Hawkesbury

A beautiful historic area with rich culture and unmapped sacred sites on the Hawkesbury river. Only hours out of Sydney at a private and secluded location just waiting to be discovered.

Why choose Hawkesbury?

  • Visit ancient rock engravings telling ancient stories
  • Explore and learn about First Nations cultural and knowledge on your doorstep
  • Spend time amongst the sandstone escarpments along the Hawkesbury River (Deerubbin)
  • Learn about bush tucker in the Sydney region from First Nations guides

Sample Itinerary

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Day 1 - The Journey Begins
  • Meet your Red Earth driver and your leader at a Sydney location of your choosing
  • Drive to Old Parramatta Gaol to be welcomed by First Nations facilitators from the Deerubbin area
  • Discover ancient rock engraving within the gaol walls, and learn about the rich First Nations history of the area
  • Continue the journey to the Hawkesbury River, arriving at our destination: Deerubbin
  • Gather for a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony with local First Nation facilitators
  • Walk the land and learn about the geographical significance and history of the Deerubbin site through the eyes of the local First Nation community
  • Settle in and take in the picturesque location
  • Dinner with Dreamtime and contemporary First Nations stories by the fire, sleep in the comfort of glamping tents and accommodation
Day 2- Bush Medicine and Bush Tucker Hike
  • Travel to a nearby site for a guided hike learning about the geography of the area, traditional bush medicine and bush tucker
  • After lunch, it’s fishing time!  Try to catch your dinner
  • Free time to cool off and swim in the Hawkesbury River
  • Enjoy the colours of the evening sunset over the valley
  • Join in on a yarning circle by the fire and hear stories from our First Nations hosts
Day 3 - Clap-stick Making and Painting Workshops
  • Spend the morning learning the ancient craft of clap-stick making, and learn about their cultural significance for the area
  • Learn traditional painting methods and put them into practice on your very own canvas to take home with you
  • Prepare for the Departing Ceremony with a special task given to us by our First Nation facilitators
  • Free time to enjoy the Hawkesbury River
  • Enjoy dinner with Dreamtime and contemporary stories by the fire
Day 4 - Final Day
  • Wake up early and walk to the top of the land to see the colours of the sunrise
  • Draw a close on your time at Deerubbin with a sacred Departing Ceremony, one you have been preparing for since the beginning of the journey
  • Accompany our First Nations hosts to a sacred site unknown to most for a final intimate story about the area
  • Final goodbye to community members and your Red Earth leader before your return journey to your initial pick up spot

Interested in our Advocacy Program for Corporates or Professional Development for Adults? Apply below.

Hawkesbury
Advocacy Program for Corporates 2024

Apply

Primary School Professional Learning Immersion 2024 -Hawkesbury

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Facilitator's Note

Uncle Graham, First Nations Facilitator - Hawkesbury

Uncle Graham will take your group on a journey of self discovery, usually through ceremonial practices and the importance of this on the self and community. This personal development lens is about ‘our place in the world’ and appreciating the significance of all things.

Over a full program Uncle Graham will welcome the group to the Country, share art, song, dance and rituals to tell dreamtime and contemporary stories and ask the group to actively participate in a closing ceremony with specific preparations. The themes explored throughout and in conclusion of the journey will be about what each of us can do to make a change. There will be discovery about the Aboriginal Reserve around the corner, a trip to an ancient Rock Art site,  and the history and shape of the lands and how colonisation has impacted life for all of us.

Uncle Graham will challenge accountabilities and perspectives which will lend to a new paradigm and ideally practical change your group will take home and into business.

The Immersion is an open forum where questions are encouraged. Our Red Earth Leaders connect your group to our First Nations Facilitators in a meaningful way and manage safety and logistics while Uncle Graham shines in delivering his experienced program.

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Impact Scores

$5.5 M+

This is a combination of wages for our partners, funding for Homeland development projects, and the training and planning to sustain Traditional Owners and Homelands

7,500+

7,500 people have joined an Immersion, connecting on Country and has written feedback, with 91% saying it has been a meaningful, transformative experience

15

15 families have engaged their younger generations in running Red Earth trips, providing them an income while building confidence, learning new skills, and in cases taking the mantel as the successors to the family business

11

Years of running. Check out our timeline here

419

Immersions run and growing fast with the average of 90 per year

249

Community projects such as putting up fencing, painting, gardening, land rehabilitation, or building a small shelter with more on this here

60

Homelands across Australia who are often interconnected and choose us for their joint venture

400+

First Nations Partners, who build an itinerary on their terms, on their land, and share from the heart