7 March 2011
G'day Tess!
It's Steph here from your Tuesday tour. Hope your week went well and the rest of your tours ran as amazingly as mine did. Thank you so much for Tuesday Tess, I had an amazing time learning so much from you.
Thanks again mate, have a great weekend!
Peace, Steph
12 January 2011
Hi Tess
Just affirming our pleasure to be guided by your competence and warmth. It couldn't have gone better. Perhaps you are familiar with the form of light verse called the limerick. They tend to be a bit earthy, but not always, and I've enjoyed writing them as long as I can remember. Anyway, a few relevant thoughts about today in this format:
Driving southward from Darwin Australia,
It looked like the tour was a failure.
Paper work made obscure detailed plans for our tour
plus road blockage - capsized truck and trailer.
But fate worked us out of this mess
in a manner we could never guess.
Though some details were ditched
our lives were enriched
through charisma of skilled tour guide Tess.
Thanks again,
FRED
15 November 2010
Hi Tess
I hope you remember me, though it was ages ago that I did your tour of Litchfield National Park. It was with my friend Kim, in August this year. We were lucky enough to go out for the day with your mum and aunty (as there was only us and one other woman booked for the tour). It was a day I'll never forget. I wrote some things up on Trip Advisor, but I didn't manage to get through the login process (I'm not very computer literate) and it never got posted.
Anyway, thank you again for your generosity in giving us such an amazing day. It wasn't just the highlight of that holiday - it is one of the highlights of my life. I felt we were welcome completely into your world, and it was such a privilege. You shared not only your intimate knowledge of your country, but also yourself and your family. It was such a gift. So many things I'll never forget, but probably more than anything, just laughing with your mum and Sandra in the back seat as we drove along. They were joking and calling out for you to stop for some special bark to burn, or bush tucker, or whatever. I hope they're well and that all your family is well. I also remember being driven back to our holiday flat in that fab yellow Monaro.
So many things, and when I look at your photo on the flyer, they all come back to me. You were so generous with your time and yourself.
Anyway, I hope this email finds you well and happy and not too worn out by all those hordes of tourists!
Warmest wishes
Linda
24 October 2010
Dear Tess
It was such an exciting day and I have been telling everyone about how sensational your tour was.
Do hope this finds you and your family well
Kindest wishes
Jenny
12 October 2010
Hi Greg
I had a short but simple note from the Lodish family on their return to the US about Tess:
We loved our day out with Tess. She is one fabulous woman!
Thanks for looking after them.
Cheers
Larissa
29 September 2010
Thanks for an interesting tour.
Howard
22 September 2010
Dear Tess
Hope you are well and having fun up there in Darwin! Just wanted to drop you a quick email and say thanks for the great tour out to Litchfield! It was great to see Litchfield from another point of view (having been there a few times when I used to live in Darwin) and visit areas that I hadn't seen before i.e. Woolaning Springs. I found the bushtucker information very interesting and trying it too, although I still can't quite get your taste of red "chocolate" termite mounds!!!
Thanks once again and see you at the NT Muster in VIC if you come along again!
Cheers Amanda
27 August 2010
Hi Tess
its Helen and Olivia from England we are back home (to rain !!!) but just wanted to say a big "thank you" for the great trip you gave us, we think it was the best experience of our whole holiday. You were a wealth of information, warm hearted and amusing and we had a fantastic day. Thank you again, I hope your trips go from strength to strength.
Best wishes
Helen and Olivia x
23 August 2010
Hello Tess -
It was a great day with you, we all agreed on that, and I am feeling quite a few more questions coming up. Today it's THANK YOU once again, but I would like to keep in touch with you.
Love from Doris, Dieter, Egbert and Elizabeth :)
22 August 2010
Hello,
I just wanted to say thank you very much for taking me on your tour of Litchfield National Park on Monday. It was such a special day. And thank you too for the hand-outs; they are really helpful for remembering some of what I learnt. I won't need any help, though, with remembering our first stop - watching Tess take off into the bush with a pair of tongs ...
