6 ways to immerse yourself in authentic Australian culture

Push beyond the Australia you know and immerse yourself in the discovery of another world, an authentic cultural wonderland brought alive by Cultural Attractions of Australia (CAOA) with their 30 plus curated experiences…

Brisbane’s Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) thrills as one of Australia’s most ambitious and dynamic art hubs, with twin galleries alongside ever-changing exhibitions. CAOA offer the First Artists experience. Witness a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony and Didgeridoo performance, before going behind the scenes with an Australian First Nations storyteller, artist and curator as they share a private tour of the seminal art. This is followed by a private dinner inspired by Australia’s rich Indigenous heritage, where food meets art.

At Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia, savour an exclusive evening with CAOA’s A Feast of Icons. Go exclusive at an after-hours extravaganza with a private guide. You’re welcomed into the Skyspace Garden with live music and a cocktail inspired by James Turrell’s Within without, paired with canapés and locally sourced treats. Then recline in the garden for a bespoke three course dinner with local food and wines curated to embody the works of art. You leave with a memento of this life-affirming experience.

Australia’s national opera company, Opera Australia rip back the curtain with their CAOA experiences. Become a Diva for a Day  with a four-hour hair, make up and costume fitting session that culminates in a photoshoot in front of the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Or Star at the Sydney Opera House  with a live walk-on performance role, an experience that cannot be done on any other stage anywhere else in the world.

Immerse yourself in culture forged from 65,000 years ago with the Bangarra Dance Theatre, a legendary company of professional Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders performers. CAOA delve deep with its Behind The Scenes at Bangarra Dance Theatre. An Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony opens proceedings before Indigenous canapés and cocktails. Bangarra’s Artistic Director, Frances Rings, sweeps guests off for a tour and an exclusive viewing inside the Bangarra rehearsal room, or a thrilling performance at the Sydney Opera House.

Immerse yourself in Australian sport. Adelaide Oval may be a first class modern stadium, but it’s bathed in historic charm, dating back to 1871. Dig deep into the sporting intrigue that has made the Oval such an icon on the  Adelaide Oval Legends Tour.  During this bespoke journey, you will be taken behind the scenes to learn the fascinating stories surrounding this stadium with tours of the Bradman Collection as well as Sir Donald’s private and personal collection. You’ll also have a chance to sit in the player’s viewing room.

In Melbourne, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) boasts the most seats (100,024) of any stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and is simply one of the world’s great sporting arenas. Sport is like a religion in Melbourne as you’ll discover with CAOA at the MCG with a Premium All Access Tour  that includes time on the hallowed turf. The new Keepers’ Collection Tour allows you a private walkthrough with a knowledgeable museum team member, then a behind the scenes look at the Australian Sports Museum with its 25,000 artefacts.

In Western Australia soar back to convict life in the 1850s in the maximum security Fremantle Prison. Australia’s largest convict-built structure well deserves its place on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. CAOA experiences include a Fremantle Prison Art Tour with convict-drawn frescoes and religious works, alongside Aboriginal landscapes in the renowned Carrolup style. Don your hard hat and overalls for the Tunnels Tour descending 20 metres into a labyrinth of prisoner-built passageways and waterways. The Torchlight Tour chills with ghostly tales. The following tours are also available: Behind Bars, Convict Prison, and True Crime.

Take a trip back to the 1850s gold rush boom with an immersive overnight stay and tour of Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a 90 minute drive from Melbourne. At Australia’s largest outdoor museum CAOA temptations include AURA, a new theatre experience, with an immersive sound and light show. With 24 Hours at Sovereign Hill  stay over, explore underground mines, ride a horse-drawn coach, learn new skills, and enjoy a Devonshire tea. Or pan with  A Taste of Gold, with a mine tour, horse-drawn ride and a Devonshire tea.

Canberra’s Australian War Memorial is a window into the country for all generations – a shrine, superb museum and rich archive woven together. A Place to Remember  offers an expert private guide that can tailor tours to a group’s ages and interests. The  Soul of the Nation tour sees an expert guide pay homage to the service and sacrifice behind the 103,000 plus names on the Australian Roll of Honour, and then illuminates the stories of the souls behind the numbers.

Also in the capital, you can experience exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to rarely seen areas of the Australian Parliament House on the Signature Tour of Parliament House. Enjoy a high tea with a contemporary twist and view one of the country’s most significant art collections featuring important objects related to Australia’s Parliamentary History and artworks by renowned artists such as Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd.

Sydney’s Australian National Maritime Museum also engages all ages as it explores Australia’s fascinating seafaring history. Ease back in time on Sydney Harbour on a replica 17th-century ship with CAOA’s Sail on Duyfken  tour. Hidden Gems and Historical Artefacts is an all access key to the 140,000 collection items on a private VIP tour. Together discover the 1602 Blaeu celestial globe and Indigenous bark paintings. Learn about the museum’s essential conservation and restoration work, then sneak into the museum conservation lab. The  Museum All-Inclusive Experience grants all areas access too, including on to the destroyer HMAS Vampire and the replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour.

Fine food, drink and culture are natural companions in Australia. At the Art Gallery of New South Wales, First Nations art is celebrated with two after-hours special CAOA experiences. The A Night at the Gallery has welcome champagne and a five-course meal with wines curated by a celebrity chef. Your senior curator host ensures engaging encounters with the gallery’s collection. The Yiribana Experience includes a tour of the Gallery’s extensive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection with an Indigenous host, five-course meal featuring Indigenous ingredients with matched wines curated by a celebrity chef. Both experiences include a professional dinner photo and a special souvenir.

Over at the Sydney Opera House, The  Midden Experience  is a senses-soaring affair. A VIP tour explores beneath the sails and the theatres before they go live. Your expert guide then escorts you to Midden by Mark Olive (a celebrated Indigenous Australian chef and Bundjalung man) for a decadent harbourside two course dining extravaganza alive with native Australian produce, like bush honey and saltbush, paired with matching Australian wines.