Yibekka Kakadu Tours

16/03/2023

23 May 2020
I have always been surprised by how much support i have received from other local Aboriginal business owners.
I have had dozens of conversations with Victor Cooper from and on this day I was lucky enough to have him take time out of his day to show me how to structure and deliver tours. As we walked around he shared his experiences and what he had learned by running his business. Victor’s has always been open and forth giving with his knowledge, something that is invaluable for someone hoping to start a business.

Sometimes the smallest things like knowing what is an acceptable price to charge for large groups can make a big difference in your confidence in conducting your business.

The lemon ice-teas that I gave Victor after this tour doesn’t compare to what he has shared with me. I am happy to say that I know share any information and opportunities with Victor and always recommend other check out his tours.

By working together and supporting each other, I have learned that we are stronger individually.

01/09/2022

While it was a relatively short 6 months before Covid shut the whole park down, I started gaining the confidence and experience talking to tourists as a guide on Yellow Water Cruise on 19 November 2019. With the help of people like Dennis (Picture 1: him training me to be a guide), Greg and Mandy Muir I learned much about the day-by-day operations that go into providing an amazing tourism experience.

Always love to catch up and get back out on the boat like this morning with Mandy (Picture 2)

25/08/2022

From Friday, 18 October 2019 to 28 February 2020, I completed the IBA Accelerator Program, increasing my business skills and confidence to purse my goals while also meeting amazing people who have continued to support me to this day.
The program was a valuable chance to really learn how to test ideas and come up with a strong toursim business model. Unfortunately I didn’t predict the global pandemic which was declare right after finish and since forced me to delay and come up with different plans 😅. All of which I was more comfortable to do after going through the program.

While there is a lot of lessons learned, here are a couple of my favourites that .jeffries shared.
The first is the picture of the squiggle which demonstrates the process of designing something and which he compared o starting a business. I can say that my experience has been very much like this process, but the thing is you don’t really know where you are till it’s all over. You just have to keep rolling with what life throws your way but eventually things will get easier and simpler.

The lesson which is more of a challenge to anyone is “how are you going to make money in your sleep”. Still haven’t figured that one out fully😂. I have since started investing my money but don’t have a business which can do that… yet😄

23/08/2022

After 7 weeks of driving from Canberra, through the red centre, I had finally arrived to start a new chapter of my life. This was my first day back in Kakadu on Sunday, 6 October 2019. As soon as they saw me, my Nadjadj (uncle) and Belu (aunty) immediately welcomed me into their home. After unpacking my one and only bag, we decided to go for a short drive to Anbangbang billabong were we watched the birds gathering around one of the few water sources remaining after a long Dry season. Here my Nadjadj uses a the binoculars that I accidentally picked up along my drive, he starts to watch and commentate the entertaining behaviour of birds running around for food or chasing each other. We sit around until the sun starts to go down and I listen to the funny yarns about their last camping and fishing trips. Couldn’t of asked for a better first day back!

Very lucky to have such a warm and welcoming family.

I wasn’t sure how things would play out there. I didnt event have a room, I was just camping in my tent at that stage but I knew I was in the right place at that time of my life and that it was only the start of many new things.

22/08/2022

Karrke was another amazing Aboriginal owned and run experience where I got the chance to meet Peter Abbott and Christine Breaden.
Even though I was the only one booked onto the afternoon tour they still shared they knowledge gave me some witchetty grub to taste for the first time (the cooked ones taste like scrambled egg if you haven’t had it before).
I also got the chance to ask them some questions about their business. It was inspiring to hear how they had built their business on the own and the fact they they could support themselves in an area which had limited employment opportunities. To see what they had built in the face some pretty challenging situations is an example that we can overcome many things with shear determination.
To support them even more and thank them for doing the tour even though I was the only one I bought some of the bracelets that they also sell. They still sit on my bookshelf to this day and I think of that day.

18/08/2022

Three years ago tomorrow, on 19 August 2019 I hopped in the car and took the very scenic route to the next stage of my life. I first stopped in Sydney to see QandA but then headed to the other side of the state where I visited Mildura, Mungo Lakes, Broken Hill.
Along the way I looked for local Aboriginal run and delivered tourism experience which were very few and far between but I did find and amazing experience out of Broken Hill on Mutawintji Country.

