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Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 24 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Mark Chipperfield

If the term ‘art gallery’ conjures up images of white rooms and hushed voices, then far north Queensland will blow your mind. The Daintree Rainforest offers a rare opportunity to connect to a rich indigenous artistic tradition – whether you take a painting workshop, explore some ancient rock art sites or listen to the Dreamtime stories that inspire indigenous painters today.

Nothing speaks ‘Aboriginal art’ more than its world-renowned ‘dot painting’. The Aboriginal-owned Janbal Art Gallery in Mossman offers workshops that will teach you the craft, while explaining its role in the local culture with some engaging local storytelling. You can choose a canvas or a boomerang.

And if you don’t like your own creation, you can pop into the art gallery proper and buy an expert, original piece after…

Price from: £30
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 4+
Frequency: daily
When: Mon-Fri
Duration: 90 minutes

Getting there & doing it

Janbal Gallery is located in the heart of Mossman and easy to find – just past the local shire council offices.

When to do it

The painting workshops operate all year round, from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday.

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Port Douglas

Queensland, Australia

an aerial view of Port Douglas

Swish, cosmopolitan and delightfully laid-back, Port Douglas is an ideal stepping off point for trips to the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef, and to connect with authentic indigenous culture.