FROM JAWI SEA COUNTRY TO THE WORLD: ROSANNA ANGUS’ AWARD-WINNING JOURNEY
Rosanna Angus. Picture Supplied
Bardi Jawi tourism leader Rosanna Angus has added another award to her growing list of achievements, taking home the Tourism Excellence Award for Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours at the Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gala for Business Excellence.
The latest recognition celebrates a business Rosanna has built around culture, Country and the stories of her Jawi ancestors.
Through Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours, Rosanna takes visitors onto Jawi Sea Country off Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula, travelling through powerful tidal waters to Ewuny, or Sunday Island, and sharing the history of the Tide Drifters, the Sunday Island Mission and generations of cultural knowledge.
Rosanna told Ngaarda Media the award was particularly meaningful because the business had grown from a small sole-trader operation while keeping culture at the centre.
“For me, the recognition is very important because we are working still in a cultural Country,” she said.
“It’s important that we’re able to share our culture and our Country and our history in the right way as well.”
Rosanna said building Oolin had required hard work, commitment and confidence in how cultural stories were shared.
Starting small, she said she never expected the business to grow as quickly as it has.
A partnership with Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm has also helped Oolin expand and reach visitors from across Australia and overseas.
Rosanna Angus during a tour. Image Supplied.
The latest Broome award follows major tourism success for Rosanna and Oolin, including Gold at the 2025 WA Tourism Awards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences, followed by Silver at the national Australian Tourism Awards.
Rosanna was also named Australia’s Top Tour Guide in 2023.
But tourism is now just one part of her growing business story.
Rosanna has also launched LANJE, a skincare range inspired by Bardi Jawi knowledge and incorporating ingredients including seaweed, native botanicals and pearl oyster by-products.
LANJE takes its name from the Bardi word for seaweed.
Rosanna said ensuring Aboriginal people maintained control of cultural and intellectual property was fundamental to developing the range.
“Our IP and our ICIP, our data sovereignty, is at the centre point of everything we do in business,” she said.
“For Aboriginal people, we should be able to hold the rights to share it as well.”
Rosanna’s next stop will be Vancouver, Canada, where she will represent Australia at the Indigenous Women in Industry Summit.
She will join international Indigenous tourism leaders on the panel, On Our Land, On Our Terms: The Future of Indigenous Tourism.
Rosanna said she hoped to take the experiences she had gained in the Kimberley to the international stage, while also learning from Indigenous women from other parts of the world.
Rosanna admitted appearing before hundreds of Indigenous women was both exciting and nerve-racking.
But she said the opportunity also demonstrated what was possible for the next generation of Aboriginal women and young people wanting to build businesses grounded in culture.
“It’s all about inspiring the next generation of leaders coming through,” she said.
“As women, we should be able to grab it with both hands when any opportunities come along.”
From a small tourism operation on the Dampier Peninsula to award-winning cultural tourism, skincare and an international stage, Rosanna says the foundation remains the same — culture, Country and sharing Jawi stories on Jawi terms.