Students studying Certificate III in Tour Guiding presented their Nimbin Rocks Cultural Tourism project to Aboriginal Elders, Tourism Industry representatives and invited guests today at Nimbin Rocks.

The presentations included Indigenous Cultural Storytelling, flora and fauna; demonstrations of Indigenous artefacts, spears and boomerangs, bush tucker and crafts, with lunch featuring traditional foods such as kangaroo, emu and barramundi prepared by the students.

Aunty Vivien Laurie said “this is a very important project for the young people to learn about the area, our culture, the people and especially the Rocks, they need to take the reins and keep the stories to tell others and show the world.”

Student Mirra-Winni Gaze said I have loved doing this course and the teachers have been great mentors. My favourite part has been sharing our stories, travelling together on excursions and taking this journey together to explore our culture.

The students have worked in conjunction with the Ngulingah Aboriginal Land Council. The Land Council started the project to ensure preservation of the site and bring the community together but now the next aim is to develop an eco-tourism venture.

Tourism Teacher Allyson Taylor said this event is the final assessment for the Certificate III students and we have secured funding for these students to progress to Certificate IV level. As part of the Certificate IV Tour Guiding course they will have the opportunity to be selected to undertake a study tour of Kathmandu, Nepal.

The study tour of Kathmandu, Nepal is funded by the Australian Governments “Outbound Mobility Program” for 10 students who are currently enrolled and studying the Certificate IV Tour Guiding program.  It is anticipated the trip will be during September 2012. It will be open to all interested tour guiding students across North Coast TAFE. Interested students will be required to submit a competitive application in May as part of the Expression of Interest (EOI) process.