Manuel Pamkal · Katherine
A hands-on afternoon with Dalabon artist Manuel Pamkal: he welcomes you on the didgeridoo, tells you about growing up in the bush, shows you spear throwing and fire making, then helps you paint a rarrk-style piece to take home. It's the best thing to do in Katherine that isn't the gorge.
Manuel Pamkal is a Dalabon man from Arnhem Land, an artist and cultural guide with more than 30 years in tourism. His story, told in his profile, runs from a childhood hunting goannas in the bush to first sitting at a school desk as a teenager. The workshop starts with a welcome on the didgeridoo, then those stories, then the practical part: spear throwing with a woomera and making fire with sticks.
Then you paint. Manuel explains the meaning behind Aboriginal art and teaches rarrk, the fine cross-hatching of Arnhem Land, which he does with brushes made from billabong reeds. You take your own painting home. His sessions run at the Top Didj gallery at 363 Gorge Road, about 7 km out of Katherine on the way to the gorge, per the Welcome to Country listing for the same experience.
This is a new listing on GetYourGuide with no reviews yet, so we have no guest quotes to show you. It doesn't go to the gorge at all. It pairs well with a gorge day, though: the cruise in the morning, booked direct with Nitmiluk Tours, then Manuel in the afternoon. With Cutta Cutta Caves closed for 2026 after the floods, it's also the best rainy-day backup in town.
Manuel greets the group with the didgeridoo and talks about growing up in the bush.
Throw a spear with a woomera and make fire with traditional sticks.
Manuel explains Aboriginal art and the rarrk cross-hatching style.
Paint a rarrk-style piece to take home, and look round the gallery.
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A Dalabon artist and cultural guide from Arnhem Land with more than 30 years in tourism. He paints in rarrk (cross-hatching) and runs his cultural experience near Katherine.
Manuel runs his sessions at the Top Didj gallery, 363 Gorge Road, about 7 km from Katherine on the road to the gorge. Confirm the meeting point on your GetYourGuide booking.
A didgeridoo welcome and stories, spear throwing, fire making, and a rarrk-style painting you take home. It lasts about 3 hours.
No. It's a culture workshop near Katherine town. Book the gorge cruise separately, direct with Nitmiluk Tours.
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Paint your own rarrk-style piece and learn spear throwing and fire making with artist Manuel Pamkal.
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