Walking the Larapinta Trail is, for most travellers, an exercise in endurance and awe: red quartzite ridgelines, ghost gums rooted into ancient rock, and a silence broken only by wind moving through the West MacDonnell Ranges. For a group of young Aboriginal and Māori leaders this year, the trail became something else entirely: a place to find each other.
Eight Aboriginal young people from remote Central Australian communities and nine Māori rangatahi (youth) from Aotearoa New Zealand spent August travelling together through both countries as part of the Native Nations Indigenous Youth Exchange 2026. The journey began in Aotearoa before continuing on Arrernte Country in Central Australia, taking in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Tjoritja (the West MacDonnell Ranges) and Uluru, with the group walking sections of the Larapinta Trail together and learning directly from Elders and cultural knowledge holders along the way.
Two nations, one Country
For several of the Australian participants, the exchange marked genuine firsts: their first passport, their first international flight, and for three young people, the first time they had seen the ocean. Travelling to Aotearoa before returning to walk on their own Country in Central Australia gave the group a rare double perspective, comparing landscapes, language and culture while building friendships that crossed the Tasman.
That exchange of place and story sat at the heart of the program. Sharni Cardona, a Central Eastern Arrernte woman, said the experience reinforced what connection across First Nations can achieve. ‘We as Indigenous Nations are stronger together. It’s time to unite as one.’
For Shabella Rambler and Nikaylah Nelson, from the Alparra community, the warmth of that connection was immediate. ‘When we arrived in New Zealand, we felt welcomed to the beautiful country and less nervous,’ they said. ‘We were sad to leave our friends from New Zealand but excited to welcome them to our Country.’
Walking Country builds confidence
Time on the Larapinta Trail was not simply a physical challenge. For many participants, walking together through Tjoritja became a space to practise leadership, share knowledge and, for some, find a version of themselves they hadn’t met before.
Addyson Lowe, a Central and Western Arrernte man with Ngāpuhi connections, described the shift in himself. ‘Native Nations gave me more than places to see and things to do. It gave me people who became family. It gave me permission to feel. And it showed me that there is another version of myself, one who can be vulnerable, make hard decisions and still stand strong in who I am.’
Ella Williams, a Western Arrernte woman from Ntaria, said she had struggled to speak up at the start of the journey. ‘As someone as quiet as myself I found it difficult at first to express myself, but later into the experience I felt very comfortable and proud to share my own knowledge.’
Meg Mussehl, a World Expeditions guide who walked with the group on the Larapinta Trail, said the experience was as powerful for guides as it was for participants. ‘One of the reasons I became a guide is to help people connect to place and help foster relationships to landscape,’ she said. ‘It’s been a privilege to see these youth on Country, sharing their stories, connecting to nature and building friendships.’
Culture as guidance, not spectacle
Throughout the exchange, cultural knowledge was framed not as something to observe but something to carry forward. Edward Tilmouth, an Eastern Arrernte, Larrakia man with Banyjima connections, spoke of the depth of that inheritance. ‘Our ancestors and culture is so ancient and powerful that even years and years later it still shows guidance for us through stories, Dreamtime and songs.’
Alesha Braun, a Central Arrernte / Pertame woman with Jawoyn connections, said the exchange had shifted how she saw her own future and that of her daughter. ‘Our bloodlines connect us to the past, and these new relationships connect us to the future,’ she said. ‘Because of this, I now look to the future with a newfound confidence and pride. I know I am now strong enough to carve a pathway forward for not just myself, but for my daughter to follow.’
Rayleen Brown, a Ngen’giwumirri / Eastern Arrernte woman and founder of Kungkas Can Cook, said the exchange highlighted why young Aboriginal people need this kind of opportunity to connect on Country. ‘Our young people need opportunities like this to be strong in who they are and where they come from, but also to see what is possible for their future,’ she said. ‘The relationships they have built with each other are something they can carry forward long after the exchange.’
Pathways beyond the trail
The exchange concluded on 29 August with a celebration event, A Celebration of Connection: Aboriginal & Māori Youth Exchange 2026, held at Discovery Parks in Mparntwe. Families, Elders, partners and supporters gathered to hear from participants and reflect on the journey.
Donna Lawrence, Global Sustainability and Impact Manager at World Expeditions, said the value of the program extends well past the walking itself. ‘What is most exciting is what comes next,’ she said. ‘We’ve come away with tangible ideas and actions that emerged directly from listening to the young people and the experiences we shared together. It’s a beautiful illustration of the role tourism can play in strengthening culture and connection, and importantly, in creating pathways for those connections to translate into meaningful action and opportunity.’
The program is designed to support young First Nations people into education, training and employment opportunities, including within Indigenous tourism, using shared time on Country as the foundation for that pathway. The Native Nations Indigenous Youth Exchange is led by Native Nations United and delivered by Australian Walking Holidays, with the Central Australian leg supported by World Expeditions Foundation, Charles Darwin University, Paddy Pallin, Northern Territory Tourism and Events, and Voyages.
The 2026 exchange has ended, but for the young leaders who walked the Larapinta Trail together, the friendships and ideas it produced are only just beginning to take shape.
