Journey Beyond buys into Mossman Gorge
Tourism Development
The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation has negotiated the sale of the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre to Journey Beyond in a deal announced just a week after the leading experiential tourism group finalised its purchase of Sailaway Port Douglas.
The ILSC has entered an agreement with Journey Beyond for the sale of the operational assets of its subsidiary, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia Pty Ltd, operator of Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara in Central Australia and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre in Far North Queensland.
This is to be completed by the sale of the shares in Voyages currently held by the ILSC and is the first in a series of transactions that will, once completed, formalise the transfer of land and buildings at both sites for the benefit of the respective Traditional Owners; Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara of Yulara and the Kuku Yalanji of Mossman Gorge.
The new partnerships between the Traditional Owners and Journey Beyond will bring significant ongoing economic benefits to Indigenous communities at Yulara and Mossman Gorge.
Later, following the transfer of land to the Community corporations, both communities will be paid rent from Journey Beyond’s leasing of the sites under 90 and 10 year leases respectively.
Established in 2016, and headquartered in Adelaide on Kaurna Country, Journey Beyond is Australia’s leading experiential tourism group and owns and operates 20 iconic brands across the country. Journey Beyond has a proud history of delivering amazing and unique experiences across its portfolio, which includes The Ghan and Indian Pacific, as well as cruises, touring, attractions and accommodation. Journey Beyond employs more than 2000 people across 15 offices around Australia and has a proven track record working closely with over 25 First Nations groups including those within its Outback Spirit network, its Rail Expeditions, Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef and Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures.
The sale process commenced in August 2024 following an extensive strategic review into the future ownership of Voyages which focused on maximising Indigenous benefit, securing ongoing opportunities for the local Indigenous communities and supporting the long-term success of two world class tourism destinations.
The sale agreement between the ILSC and Journey Beyond will only pass control of the operational assets of Voyages to Journey Beyond. Land and buildings at Yulara and Mossman Gorge will ultimately be transferred to the appropriate Community corporations representative of the relevant Traditional Owners.
The ultimate transfer at Yulara will mark the largest single return of land to Traditional Owners in the ILSC’s history in terms of both value and area.
In reaching this milestone, the ILSC has undertaken a multi-year Community consultation and engagement program with Anangu in central Australia and the Kuku Yalanji people of Mossman Gorge. The return of the land and sale of Voyages to Journey Beyond is supported by Community representatives of both groups following careful consideration of the benefits, aspirations and wishes of Anangu and Kuku Yalanji.
Voyages will continue to be led by the existing management team, under Journey Beyond’s Stewardship.
The transaction is expected to be finalised in early 2026 with the divestment of the Yulara land to Anangu also expected to be finalised in 2026. The Mossman Gorge land divestment will follow once the native title application that embraces the MGCC site is determined.
Commenting on the transaction Joe Morrison, ILSC CEO, said: “Today's agreement is the culmination of years of work and engagement with Community to find a new operational owner for Voyages to facilitate the divestment of land to Community and ensure a bright future for Voyages, and the local Indigenous communities of Yulara and Mossman Gorge.
“Journey Beyond is a leading Australian tourism operator and logical owner of Voyages. From the outset, the ILSC’s focus has been on maximising indigenous benefit. Through the agreement announced today and the ancillary transaction documents, we will see more than $500 million in benefit flowing to First Nations Community.’’
Chris Tallent, Journey Beyond CEO said: “Journey Beyond is thrilled to be working with ILSC, Anangu of Yulara, Kuku Yalanji of Mossman Gorge and the Voyages team. This marks an exciting expansion and perfectly aligns with Journey Beyond’s central purpose of creating amazing iconic experiences that are immersive, authentic and uniquely Australian.
“Journey Beyond has extensive and genuine experience of positively working with Indigenous communities across Australia, including in the Northern Territory’s Arnhem Land and Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We are committed to supporting the ongoing development of the National Indigenous Training Academy (NITA) which provides training, development and employment pathways to grow the local Indigenous workforce not only in Central Australia but across all our brands."
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