kuku bugga guided tours
Rossville Retreat is a 300-acre eco-friendly retreat in Cape York, Far North Queensland which promotes Indigenous tours and activities
Rossville Retreat is passionate about promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism, working closely with our Kuku Yalanji traditional owners, who enjoy sharing their knowledge by facilitating traditional Indigenous cultural activities including:
- A Welcome to Country ceremony in Kuku Nyungkul language
- Traditional Indigenous smoking ceremonies
- Bush tucker, bush medicine and bark shelter walks
- Boomerang throwing and traditional artefact sharing
- Storytelling about the land, meeting places, Mooks’ life and his ancestors
Harold Tayley, well known as Mooks, is a Kuku Nyungkul elder, traditional healer and traditional owner of the country at Rossville Retreat.
Mooks was raised on his homeland where he learnt the old ways from his Grandparents, Uncles and elder family members.
He leant all about bush tucker and bush medicines and he possess unique spiritual powers to heal people, both physically and emotionally.
He was trained from a young age by his Elders and is skilled in a variety of healing techniques, including:
- Spiritual Healing: Mooks can remove harmful spirits or negative energy from a person’s energy field and restore balance.
- Physical Healing: Using his hands, Mooks can manipulate energy fields or perform hands-on healing to treat pain and injuries.
- Herbal Remedies: Mooks has an in-depth knowledge of native plants and their medicinal properties, using them to treat various ailments.
As a tour guide, Mooks has over 40 years’ experience and in Kuku Nyungkul language he is known as a ‘Kuku bugga’ which means he loves to talk.
Throughout his life Mooks has always been a keen communicator of Indigenous culture, helping people from all walks of life.
Mooks runs a two and a half hour tour and a one and a half hour tour, they are both very popular so bookings are essential, please contact us for large group bookings. His tours include:
2 1/2 Hour Guided Tour – Begin your journey with a Welcome to Country in Kuku Nyungkul language, followed by a traditional smoking ceremony to cleanse, ground, and prepare the group.
Join Mooks on a guided bush tukka and bush medicine walk, where he shares knowledge of native plants, their cultural significance, and their traditional healing uses.
Enjoy boomerang throwing, then settle in for storytelling about the land, its ancestors, and the deep cultural connections that shape Kuku Nyungkul Country.
Mooks will then present his handmade artefacts, explaining their traditional purposes and sharing personal stories passed down through generations.
The experience concludes with a closing ceremony, bringing the group together in reflection and respect for Country.
$125 per adult and $62.50 per child (8 -16 years old).
1 and 1/2 Hour Tour – Begin with a Welcome to Country in Kuku Nyungkul language, accompanied by a traditional smoking ceremony to cleanse and prepare the group.
Guests then join a guided bush tukka and bush medicine walk, learning about native plants and their cultural uses for nourishment and healing.
The experience continues with storytelling, sharing the history of the land, its ancestors, and the deep connections that shape Kuku Nyungkul Country.
The tour concludes with a heartfelt closing ceremony, bringing everyone together in reflection and respect for Country
$75 per adult and $37.50 per child (8 -16 years old).
What to bring – Enclosed walking shoes, camera, water, sunscreen and a hat.
Traditional Healing – To book an appointment for healing with Mooks, please contact us at info@rossvilleretreat.com we recommend staying with us for 1 or 2 nights as more than one session may be required.
“My family and I travelled from Belgium to spend two weeks learning with Mooks. His knowledge of plants and bush medicine is astonishing and we sat talking for hours! We highly recommended taking a tour with him and we intend to be back again for another visit very soon!”