More tourists seeking out the spiritual heart of Australia

But more than just symbolic, the handback of Uluru in 1985 is also considered to be a turning point in Indigenous tourism in Australia. The Anangu people immediately leased back the land to the federal government for 99 years to be jointly managed as a national park. Although some tourism facilities already existed here in the Red Centre, the focus now shifted from recreation to culture, the Traditional Owners finally given a voice (and commercial opportunities) in the visitor experience.

Tourism at Uluru has evolved in the 40 years since. There's no climbing allowed for people anymore but the same can't be said for accommodation prices, which seem to constantly go up. Although it's possible to have a simple contemplative day in the national park by yourself, there are now also light shows, drone shows, and gourmet dinners. You can join cultural experiences like a dot-painting workshop with Anangu people, but you're also quite likely to get a foreign backpacker as a guide if you join a general tour.

In a sense, the evolution at Uluru since 1985 is reflective of what we've seen across the broader Indigenous tourism sector in Australia. There are some excellent examples of incredible experiences in every part of the country, but there have also been missed opportunities and logistical challenges.

A few years ago, I joined local guide Vincent Mundraby on a tour from Cairns through the wetlands of his traditional country. "Our landmarks represent our people, so over there you can see the big giant sting ray, and look further up you've got the crocodile," he pointed as we cruised along the calm waters.

It was part of a morning of fascinating insights I was only able to get with the guides from Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours, as we searched for native foods and talked about the spiritual connection to land and sea. Yet the Aboriginal-owned company got just 5000 guests a year... roughly the average number of tourists who go out on other boats from Cairns every day! Just a drop in the ocean.

An analysis conducted by Queensland academics for the federal government in 2013 found that participation in Indigenous tourism was falling at that point in time. The offerings were often considered too difficult or too expensive. Some operators even blamed "racism" and "negative media attention" for domestic tourists not being interested. But at the heart of the problem was a lack of awareness - about what existed and what made it special.

It's one of the reasons that, a few years later, Tourism Australia created a collective called Discover Aboriginal Experiences. Representing about 50 Indigenous tourism operators, the umbrella organisation is able to do marketing activities that a single small company wouldn't be able to afford. And it provides a hub for tourists to explore more than 200 activities.

They range from a short bush tucker tour in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden to the wukalina Walk, a four-day Aboriginal-led hike through the wilderness of northeast Tasmania. You could pop into the Koorie Heritage Trust museum in central Melbourne, go kayaking through the Shark Bay World Heritage Area in Western Australia, or stay at the only accommodation in South Australia's Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park.

Being able to effectively promote these experiences is one of the reasons that the latest figures show a huge jump in Indigenous tourism, with visitor numbers doubling in the 10 years between 2014 and 2024. The increase for domestic tourists was significantly higher than for international visitors (up 137 per cent compared to 57 per cent).

But there is still much room for improvement. Just last year, the Australian government released its Are we there yet? report into the tourism sector, which had a big emphasis on Aboriginal experiences. It highlighted problems like a large number of inauthentic Indigenous offerings, difficulties hiring enough Aboriginal staff, and too many remote activities rather than easily-accessible ones in the cities.

I can relate to that last point. When Johnny Murison from Jarramali Rock Art Tours showed me the paintings on a sandstone escarpment a few years ago, calling out to the spirits as we arrived ("I'm letting them know you're with me, it's okay," he explained) it was an incredible moment - but also a hard one to reach, in the middle of Cape York, far from any city. How many visitors have time for that?

From conversations I've had with international tourists, I would add that there are also more nuanced issues to resolve, such as confusion about the idea that Indigenous culture is not homogenous, with many preconceptions of Aboriginal stereotypes (body paint, dancing with spears, etc) that don't reconcile with what's actually on offer. Many experiences straddle traditional and modern culture (as they should), but that can be a bit harder to describe to foreign markets.

Ultimately, though, it's this variety and this authenticity from the operators that should mean Australia's Indigenous tourism sector continues to grow. If you've done one experience, you certainly haven't done them all - and some are pretty spectacular. For example, next year will see the launch of a new five-day walk guided in partnership with Anangu Traditional Owners that connects Uluru with Kata Tjuta and is the first to be allowed to offer overnight accommodation in the national park.

It's just one more rewarding experience that can now take place in the heart of Australia, 40 years after Uluru was handed back. That ceremony on October 26, 1985, was not primarily about tourism, but that's a good way we can all appreciate this land, sacred and special, with all its stories to share.

You can see more on Michael's Travel Australia Today website.