Arabana People insist tourists will still be welcomed
Lake Eyre in South Australia has been handed back to the native Arabana People in exchange for the lifting of their native title claim to the 70-strong township of Marree.
The deal, which also includes the lake basin areas between Oodnadatta, Coober Pedy and Marree totalling some 71,000 sq km of desert country, was concluded in the Federal Court of Australia, the Herald Sun reports.
However, the chairman of the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation Aaron Stuart insists that tourists will still be welcome to admire the vast lake’s beauty.
“We care for that land and the lake and we want to see the land protected,” he told the news provider.
“This does not mean that we object to tourists … we are happy to share our country.”
There are already several major sites in Australia where land sacred to Aborigines is also a tourism hotspot.
At Ayers Rock, known as Uluru to the region’s native population, tourists are asked not to climb the famous landmark out of respect, although many still do.
Written by Ruth Norris
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