aboriginal bush traders
didgeridoos, t-shirts, arts and crafts made by Aboriginal People in the Northern Territory

Working towards a common goal.

The story behind our Logo

The three green ants (Industry/Government, Aboriginal People and Aboriginal Bush Traders) are working together towards creating a secure and sustainable economic future (the nest) for Aboriginal People. The logo features the raak (cross hatch) which is typically found in Top End cultural arts, signifying our regional interest. You can't build a strong nest without working together. So our focus is on creating strong partnerships with all stakeholders to ensure objectives are met.

Mission Statement

“To deliver shared services that support Indigenous community members to commercialise and trade authentic products and services based on Aboriginal culture, art and experiences.”

Aboriginal Bush Traders is an initiative of Darwin Regional Indigenous Advancement & CDEP Inc (DRIACDEP) a not-for-profit Indigenous community organisation. Aboriginal Bush Traders provides support to Indigenous people wanting to engage in economic activities in a sustainable way.

These activities include bush harvest, art, product development, tourism and retail activities. We mainly work with Indigenous people in the Darwin region with some flexibility to engage with other Top End groups depending on the type of support required and the availability of resources.

Our current activities include:

  • Retail outlet at Brown’s Mart Reserve which displays and sells Indigenous product to the local and tourist markets. At this stage Larrakia Nation Arts and the Bagot Community artists are the main suppliers. Aboriginal Bush Traders will continue to grow the range of products available and work with the Indigenous community on the development of new products.
  • Hosting a stall at the Mindil Beach Markets to enable different Indigenous artists and organisations to showcase their products. Aboriginal Bush Traders assists providing stall equipment.
  • Operating an Indigenous Tourism Hub ‘tour desk’ which provides booking and information to tourists and corporate groups. The Tourism Hub also provides back office support to emerging and establish Aboriginal Tourism Operators.
  • Engaging and promoting Indigenous involvement in the bush harvest industry. Our Bush Harvest Business Development Officer works with Aboriginal communities on the identification and collection of bush harvest products using appropriate resource management principles.
  • Art development project. Our Arts Development Officer is a self-funded position which currently works with communities on developing the presentation of art and craft work, retailing and product development.