The Mutawintji Heritage Tours, delivered by Michael 'Smacka' Whyman (Malyangapa/Barkindji) shared the strong cultural stories and significance of a beautiful country which translates to 'place of green grass and water holes’. Their story of fighting for their rights and ownership of the national park and establishing these toursim experiences was invaluable to hear.
The most special part was the sacred and private thing that Smacka gave me to keep on the dash of my car which would look after me on my long journey home.
Thank you Smacka, my journey was safe one and hopefully we will meet again!

Mutawintji Heritage Tours Mutawintji Local Aboriginal Land Council

16/08/2022

It wasn't until I was offered and declined a promotion as an APS 6 Program Manager on Friday, 5 July 2019 that I knew I wasn't turning back. A job like that was something I wanted for so long but I could no longer bear the thought of staying in the public service or Canberra, I had been unhappy for some time.

And even though I had made a conscious decision to make a change I still went to the doctor to address some of the things that I never spoke about.

I hadn’t heard of a DASS test but I managed to hit all the depression (other questions correspond with Anxiety and Stress, the other is stands for “scale”). Even though it was something I knew I had, it was a big relief to see it on paper and get the referral to a psychologist to help me get back to a healthy state of mind.

I still remember that day vividly, how hard it was to express the thoughts and feelings I was having. I was also surprised to hear that the clinic had so many clients experiencing depression that there was a long waiting list to see the in-house psychologist. I had never met another person who talk about their experience or that they were going through the same thing but they were all around me.

If you do have any of these thoughts, it’s important to see your GP or local doctor. Mental health often has a lot of stigma but it is no different to your physical health. I always have to manage my mental and physical health and when I see that I am not in a good state, I go back to my doctor and work on my health. It’s so important not just from a business or professional standpoint but from a personal standpoint first.

15/08/2022

After returning from the forum I started making small decisions towards actively starting my business because up until that point I had not made any major commitments that diverted me from my easy life in a secure job and life in Canberra. The first of which would have been selling, donating or throwing out most of my belongings. I then spent a couple of nights living out of my little car before moving into a shared flat with this gang on Saturday, 25 May 2019. Even at that stage though, I could have easily retreated back into my old way of doing things and not left Canberra.

A very special shout out to Ellie, Maddy, Jake and Maja for the laughs, your hospitality and kindness. I look back on my time with you guys with great fondness, hopefully in the future I can repay that if you are ever up this neck of the woods 😄

11/08/2022

It was around this time that I began to lose faith in my Public Service job. I had been through another change in management and my work was deemed non-essential. I was powerless in preventing management from abandoning the project that would create more opportunities for local Aboriginal people to progress in and enjoy their careers. I had failed these amazing people who I was privileged to meet and it is still something that weighs on my mind. I am ashamed to have been another public servant that came and went without really doing anything. And yet I continued to receive chances that they did not.

The next opportunity that I found was the IBA Futures Forum on Monday 25 March 2019. There I had the chance to meet other much more impressive people and the chance to see how a local Aboriginal organisation like the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council were supporting their community through their businesses. It was truly and inspiration to see how a community can be empowered to create their own future on their own.

10/08/2022

I would continue to take up Canberra Indigenous Entrepreneur Centre opportunities and workshops which lead me to apply for other Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) activities, dreaming about the day that I might live in Kakadu with my family.
Wednesday, 12 February 2019 was the day I took sick leave from work but magically recovered in time for an IBA Business Starter workshop with Neil Barry (shout out to Bazza!). It was here that I was introduced to a businesses-model-canvas and pushed to really start to think about what my business could look like.
This was also the day I met an amazing photographer

08/08/2022

'Manbu kukku mankaboberl kadjindjinduluburren wanjh kabalbore kore manbokimuk kaberlmarren.’
Small branches of rivers join up and flow into larger rivers. (Jill Nganjmirra)

For me I didn’t realise how this day would lead me to where I am today but Friday, 9 February 2018 was the day I attended an Indigenous Entrepreneur Centre (CIEC) yarning circle which was the first time I thought it was even possible to start a business

06/05/2021