Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experiences: Commitment to Sustainability
Sustainability Action Plan
Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience
Katherine / Nitmiluk region, Northern Territory
Prepared for the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience category
1. About Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience
Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience is an Aboriginal-owned and operated tourism business based at Gorge Road, Lansdowne, on the doorstep of Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park. The business is led by Manuel Pamkal, a senior Dalabon man from Central Arnhem Land with more than 30 years' experience in Northern Territory tourism, multiple Brolga Tourism Award wins for interpretive guiding, and national recognition for his raarrk (cross-hatch) painting.
Visitors experience Dalabon culture first-hand through guided day tours, didgeridoo performance and storytelling, traditional fire-lighting and spear-throwing demonstrations, raarrk painting workshops, bush tucker “Pamkal Family Cookups”, pandanus weaving led by Dalabon women, guided fishing, private charters, and cross-cultural training for schools and corporate groups. The site is wheelchair accessible and step-free, welcoming visitors of all ages and abilities.
At its heart, the business exists to preserve and share the language, art and Lore of Central Arnhem Land, while building sustainable livelihoods for the Pamkal family and the wider Katherine Aboriginal community.
2. Our Sustainability Commitment
For Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience, sustainability and culture are inseparable. Looking after Country, keeping language and Lore strong, and making sure tourism genuinely benefits family and community are not separate goals — they are the same goal. This plan is built around three connected pillars, underpinned by cultural governance:
● Caring for Country — environmental sustainability
● Keeping Culture Strong — social and cultural sustainability
● Sharing the Benefit — economic sustainability
Each pillar below sets out the actions Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience commits to, how success will be measured, the timeframe, and who is responsible.
3. Governance & Cultural Authority
Decision-making about what is shared with visitors — and how — stays with Manuel Pamkal and Dalabon family elders. All cultural content is shared under principles of free, prior and informed consent, and the business is committed to protecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) in its stories, art and songlines.
Action
Target / Success Measure
Timeframe
Responsible
Formalise a written cultural protocols document setting out what may and may not be shared with visitors, developed and reviewed with Dalabon elders.
Cultural protocols document in place and reviewed annually
March 2027
Manuel Pamkal & family elders
Apply Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protections to raarrk artwork, stories and performances shared with visitors and used in marketing.
100% of shared cultural material formally protected
Ongoing
Manuel Pamkal
Continue mentoring younger family members as future cultural knowledge-holders and guides.
1 younger family members actively mentored each year
Annual
Manuel Pamkal & family
4. Caring for Country — Environmental Sustainability
Country is central to everything Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience does. Environmental care is approached through both traditional land management knowledge and contemporary sustainable business practice.
Action
Target / Success Measure
Timeframe
Responsible
Remove single-use plastic bottles from tours and the Gorge Road site; introduce refillable water stations/bottles for visitors and staff.
Zero single-use plastic bottles purchased/used on-site
Ongoing
Site coordinator
Continue sustainable, seasonal harvesting of bush tucker, pandanus and other natural materials, guided by traditional cultural-calendar practices that protect regeneration.
100% of materials gathered under traditional seasonal protocols
Ongoing
Manuel Pamkal & senior custodians
Ensure all fire-lighting demonstrations follow traditional fire management practice and NT bushfire safety requirements, in consultation with Nitmiluk National Park rangers.
Zero fire-safety incidents; annual liaison meeting with Parks & Wildlife held
Ongoing / annual
Site coordinator
Assess feasibility of solar power at the Gorge Road site to reduce reliance on diesel generators.
Feasibility assessment complete; 80% of site power from solar by
Ongoing
Business owner
Maintain tour vehicles for fuel efficiency and plan charter routes to minimise unnecessary travel; review lower-emission options as the fleet is renewed.
Fuel use tracked and reviewed annually
Annual
Operations
Separate general waste and recycling at the site; keep visitor and walking areas litter-free and managed to prevent erosion.
Annual waste audit completed; recycling stream in place
Annual
Site coordinator
Monitor visitor numbers and impact on the natural site to prevent overuse; keep tours to defined trails and areas.