Fenella
21 August 2010
Hi, Tess
We would like to thank you and Colin so much for a fantastic day last Friday (the 13th), going with you to Woolaning Spring, the Litchfield falls and the Wildlife Park. It was certainly the highlight of our trip up north. We're grateful for your generosity about our ignorance about indigenous culture - if we can't display our ignorance and ask questions, we will never learn. We feel we came home with a tiny bit of knowledge about your culture but, more importantly, we came home with a huge amount of respect for it. We really enfoyed the company of both you and Colin, and appreciated greatly your sharing your knowledge with us.
We hope to make it up to the Top End again sometime, and will look you up! Thanks again, Tess & Colin
Mary and Susan
20 August 2010
Hi Tess,
Hope you're well.
Just wanted to let you know that I have a story on Litchfield National Park appearing in News Lts's Sunday Telegraph Escape section this Sunday, as a result of my trip with you in June. It will also be appearing in other states, but not sure which ones yet.
Thanks again for an enjoyable trip.
Cheers, Briar
20 August 2010
Hi Tess, I hope all is going well in beautiful Darwin!
I wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful trip to Litchfield National Park. You are one amazing guide (and a lot of fun) as well as quite the chef - I certainly wasn't expecting my delicious lunch to be topped off with cherries and chocolate dipping sauce - nice touch!
Thanks again for a wonderful day and best of luck with everything.
Cheers
Kristi
19 August 2010
Dear Tess,
I am home in cold Victoria now. I just wanted to thank you for the great day Geoff and I spent with you. The tour was excellent. I learnt so much about the Top End and your culture. For this I am very grateful. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge, I feel very fortunate to have shared time with you. Wishing you all the best in your future ventures and I certainly hope you will continue with your tour work. You are able to touch so many people through your work.
Warm wishes
Maureen
14 August 2010
Dear Tess
It's a few weeks since Alan & I spent a wonderful day as your guests on your tour. That day stands out as the highlight of our Top End holiday. We have been telling our friends & family about how privileged we were to spend the day with you. I hope you are making time to renew yourself and not burn-out.
Our very best wishes
Alan & Darlene
12 August 2010
Tess.
I thought I would tell you how much, Denise and myself enjoyed our day trip with you.
From the moment you picked us up at Moonshadow villas, you made us feel very special and relaxed, something that a large tour operator is missing. Your wonderful knowledge of the places you took us to where amazing, and the fantastic lunch you cooked us on your land in an amazing surrounding, uncluttered with tourists. When you spoke about the land, it was as though you were talking about somebody you loved, we felt the passion you have for your home and the stories you told.
I will be telling others about your tour, and one day we might just come back to visit you again.
Cheers
Jim & Den
11 August 2010
Hi Tess, I enjoyed the tour today a lot, thanks!!
Cath
10 August 2010
Hi Tess,
Thank you so much for the tour today I loved it.
Warm regards,
Caroline
6 August 2010
Hi Tess
It's been over two weeks since we left Darwin, back in the cold again and still struggling to get back into work and the everyday routine. I just wanted to say thanks for allowing us to experience your part of the world and your way of life. Your tour was wonderful, you have a great way of passing on your knowledge, and you make the experience one to never forget. You certainly live in a unique and precious part of Australia, and I can't think of a better way to experience it. Where else could you get to taste a termite mound? We have told and will tell anyone going to the top end to go on your tour.
And I can still taste that Barramundi, and I am going to try your recipe this weekend.
Thanks again and all the best in the future.
Craig, Ngaire and Jackson
29 July 2010
Hi Tess,
Thank you so much for such a wonderful day - a highlight of a great time we had in Darwin.
Hope you are doing well and having a blast!
All best,
Elspeth
25 July 2010
Thanks for a great trip today - we all, but particularly the children, thoroughly enjoyed it.
I hope you have a good rest before your trip tomorrow.
Thanks again for the great day.
Craig
25 July 2010
Hi Tess,
Thanks for a great day on the 23rd! The group was great company and I learnt a lot too.
All the best with your future plans!
Regards,
Lorne
8 July 2010
Hi Greg,
Please let Tess know how much we enjoyed the tour and I hope to be back again one day. I really loved Darwin.
