As Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia's Ayers Rock Resort prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year in the Northern Territory, it continues to champion employment opportunities for young Indigenous people each year across Australia.
Through its Ayers Rock resort and $20 million Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre in Queensland, which opened more than a decade ago, the company provides First Nations graduates solid career prospects in tourism, hospitality, retail and landscape gardening through its National Indigenous Training Academy, which as of 2023 has had 659 graduates since inception in 2011.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia is owned by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, which wanted to deliver market-leading training and employment programs for young Indigenous Australians through ILSC's two acquisitions.
NITA trainees go on to work at Mossman Gorge, or move to one of Voyages other properties. The project was the brainchild of Kuku Yalanji Elder, Roy Gibson, who first had the idea of creating a cultural hub on the site in 1992.
In partnership with William Angliss Institute and Far North Training Consultancy, NITA delivers nationally recognised Level 3 certification traineeships in Hospitality, Tourism and Retail at Ayers Rock Resort, NT and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, QLD.
Visitors to the Gorge can take one of two Dreamtime tours guided by local Kuku Yalanji people, with a cafe, art gallery, gift shop, welcome area and tour desk also available.
Voyages CEO, Matthew Cameron-Smith, said the company had always wanted to ensure graduates were provided with skills for life through its NITA program.
"We are one of the largest Indigenous employers in Australia, and we're committed to our ongoing work to empower a growing Indigenous workforce across the country," he said.
"The program has always been about creating career pathways and it is exciting to see so many of our graduates move into important roles in the organisation, sharing their passion and culture with our guests."
Marcellus Ah Kit is a perfect example of this. Born in Alice Springs, Marcellus Ah grew up in Tennant Creek, about five hours north of Alice, and started at Ayers Rock Resort six years ago after graduating as a NITA trainee in 2017.
"His first role at Ayers Rock Resort was at Desert Gardens hotel as a kitchen steward," Mr Cameron-Smith said,
"He now works at Tali Wiru – the intimate dunetop dining experience for just 20 people that the resort offers nightly from April to October, with a focus on native ingredients.
"Marcellus has been around Indigenous ingredients his entire life, going out hunting and foraging as a kid and is now proud to be presenting those same ingredients at Tali Wiru to their guests."
Visitors to Ayers Rock Resort meanwhile have from May been treated to a world-first immersive experience in Australia's red centre, a sound and light show called Wintjiri Wiru, the biggest permanent drone show in the world.
Five years in the making, the spectacular experience is a multi-million-dollar investment to showcase Indigenous culture to its guests in a new light, bringing to life a chapter of the Mala ancestral story which sits between Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and Uluru through groundbreaking technology – lasers, projections and around 1200 drones.
It is the first time an experience of this magnitude has been performed on a regular basis anywhere in the world, with Voyages collaborating with a group of 10 senior Anangu from both communities to bring the Wintjiri Wiru story to life in the right way.
speaking on behalf of the Anangu Consultation Group, Rene Kulitja said: "We are Anangu, custodians of one of the oldest continuing cultures on earth. Our ancestors carried and shared this journey through inma, our songs and ceremonies".
"Wintjiri Wiru is our gift to the next generation, and we have collaborated with Voyages to create it'."
More than 1,000 luminous drones take flight each night, choreographed to depict aspects of the Mala story. The drones are accompanied by narration in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages, along with a soundtrack featuring traditional inma recordings by the local Anangu community.
Visitors can view the show on an environmentally sustainable, purpose-built platform "floating" above the desert, with stunning panoramic views of both Uluru and Kata Tjuta nestled on the horizon.
Artwork from local Anangu artist and community member, Christine Brumby, has been cut into the architectural steel separating the various seating levels of the platform and backlit for maximum impact.
Mr Cameron-Smith said cultural sustainability guided everything they do at Voyages.
"It was also critical to us that we worked with a range of Indigenous suppliers who would not only provide high quality culinary experiences but would also benefit from supporting this new experience," he said.
For guests, it means sipping on a Cucumber Cooler or Spiced Apple Tonic – both featuring Indigenous-owned Beachtree organic Koala Gin – or a Jarrah Boy Beer or Yaru Water.
Voyages also opened the Gallery of Central Australia at Ayers Rock Resort two years ago to complement the diverse range of Indigenous cultural experiences for guests.
"The gallery provides an opportunity for up-and-coming regional artists, many of whom live in remote areas rarely visited by travellers, to have a place to showcase their work and be remunerated fairly and in line with industry standards to ensure an ethical supply chain," Mr Cameron-Smith said.
The gallery's impressive line-up of artworks comes from from painters throughout the vast Central Australia region, encompassing the Northern Territory, South Australia and WA.
Additionally there is an ongoing Artist in Residence program, which runs during peak season, with the artists working within the gallery throughout the day.
"This provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for guests to experience these amazing Indigenous works of art in the making," Mr Cameron-Smith said.
