The World’s Oldest Rainforest Story
A collaboration by Buda:dji, the Djabugay People and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Cairns is one of the few places in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage Areas meet: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Within this extraordinary region lies Barron Gorge National Park / Djirri Nyurra Nyurramba, a landscape of exceptional ecological and cultural significance. For the Djabuganydji, the Traditional Custodians of this Country, the ancient rainforest is not only a place of biodiversity and beauty, but a living cultural landscape shaped by ancestral knowledge, language, music, story and connection over thousands of years.
For 30 years, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway has carried millions of visitors between Cairns / Gimuy and Kuranda / Ngunbay, offering a world-class ecotourism experience with minimal environmental impact. In 2025, that journey was reimagined through The World’s Oldest Rainforest Story, a collaboration between Buda:dji Aboriginal Development Association and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Recognised as the 2025 Interpretation Australia First Nations Category Winner, the project shares the Story of Country through the Skyrail Audio Guide App, using GPS location-based technology to identify culturally significant landscapes and interpret them in real time throughout the 90-minute, 7.5km cableway experience.
The idea behind the project was simple: if visitors are travelling through a place of profound cultural meaning, the stories they hear should come from the people who know that Country best. With hundreds of thousands of guests travelling on Skyrail each year, the challenge was how to connect them with Djabuganydji stories, language and culture in a meaningful way.
“Skyrail, Australia’s most visited rainforest attraction, delivers hundreds of thousands of explorers into biodiverse landscapes which also hold deep cultural significance to Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples. While travelling on the cableway, I was inspired by this connection – and our ongoing friendship with the Djabugay People (Djabudanydji) to find a way to connect hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world with their stories, help preserve their language and celebrate their culture in real time, and in close proximity to the sights and sounds that make this place so important to them. It wasn’t possible to place a First Nations Ranger in every gondola to point to the landscapes and interpret them, so we applied smart technology to create a virtual one instead. This project marks a major step forward in our shared commitment to cultural interpretation and education.”
Skyrail General Manager, Richard Berman-Hardman
The result is an immersive, First Nations-led audio experience that weaves together history, language, music, traditions, ecological knowledge and cultural practice. Guests hear stories narrated by Djabugay Cultural Officer Dennis Hunter in both English and Djabuganydji, alongside original music he composed and performed using clap sticks, didgeridoo and vocal percussion. As the gondola moves across Country, stories unfold in step with the surrounding views, allowing visitors to experience the rainforest not only as a natural wonder, but as a living cultural landscape.
At the heart of the project was a commitment to authenticity, cultural authority and respectful collaboration. The aim was not to simplify Djabugay culture for tourism, nor reveal knowledge that should remain protected. Instead, the project created a platform for Elders, artists, musicians and knowledge holders to share stories on their own terms. Cultural protocols guided every stage of development, ensuring the interpretation remained accurate, appropriate and grounded in Djabugay priorities.
The project was developed in collaboration with Buda:dji Aboriginal Development Association, with consent from Djabugay Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and underpinned by an Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Licence Agreement. This framework protected permissions, approvals, ownership and cultural integrity, while building on Skyrail’s longstanding partnership with Djabugay Aboriginal Corporations through employment, co-designed interpretation, language preservation, on-Country experiences, staff uniforms and community engagement.
Research and planning were informed by both visitor expectations and community aspirations. Visitors increasingly seek meaningful, culturally rich experiences that reflect responsible travel and environmental care. At the same time, the project team recognised the importance of contributing to language preservation. Djabuganydji is listed in UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, and the project became an opportunity to share and celebrate language in a living, public context.
Writer Jason Clarke worked closely with Djabugay Elders, Rangers and community members, spending time on Country to understand the landscape, its stories and its cultural responsibilities. His role was to help interpret those stories for diverse audiences in ways that honoured both meaning and context. Creative design also played a significant role. Djabugay artist Tahalani Hunter created the commissioned artwork Bagarra-la ngundal djin.gal-mu — Looking at the rainforest from the sky — which became central to both the app’s visual identity and Skyrail staff uniforms.
Accessibility and inclusion were essential, recognising Skyrail’s global audience, the authentic, First Nations-led interpretation is available in English, Japanese, German, Chinese and Korean. Guests access the interpretation through their own smartphones downloaded free from their preferred app store.
The project’s impact extends beyond experience, strengthening cultural, educational, and social connections within the Skyrail team, wider community and visitors alike. Guest feedback consistently describes the experience as moving, memorable and a highlight of their visit. Most importantly, the Djabugay community has affirmed the project’s value in preserving and sharing culture, language and music for future generations. The World’s Oldest Rainforest Story shows that innovation in interpretation is not just about technology. It is about creating space for Traditional Custodians to lead, for language and story to be heard on Country, and for visitors to encounter place in deeper and more meaningful ways. As guests glide above the rainforest canopy, they are invited to do more than look. They are invited to deepen their cultural connection, and feel welcomed, inspired, and moved by the voices, music and Dreamtime stories of Djabuganydji.
Garru Gabun-gabun Galin — Travel softly, travel well.