Shirley
6 July 2010
Hi Tess
Apologies, have been meaning to send you an email for months, but we went away overseas only days after returning from our trip to Darwin, so time just slipped away from me!
I have a attached a couple of photos of our adventure with you Tess on Sunday 23 May - what an adventure it was, meeting your extended family and lunching at your little oasis was a real highlight, not to mention the surprise inclusion of the jumping croc cruise and Litchfield National Park.
As a fellow Hospitality / Tourism professional, I wanted to express my sincere thanks for your passion and enthusiasm in the delivery of a truly memorable day and the chance to get to meet such an inspiring aboriginal person who is a wonderful ambassador for her people and the land you look after.
Very best wishes for the ongoing success of your business venture.
Kind Regards
Lara McVeigh, Hospitality Trainer & Consultant
2 July 2010
Hi Tess and Greg,
Better late than never they say, I have been away quite a bit since I arrived back in Brisbane from Darwin! I am so sorry it has taken me this long to email and say thank you so much for the opportunity to do the 1 day Aboriginal Litchfield and Wildlife Park tour with you on 6th June 2010. I had a fantastic time.
So once again, thank you for EVERYTHING!
Sal x
25 June 2010
Dear Tess
We just want to thank you for the magical day we had with you on our tour to Litchfield National Park.
It's hard to believe that it's two weeks since you picked us up from Pintu Merah and then spent the day sharing your knowledge and stories with us, providing us with a delightful lunch in an idyllic setting and showing us the beauty of Litchfield national Park. The swimming spot you took us to has to be one of the moist beautiful places we have swum in.
Now we're back in the cold of Sydney but the photos we have will always remind us of the special day we spent with you. May we wish you well for the future and we do hope all your dreams come true.
Kindest Regards
Anne and Tony Stephens
24 June 2010 (Tourism Top End Superdeeds Nomination for Tess)
Wonderful informative tour. Very encouraging and helpful. Off the beaten track to see the real NT. Just great. A very warm compassionate person.
Judith Powers
16 June 2010
Hi Tess,
Hope you are well and that Amelia and Brock had a good time with us last week.
We arrived home yesterday and I heard that the Telstra Women's Business Woman of the Year awards were open for nominations. So I nominated YOU.
We had a great tour with you and I really think you need to promoite your business on a national scale.
Good luck with this. Hope you do go ahead with it - let me know.
Regards
Judy & Ray Doobov (Lichfield tour on 8th June)
13 June 2010
Hi Tess
Not sure if you will remember us but you took us out for a day tour back in May. Well we finally made it home after 3 weeks in the Kimberley and Broome. Time to down load photos and reflect on a great holiday.
The day we spent with you was a definite highlight of a great holiday; seeing Litchfield National Park with you was definitely the best option, beautiful location, great lunch, and a rare insight into your land and culture. Thank you for being so generous with your time and enthusiastic about making sure we had a great trip. I am sure you will do well in all your ventures.
Hope our paths cross again one day.
Warmest regards
Hilary Dixon & John Dempster
PS We still remember the green ants and termite mound samples!
2 June 2010
Hi Tess, I had the best day ever and I'll spread the word.
Jenny
2 June 2010
The CEO
City Visitor Information Centre 6 Bennett St Darwin City
I wish to write to you in support of NT Indigenous Tours, and Ms Tess Atie in particular.
Tess took us on a wonderful tour experience yesterday to Litchfield in which she explained many of the traditional uses of local flora and guided us through her country.
My wife and I are getting on for 80 and Tess was at all times highly professional, both in her driving and cooking lunch and all other activities.
It was a great pleasure and privilege to have shared the day with her, and we will be recommending her tour to anyone planning to visit here.
Yours sincerely
Norman Snow
29 May 2010
Hello Tess,
We all enjoyed our trip with you last week. I came home last week with a really good head cold but all well worth it.
A suggestion, if I may. Deaf old farts like me and not deaf Nina in the back had trouble hearing all you said while you were driving and, of course, your local knowledge is part of your 'edge'. We went on the Mary River Billabong cruise and he had once of those neck mikes and a speaker in the bus. Perhaps that would be well worth while.
Anyway, if I ever get back to Darwin, I will be with you again, especially if you enlarge your 'off the track' content.
