New Owner Of Voyages Revealed As Deal Is Done

The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) has announced the sale of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia to Journey Beyond.

Voyages is the operator of Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara in Central Australia and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre in Far North Queensland.

The agreement follows extensive consultation with First Nations Communities to maximise Indigenous benefit.

The deal is seen as a significant milestone in a series of steps toward returning the land on which Ayers Rock Resort and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre stand to respective Traditional Owners, delivering significant long-term economic benefit.

The transfer 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.

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.

“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,” said Joe Morrison, ILSC CEO.

“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.”

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.

“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,” said Chris Tallent, Journey Beyond CEO.

“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.”

“We are excited for the next stage in Voyages journey, which will open up significant opportunities for the business, our guests, our communities and for our people,” said Matt Cameron-Smith, CEO Voyages.

“We’re proud of what we’ve built and we’re excited about what comes next. This partnership allows us to grow our footprint while staying true to our foundations – delivering world class cultural tourism experiences in partnership with the communities we work with.”

https://www.journeybeyond.com/