Burrendong tourism program to showcase Aboriginal culture

Reflections Holiday Park Burrendong will offer a raft of cultural experiences for guests to enjoy by the end of 2023.

This comes after the holiday parks group partnered with Crown Lands on an Aboriginal Tourism Experiences Pilot Program to deliver cultural activities in their parks around NSW, working with Aboriginal organisations in each area.

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Reflections' Aboriginal Engagement Officer, Cheryl Newton, told the Daily Liberal each of the 37 Reflections parks will have a different type of experience.

Some other parks have organised Aboriginal dance, songs, Boomerang throwing, and Aboriginal art.

Ms Newton was speaking from the launch of an Aboriginal art trail at a Reflections park in Jimmys Beach near Hawks Nest on Friday, September 1.

Reflections is a Crown Land Manager that cares for 9,300 hectares of public land (94 per cent of it is nature reserve, the rest where its holiday parks operate) and reinvests all profits back into reserves and parks in its care.

"Eventually, during school holidays, there will be an Aboriginal cultural experience held within the park [at Lake Burrendong]," Ms Newton said.

"So the guests can then take away a part of the culture of the nation that they are on."

READ ALSO: NSW Government returns three land parcels to Narromine Local Aboriginal Land Council

Ms Newton has been travelling around NSW to meet with local Indigenous groups and work with them to deliver the cultural programs.

"What I'll do is when I get to that area, I go and talk to local community. I usually start with land councils and they point me in directions of other people," she said.

"I discuss with them what we're trying to do within our parks and how they feel like they can be part of that."

Ms Newton said local Indigenous groups in other areas had wanted to get involved so their culture could be seen by park guests.

"This is Aboriginal land ... It's letting other Australians know that these parks are on Aboriginal land and we want the histories and culture shared and that's what all cultural experiences across Australia," Me Newton said.

The Pilot Program is a part of Reflections' Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

Reflections reportedly has a strong commitment to reconciliation, and includes a target to expand a visitor experience program within Reflections parks that delivers social, cultural, and economic value to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Reflections' CEO Nick Baker said the programs had grown cultural awareness with park guests and among staff, who will also have the opportunity for cultural training.

"What I'd like to see in every single park is that we have a relationship with the local communities and Indigenous operators that offer experiences that they want to share with our guests," Mr Baker said.

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