I had the pleasure of going on one of Willie Gordon’s Guurbi Tours in Hopevale, Queensland, Australia. What a magical place! 
Willie Gordon is a Nugal-warra Elder and his tour is called the Rainbow Serpent Tour. When you arrive in Cooktown you can’t miss hearing about these famous tours. They’ve been running for quite a few years now, so Willie is a famous icon.
I particularly enjoyed the tour because Willie is a fascinating story teller. He not only showed us ancient rock art sites, but told the story that went along with them.
One particular story was about a non-Indigenous girl who lived with his people for some time – but I don’t want to spoil anything for you. 😉
It was such an honour to walk with an Indigenous Aboriginal Elder on the land… on ancient tracks that were used by the Nugal people for centuries. It’s really quite a thrill!
Willie has such vast knowledge that his tours are filled with cultural knowledge.
At one point in the track he showed us Green Ants as a Bush Medicine.
And at another spot on the tour he showed us how to make soap from leaves.
There were other interesting facts too, but I
can’t seem to recall them all right now! (Perhaps another blog 🙂
You can tell he’s listening to the land as he walks. (Well, that’s what it looked like to me!) He would pay attention to the sounds around him, the smells and he was constantly looking on the path in front and around the entire area.
Guurbi tours are definitely a MUST DO when you’re up North in Cooktown and Hopevale, Queensland, Australia so get in contact by visiting the website: Guurbi Tours. 
NOTE from 2021: I’m unsure if these tours are still happening as I think Willie went into retirement. But perhaps he’s still doing them, so you can Google “Cooktown” and visit their “Information Centre” and then call them to ask about these tours.
When you go be prepared with good walking shoes, a hat and water bottle!
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