The Department of Transport and Main Roads has announced that a First Nations Steering Group has been established for Queensland Rail.
The Department said that as a result, long-distance and tourism services can expect more Indigenous cultural experiences onboard.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey said the Steering Group resulted from collaboration between Queensland Rail, Indigenous tourism leaders and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council.
“This important partnership will work to incorporate more First Nations storytelling content on our long-distance travel and tourism trains,” Mr Bailey said.
“Queensland Rail previously introduced a Welcome to Country onboard the Spirit of Queensland, and has worked closely with Traditional Owners to introduce expertise and storytelling that can be shared with customers.”
He said new menus for Gold Class Kuranda Scenic Railway customers had been designed, acknowledging Traditional Owners, Kuku Yalanji and Djabugay.
“The Steering Group had its first official meeting in October and already we’re seeing brochures and imagery featured onboard the Spirit of the Outback to include elements of Country as customers travel through them,” Mr Bailey said.
Minister for Tourism, Stirling Hinchliffe said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism experiences were highly sought by visitors to Queensland.
“It’s terrific to see Queensland Rail sharing our State’s unique Indigenous culture with passengers onboard the regional Queensland network,” Mr Hinchliffe said.
Head of Regional at Queensland Rail, Jim Benstead said the rail operator’s focus on First Nations content meant improvements were on the cards for stations as well.
“With some of our regional stations welcoming up to 80,000 customers each year prior to COVID, the First Nations Steering Group will be the key to ensuring Indigenous content is kept front of mind in Queensland Rail’s planning process for the Regional Station Upgrade Program,” Mr Benstead said.
