kings have formed a partnership with traditional owners of the Bunitj Clan to create a safari camp and touring programme highlighting the culture and heritage of Hawk Dreaming. Participants will have exclusive overnight access to an area of Kakadu National Park that most visitors do not get to see, and to interact with the traditional owners in a breathtaking landscape featuring billabongs, escarpments, floodplains and sacred Aboriginal rock art. www.aussieadventure.com.au

GUIDED TOURS OF KATHERINE WITH JAWOYN TRADITIONAL OWNER � NEW OPERATOR Ryan Baruwei, a Jawoyn traditional owner and member of the board of management for Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park, runs small cultural tours of the Werenbun community, allowing visitors to discover some of the native plants common to the area, hear stories of the creation of beings Bemang and Bolung and swim in the plunge pool. Other highlights include Lookout Walk to Bemang falls, a one-hour trip that follows one of the ancient travelling routes of the Jawoyn people, incorporating explanations about their history and culture along the way. www.krta.com.au

SANTA TERESA ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY TOURS � NEW TOUR Alice Wanderer & Centre Sightseeing operates half and full-day guided, small group tours in and around Alice Springs. The latest addition to their programme is the Santa Teresa Aboriginal Tour in which participants travel an hour out of Alice, through cattle stations to the Aboriginal community of Santa Teresa, to learn about bush medicine, Aboriginal culture, the traditional owners� connection to the land, kinship relationships and responsibilities. Visitors are given an insight into the influence of Christian missionaries when they view magnificent murals covering the church walls. The trip also includes morning tea and a visit to the Keringke Art Centre to watch the Aboriginal artists at work. www.alicewanderer.com.au 3/.

ACCOMMODATION NEWS REMOTE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANGLING/WILDERNESS ENTHUSIASTS � PRODUCT FOCUS The Cobourg Peninsula is described as one of the finest fishing locations in Australia �where fish are abundant and people are scarce�. Cobourg Beach Huts, located just metres from the sea, overlooking the entrance to Port Essington, feature fully self-contained cabins with solar powered lighting, gas fridge, stove, kitchen utensils and linen. The four rustic huts with separate bush shower and compost toilet, provide access into the pristine wilderness. In addition to fishing expeditions and guided sports fishing charters, there are a range of other activities including self-drive dinghy hire, historical tours to Victoria Settlement and bush tucker walks with traditional Aboriginal owners. www.cobourg.gurig.com.au

MAJOR RESTRUCTURING FOR AURORA IN ALICE SPRINGS - CHANGES Aurora Resorts & Hotels, the largest owner/operator of hospitality properties in Alice Springs, is restructuring its accommodation in the resort and making further major investments in the city. Aurora Red Centre Resort will close on 31 October 04 to be redeveloped into a residential complex. Existing reservations will be transferred to Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge's superior 3.5-star Lodge Rooms. Aurora Alice Springs, now rated four stars, will also receive a further upgrade, while the Red Centre Dreaming Dinner & Show, the internationally recognised Brolga award winning Aboriginal cultural experience, will remain at Red Centre Resort until a date to be decided (between December and February 05), when it will be relocated to Heavitree. www.auroraresorts.com.au

NEW BACKPACKER HOSTEL IN CENTRAL DARWIN � NEW Melaleuca on Mitchell, located in the heart of Darwin on lively Mitchell Street, is the city�s newest and largest backpacker hostel. It provides budget accommodation in a four-storey property comprising 98 spacious, vibrantly decorated air-conditioned rooms of various configurations, ranging from those with private ensuite facilities to dormitories with separate male and female bathrooms. Two swimming pools designed as natural lagoons and rock pools, a waterfall spa, an Internet caf�, communal kitchens and a laundry, are among the facilities available to guests. www.melaleucaonmitchell.com

SKYCITY TAKES OVER MGM GRAND HOTEL DARWIN � NEW OWNERS MGM Grand Hotel Darwin has changed its name to SKYCITY Darwin, following the recent takeover by the entertainment group of the same name. The property is set in tropical beachside gardens and features three restaurants, a coffee shop, numerous bars, a business centre, conference facilities and a casino, as well as an extensive selection of leisure options, including a fitness centre, pool and tennis courts, together with an adjacent golf course and walking/jogging tracks. www.skycitydarwin.com.au 4/. TOURS & TOUR OPERATOR NEWS DESERT QUAD BIKE TOURS FOR TEENAGERS � NEW TOUR Desert Quads, who operates a range of guided four-wheel quad bike Red Centre adventure tours, now has new smaller bikes suitable for 12-15 year olds. These eco-sensitive machines are comfortable, reliable and easy to operate, and Desert Quads provides safety training and assistance to familiarise novices with the bikes. The tours operate from Alice Springs and allow participants to enjoy magnificent scenery, and have the chance to spot kangaroos, dingoes, emus and other Australian wildlife. www.desertquads.com.au

TROPPO COOKING CLASSES DARWIN STYLE � NEW PRODUCT For a more relaxed approach to cooking, visitors to Darwin can join local chef, David Taylor, for cooking classes at his home in the city. The weekly Monday classes are a great excuse to bring along a bottle of wine, learn about curries, condiments and tropical cuisine and socialise within a small group of likeminded people. Bookings, by email (davidtaylor@smartchat.net.au) are essential as classes are limited to 12 participants.

UPMARKET 4WD TOP END TOURING � NEW TOUR For visitors who prefer to travel in style and comfort, Brookes Australia Tours, which specialises in �civilised Outback adventures�, is operating a new three-day tour to Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land with transportation in a luxurious, fully equipped air-conditioned 4WD vehicle for a maximum of just six passengers. The trip extensive bird and wildlife viewing in the wetlands of Fogg Damm and the water holes of Kakadu, with cultural and heritage stops, including a visit to the little known Nanguluwur rock art sites. The highlight however, is arguably the visit into a small Aboriginal community within Arnhem Land, where visitors have the chance to watch Aboriginal artists and weavers at work and to join an Aboriginal guided tour to a nearby ancient rock art site, dating back more than 20,000 years. www.brookesaustralia.com.au.

CYCLING TOURS OF AUSTRALIA � PRODUCT FOCUS ROC Tours has been operating challenging mountain biking and 4x4 driving trips for more than a decade. The company�s five-day MacDonnell Ranges cycling tour is an epic journey beginning at Ayers Rock Resort which includes camping at King�s Canyon and the desert oasis of Palm Valley, a number of bush walks and a trek to Initiation Rock and the nearby natural amphitheatre. Concluding in Alice Springs, this tour also includes a day�s cycling along the base of the West MacDonnell Ranges to Glen Helen Resort, plus bush walking at Ormiston Gorge and Simpsons Gap. www.cycletours.com.au

For further information on the Northern Territory www.ntholidays.com -ENDS-

For further information, contact Jovanka Ristich, Independent Public Relations, tel: 01628 623003, fax 01628 635563, email: ristichj@aol.com