Visitor impact reviewed quarterly
Ongoing
Manuel Pamkal
5. Keeping Culture Strong — Social & Cultural Sustainability
Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience measures success not only in visitor numbers, but in language kept alive, knowledge passed on, and community strengthened.
Action
Target / Success Measure
Timeframe
Responsible
Employ and contract local Aboriginal people — Dalabon, Jawoyn and other Katherine-region community members — across guiding, hospitality and administration.
50% of staff/contractors are Indigenous
Ongoing / reviewed annually
Business owner
Provide structured training and mentoring pathways (e.g. guiding certification, first aid, hospitality skills) for young family and community members.
1 trainees supported per year
Annual
Manuel Pamkal
Record and archive Dalabon language, stories and art techniques, with appropriate permissions, to safeguard cultural knowledge for future generations.
40 recording/archiving sessions completed
Ongoing
Family & cultural custodians
Maintain and continue improving the fully accessible, step-free visitor experience for guests of all ages and abilities.
Accessibility features reviewed annually against current best practice
Annual
Site coordinator
Partner with local schools to deliver cross-cultural education programs for NT students.
10 school groups hosted per year
Annual
Business owner
Reinvest a share of tour proceeds into family and community initiatives (e.g. youth programs, cultural camps).
80% reinvested annually
Annual
Business owner
Deliver a respectful cultural-etiquette briefing to all visitors before each tour, so guests understand appropriate behaviour on Country.
Pre-tour briefing delivered on 100% of tours
Ongoing
Guides
6. Sharing the Benefit — Economic Sustainability
A financially resilient business is what allows culture-sharing and community benefit to continue for the long term. Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience is committed to sound, sustainable business practice.
Action
Target / Success Measure
Timeframe
Responsible
Prioritise purchasing from other Aboriginal-owned businesses (catering, transport, merchandise, art supplies) where possible.
50% of suppliers are Indigenous-owned
Reviewed annually
Business owner
Maintain a diversified revenue base — day tours, private charters, corporate/school programs and art/product sales — to build long-term financial resilience.
3 active revenue streams maintained
Ongoing
Business owner
Keep pricing fair and transparent, reflecting the value of the cultural knowledge shared and ensuring a sustainable income for family and community.
Pricing formally reviewed
Annual
Business owner
Pursue formal sustainable tourism accreditation (e.g. ATIC Sustainable Tourism / Ecotourism Australia certification) to benchmark and improve practice.
Accreditation achieved
2026
Business owner
Build and strengthen partnerships with Tourism NT, Nitmiluk National Park and other Katherine-region operators to grow the regional visitor economy.
3 active partnerships maintained
Ongoing
Business owner
Track visitor numbers, satisfaction and economic impact to inform business decisions.
Visitor feedback collected on 80% of tours; reviewed annually
Annual
Business owner
7. Monitoring, Review & Reporting
This plan is a living document. Progress against each action is tracked by Manuel Pamkal and the family, with input from staff, visitors and Traditional Owners, and the plan is refreshed each year ahead of the Brolga Awards cycle.
Action
Target / Success Measure
Timeframe
Responsible
Full sustainability action plan review
All actions checked against targets; plan updated
Annually
Manuel Pamkal & family
Visitor feedback review
Feedback themes reviewed
Ongoing / monthly
Site coordinator
Cultural protocol check-in with elders
Protocols confirmed as still appropriate
Twice yearly
Family elders
Environmental and site condition check
Site walked and checked; issues logged
Quarterly
Site coordinator
8. Alignment with the Brolga Awards
This plan is designed to demonstrate, for the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience category, that Dalabon Aboriginal Cultural Experience delivers an authentic, Traditional Owner–led cultural experience; upholds strong cultural governance and protocols; generates real, measurable benefit for Aboriginal people and the Katherine community; and operates on a sound, sustainable environmental and business footing. Together, the actions above show a business that treats sustainability — caring for Country, culture and community — as central to its story, not an add-on to it.
