THE EXPERIENCE

The success of the Desert Tracks programs is reflected in the following testimonials:

The Teachers:

““The experience was the most valuable outside classroom I have ever had the pleasure of walking into. Students can read all of the books in the world and be told stories many times over, but they will never learn the importance of connecting with our traditional owners until they step into their world and their classroom.”
Sally Munro
PDHPE Coordinator
Santa Sabrina College NSW

"A life changing journey - the Central Australia experience was an opportunity like no other. We never knew what was going to happen next. Our trip unfolded everyday with something new and exciting that would allow us to experience opportunities that were so rare and special. From eating maku (witchetty grub) and kangaroo tail, to meeting the Aboriginal people; hearing their stories, the trip enabled us to gain a deeper insight into the richness and diversity of the indigenous culture. Each of us also learnt a lot about ourselves and the way in which we view the world and our society. We realised the struggles within Aboriginal communities and the hardships many young Aboriginal people face when they are expected to be two people at once."
Clair Pryor
IT Coordinator
Our Lady of Sion College Vic

The Students:

“The scene was one of the most beautiful in my life. It stretched beyond imagination, desolate, yet so full of life. Then it just ends at the horizon.”
Amanda Lees - 15

“They shared with us something so amazing, so we can pass it on and keep it alive…No boundaries of colour, all united as people of the land.”
Jessica Raynal - 16

“To me the knowledge that this amazing experience would soon be over was hanging over my head and it was difficult to acknowledge anything else. I had learnt so much on this trip and going back to a normal, mundane life seemed impossible. I knew that my life wouldn’t be the same if I chose to do something about it but I also learnt that if we all choose to close our eyes to the world and what is happening in it, nothing will ever change. Sometimes, a person needs to stop and risk losing their carefree, sheltered life in order to help others. Because only then will they make a difference.”
Catarina Leone - 15

The Vision

Desert Tracks is wholly owned by the Anangu Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia and was established by Nganyinytja and Ilyatjari, the founding Elders, to teach visitors the sacred significance of their Tjukurpa (Creation or Dreaming law). By sharing this traditional knowledge, they hoped to keep their culture and country alive.

The Tjukurpa: Creation Stories and Law

Pitjantjatjara cultural heritage is alive in the land today; walk with your Anangu guide and teacher to see through their eyes and listen through their stories how the landscape is transformed into a living breathing environment. The ancestors left their tracks in the land as they created the hills, the watercourses, the plains, the plants and animals and then became human - giving each tribe its language and custodial responsibility to country and Tjukurpa. The Tjukurpa is continually being renewed as custodians tell the stories, sing the songs and care for the sacred sites on these creation journeys of the ancestors.

The Experience

Participants are usually referred to as “students” by their Anangu hosts as it is assumed you have come to learn. Each day, gain an insight into the law and culture of the Anangu people as you are immersed in a culture many thousands of years old. All experiences are small groups.

• Follow isolated ancestoral trails and visit sacred sites of significance.
• Traverse the “Songline” stories - experience how song and dance are used to teach the Tjukurpa.
• Collect and eat bush foods - it is hard but rewarding work!!
• View significant rock art sites.
• Visit and camp in the remote Pitjantjatjara Lands and sit around the camp fire with your Anangu hosts.

“We have no books, our history was not written by people with pen and paper. It is in the land, the footprints of our Creation Ancestors are on the rocks, the hills and creek beds they created as they travelled through this land around us. We learned from our grandmothers and grandfathers as they showed us these sacred sites, told us the stories, sang and danced with us the Tjukurpa. We remember it all; in our minds, our bodies and feet as we dance the stories. We continually recreate the Tjukurpa”
Nganyinytja (Anangu Elder)