Actor and author Chloe Hayden's guide to South Australia
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Allira Potter's guide to Aboriginal experiences in South Australia
16 APR 2025
Allira Potter is many things: a creator, writer, speaker, model, empowerment and mindset coach, and all-round spiritual sister. At the heart of it all, she’s a proud Yorta Yorta woman. This is her guide to South Australia’s Aboriginal experiences.
From Kaurna Country to Narungga Country, a recent trip gave me a glimpse into the special moments you’ll find when connecting with First Nations experiences in South Australia.
Hi, my name is Allira Potter. I’m an author, content creator and proud Yorta Yorta woman who moved to Adelaide (Tarntanya) just under a year ago. I knew it would be important for me to deep-dive into culture, history and Country — so I took a trip that had me weaving, exploring native plants and sipping wine.
Curious to see what I explored? I’ve put together the perfect guide to experiences for you to try in South Australia — and to highlight the importance of keeping First Nations culture alive.
I knew it would be important for me to deep dive into culture, history and country. Allira Potter
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Kumarninthi Cultural Education with Tjimari
We were very lucky to have Kokatha, Narungga, Kaurna and Adnyamathanha man Tjimari help guide us on First Nations experiences. Living locally, Tjimari (TJ for short) runs Kumarninthi Cultural Education sessions in Adelaide Botanic Garden.
Unlike any other tour, this one was centred around native plants — a trail diving deep into the rich culture of Aboriginal people. The tour starts on Plane Tree Drive and heads into the gardens on a path of interactivity and engagement, where you smell and taste these beautiful plants.
The highlight of this was seeing the big river red gum trees and learning how canoes are made from them. TJ was so knowledgeable about all the plants — some of which aren’t native to South Australia but are native to other states. The tour really gave me an understanding of my ancestors’ way of living, and how our connection to Country is so important.
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Weaving our way into Narungga Country with Lakun Mara
There’s something so special about learning from our Elders — those who hold deep knowledge when it comes to culture. As we sit on the balcony, overlooking the blue waters of the Yorke Peninsula, Aunty Sonya, from Lakun Mara, gives us an unforgettable traditional weaving experience.
Lakun Mara means ‘Weaving Hand’ in the Ngarrindjeri language, and Aunty Sonya founded her business in 2019 to promote her weaving, artwork and workshops. Using her traditional Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri teachings, she showed us how to make small baskets — traditionally used for carrying food and other items. She’s so patient, teaching us her ways as we wove in and out to create our little baskets.
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Sipping drops from Munda Wines
Whilst being on Karuna country we had the privilege of meeting with Uncle Pauly, who is the founder of the Aboriginal-owned wine label Munda Wines.
Munda is the Wirangu and Kokatha word for ‘land’. Each wine we tried was a clear representation of the land it came from, with the front of the bottle label showing the country the grapes were grown — including Kaurna, Ngadjrui and Peramangk. From white to red, I taste-tested my way through the wines, each one with a unique boldness and fruitiness (if you ask me, my favourite was the 2021 Munda Kaurna Country Blewitt Springs Syrah).
What stays with Allira most…
South Australia is home to a rich cultural history that can be easily explored and understood with the help of a local guide. Whether it’s Pauly from Munda Wines, Tjimari from Kumarninthi, or Aunty Sonya from Lakun Mara – there are so many friendly locals ready to welcome you and share their culture and the stories of their Country.
