Led by a First Nations guide, Mwende Mutuli Musau learns to connect with Country – while keeping her balance – on a stand-up paddleboard tour in Coffs Harbour.
‘I’m going to fall in! I yell as my board wobbles uncontrollably. My chaotic efforts to regain my balance couldn’t contrast more with the cool, calm waters of Moonee Creek, where I am attempting – for the first time – to stand-up paddleboard.
Guiding me on this SUP tour (a new activity for 2025 on Intrepid’s Real Australia trip for 18 to 35s) near Coffs Harbour between Brisbane and Sydney is Ronan, a 21-year-old Gumbaynggirr man who works with Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours – an Aboriginal-owned local business. He’s here not only to teach me the practicalities of stand-up paddleboarding – which has origins in many Indigenous cultures around the world – but also introduce me to his ancestral land, as a cultural custodian.
‘Yilaami! (Come along!)’ Ronan says as he paddles off, reminding me to stand in the middle of the board and pull in my abs for stability. I may have had a mild panic initially, but I’m always up for a new challenge. I set off after him, and with each stroke of the paddle, plus a little more reassurance from Ronan, my confidence slowly grows. I soon find a comfortable rhythm – paddling left, right, left, right.
It’s early morning, and we have the creek all to ourselves. Mother Nature has delivered bright blue skies and a gentle breeze. The water is so clear that in some places, I can see all the way to the creek bed – home to shellfish, oysters and stingrays – but Ronan advises me to keep my eyes on the forest-lined shores if I want to stay upright.
After a while out on the water, we stop by a thicket of mangroves, pulling our boards onto the sandy soil. Ronan picks a bunch of leaves and crushes them in his hands. ‘What do they smell like?’ he asks. I pause for a second, inhaling the aroma. ‘Aloe vera?’, I offer.
‘Exactly,’ says Ronan. ‘These leaves can be used like Vicks. When you’re crook [sick], you can inhale steam made with the leaves or make tea out of them. Herbal medicine like this was used for centuries before colonialism in Australia. The mangrove tree was very important to First Nations tribes, because they could use the leaves for medicine and make boomerangs from the branches.’
The relationship that First Nations people have with the land is fundamental to their way of life and identity. To them, the land is more than rocks, soil, plants and minerals. It’s a living environment that is inextricably intertwined with culture and people.
Ronan leads me deeper into the bush, advising me to watch out for sharp mangrove roots as he bounds over them, barefoot, without a care. ‘Many kangaroos live nearby and normally come to the creek to feed. This creek was a prime fishing spot back in the day because of the oysters and shellfish that are found here,’ Ronan says. He tells me that his ancestors would have come to this creek to hunt, fish and go walkabout – the latter being a solitary expedition and traditional rite of passage that marks the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Ronan has been running tours for Wajaana Yaam since 2021, when he was in his late teens. For him, and many other local First Nations youngsters, his involvement with the organisation has been transformative. He was considering moving away for work, but getting the offer to work as a SUP guide allowed him to stay and make an impact in his own community.
Ronan was considering moving away for work, but getting the offer to work as a SUP guide allowed him to stay and make an impact in his own community.
Wajaana Yaam means ‘from this Country’ in the local Gumbaynggirr language. And as well as employing Aboriginal guides, who share their culture and insights with visitors who want to connect with Country responsibly, the organisation also works to strengthen cultural identity among the younger generations of Gumbaynggir people, by supporting a variety of community initiatives.
Ronan helps run reading programs and assists with other cultural projects at a local Aboriginal language school – the first and only one of its kind in New South Wales. ‘There are currently only 250 speakers of our tribal language, so we go down there to help out. The goal is to increase the number of Gumaynggirr speakers and to keep our traditions alive,’ he tells me.
We return to our boards and make our way to a large sand bank in the middle of the creek. While I wouldn’t say it’s easy, by now my paddling is faster and stronger and I feel more stable, even as the creek gets deeper and the trees around us grow thicker.
‘This area is called a tamenee, which is a small town or township,’ Ronan says, pointing to a small set of houses peeking out from behind the trees. I thought we were totally out in the sticks (or ‘woop woop’, as Aussies like to call it), but here we are, back where we started, on the edge of town. For me, this view sums up the way the local community here coexists with nature.
As if to illustrate my point, Ronan dives into the water with a splash.
While I’ve learned that stand-up paddleboarding is a fun way to work out and spend time outdoors, this experience is more than that. The positive impact goes far beyond my personal wellbeing and experience of connecting with Country – it also flows into the local Aboriginal community, celebrating and preserving important cultural traditions and providing the next generation with opportunities to thrive.
After spending the morning desperate to stay on my board, it’s time. I set down my paddle, and jump.
Mwende Mutuli travelled as a guest of Intrepid. You can experience SUP with an Aboriginal guide on the Real Australia trip. Find out what else is new for 2025 with The Goods.
