The Aboriginal culture is one of the oldest in the world. The earliest findings of human life in Australia date back to 60,000 BC. Tools about 45,000 years old, made from stone, were found near Sydney and 25,000 years ago flint was mined at the southern coast for the first time. The boomerang was in existence already 8000 years ago and archeological studies of paintings on cave walls and shelters have shown, that Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory have used the Didgeridoo for 1500 years, so it is probably the world’s oldest wind instrument. 

In 1770 James Cook arrived the fertile east coast of Australia and formally took possession of the land as British Colony New South Wales and soon after that, Australian's fate as a British penalty colony was sealed. When in 1788 the first British fleet with 700 prisoners on board arrived, there, where Sydney is today, approximately 750,000 Aborigines lived in Australia. They were considered fair game, were driven from their land, massacred and murdered and had their children taken away. A long period of suffering began.

Today about 200,000 Aborigines live in Australia, about 70% in cities. They have equal rights now and each region of the country is represented by an Aboriginal district administrator. Some of the Aboriginal people even successfully reclaimed their ancestral land. However, despite of government supported programs, their living standard and life expectancy is low and only around 10,000, mainly in the Northern Territory, stay in direct contact with their traditional culture.

Aborigines are proud of their culture and try to cultivate their heritage. They want to get more involved in cultural tourism, because it means they can present their culture and benefit economically. One of the priority aspirations Rainforest Aboriginal people have is, to get secure title to their traditional lands to ensure the integrity and survival of their culture, just as to hunt and to gather in the traditional way.