Back to the future: engaging with the Australian Aboriginal past, present and future through tourism

The framing of Australian history and identity in the light of the settlement-invasion narrative is, even at present, in a state of constant reconfiguration. This is especially true in spaces that are elevated as cultural or historical heritage sites, where the undercurrent of the contested nature of heritage is ever-present. Have the dynamics of dispossession, assimilation, protection, integration and appropriation given way to self-determination for Aboriginal Australians at these sites, in reality? Using tourism as a gateway to explore this question, I have attempted to glimpse and discuss the politics that impedes self-management for Aboriginal communities, at these sites, and possibly beyond. My findings were arrived at by being a participant observer across three sites in order to glean qualitative data. These sites were the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains, Quandamooka Country (Manly) in Brisbane and Yurra Country (the Rocks) in Sydney. These experiences, over seven periods of observation, were chosen because they allowed for a comparison between different versions of presentation of Indigenous Australian cultural tourism. In addition to visits across these sites, I also reference archival information to fill the gaps that are present, particularly in the economic models at work at these sites.