In the savannas of north-west Western Australia to the tropics of the Northern Territory and Cape York in Queensland, the Kakadu plum flourishes.

Considered a gift of the Dreamtime by Aboriginal culture, it has played an important role for millennia for First Nations people in northern Australia. Used as a food, in medicine and other customary uses, the fruit is now being processed and exported globally to the benefit of local Indigenous communities.

The Kakadu plum has the highest recorded levels of vitamin C of any plant in the world. According to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the fruit not only has 100 times the vitamin C levels of oranges, but its superior antioxidant properties and high potassium to sodium ratios mean it's in high demand internationally.

Recently members of the Indigenous-led Kakadu plum industry in the Northern Territory travelled to south-east Queensland to learn more about how the 'superfood' endemic to Australia is processed.

Leila Nimbadja, a Gurr-goni woman from West Arnhem, coordinates the annual Kakadu plum harvest for Maningrida Wild Foods and was one of the harvesters who recently made the trip.

She said that prior to her visit she and other harvesters had limited knowledge and understanding about what happened to the fruit once it was flown or shipped out of the Territory.

"They say to me, 'what are you going to make with them?' and I don't know," she said.

The trip included visits to several processing facilities to see what happens during the extraction process, as well as to the Queensland Government's Food Pilot Plant, and the World Social Enterprise Forum in Brisbane.

Ms Nimbadja said sharing her experience with her community will help them to understand the value of their resources and ensure important traditional knowledge is protected and passed onto the next generation.

"My mother used to take me out and we'd stay overnight (and collect Kakadu plum),"

"She would pass on all her knowledge to me and tell me about what she did when she was young, so everything I know about Kakadu plum is from my Mum."

"I want my knowledge about bush foods to be passed down to the kids and other people in the community." Ms Nimbadja said.

Despite an oversupply following the commercial harvesting of the plums in the late 1990s, the market is currently undersupplied, and demand continues to increase.

The processing of Kakadu plums to be used in jams, sauces, juices, eaten in their own right or used for cosmetic and beauty means that this fruit which is so important to local Indigenous culture like Ms Nimbadja's family, is now being realised and bought by the rest of the world.