Thanks again
Nick
14 May 2010
Tess,
Thank you so much for a wonderful day experiencing the real NT. What a great way to celebrate a birthday! Your tour was so informative, so interesting and we learned so much about your culture, history and family. A very relaxed day highlighted by a delicious BBQ lunch under the shade, and a lovely swim in a crystal clear waterhole. We just enjoyed the day so much. We even took away some useful hints that we practised on our holiday, such as the leaves to use to wash our hands, and the right leaves to repel the mozzies. Thank you for being so friendly and making us feel at home.
Regards,
Robyn & Roger
10 May 2010
Tess
Thank you again for our tour on Friday, we were both very pleased with the day and have been recommending your tour. Sue cannot stop talking about it.
Thanks again for a great day! We will be back and look forward in catching up with you.
Regards
John James
2 May 2010
Thanks a million!
Hi lovely Tess. I'm sorry it's taken so long to write and thank you for our marvelous day in the bush. Helen and I are already planning a return visit to the Top End next year, and we will certainly contact you and fix a date for another day out together. There are all sorts of things we want to ask you about, and the time just went too fast on our first trip.
I hope your business is going really well, and the tourists are flocking in. Please do keep in touch and let us both know how you are. And don't forget we want to know when the Banksia Awards are ...
Best regards,
Rosalind
23 April 2010
Dear Ross
We would like to inform you that we had a fabulous tour in Darwin with Tess Atie and we are pleased to warmly recommend her agency.
André and Tania
5 April 2010
Hello Tess
I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful day. Kerry and I felt really privileged to meet your mother and so many of your family. I tried to write a 'Tripadvisor' review of your tour, but it wouldn't let me. Apparently you do not 'fit' into their category for 'attractions'! Best of luck with your tour business in the upcoming tourist season - I'm sure you will be booked solid!
I intend to come back to the NT next year - perhaps I will see you then?
Thanks again for a wonderful day.
Kindest regards
Marg
16 March 2010
Dear Tess,
It was a pleasure to meet both you and your mother. Congratulations on the tour that you promote. I am sure that it will continue to be successful in the future.
Best Regards,
Enzo Luongo, Director, Italian Government Tourist Office
12 March 2010
Hi Tess
As Damian and I settle back in to the yukky life of being back at work, I wanted to sincerely thank you for the incredible tour last Friday.
We learnt so much and saw so many beautiful things that it really was a wonderful day for us. You have such an incredible talent for sharing your knowledge that it makes the tour so special and of the 7 tour operators that I have used in the last 12 months on my trips to the territory your tour was by far the most informative, interesting and enjoyable - although I'm not yet convinced on how delicious that termite dirt was!!
Take care Tess
Nicole and Damian
22 February 2010
Thank you so much Tess for the opportunity of spending the day with you on your indigenous tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the NT Wildlife Park, Litchfield National Park and the crystal clear rock pool.
Your professionalism, your wonderful sense of humour and your hospitality could not be faulted.
I congratulate you on your new business venture and wish you much luck in the future.
Thanks again. Sue ...Adelaide
20 January 2010
Hello Tess,
Both Marlies and I must thank you again for having driven us from Florence falls to Buley Rockhole. Thank you also for your company and the talk we had.
Tess I must congratulate you on your 'Corporate Image', both Business Card wise as well as your Website. When I was working this was my business - I used to create Corporate Images for different Bussinesses. The only thing I do now, as a hobby more or less, is creating Websites. Yours, in my opinion is 'Great'. Well done.
We look forward to hearing - and hopefully meeting - from you again. We wish you well in your Adventures and Enterprises.
Regards
Leo and Marlies
8 September 2009
Dear Tess,
Peter and I had a fabulous day with you visiting 'your country' and learning about indigenous culture in the top end.
It was also very special meeting your mother and hearing some stories of her youth and visiting with her where many of her family have walked for generations.
Tess, I am busy spreading the word about you and your lovely tour to all I catch up with now we have returned to Mackay.
Take care Tess and again our thanks. God bless.
Regards
Roz Roddenby
5 September 2009
Thanks again for the day Tess. We had a really good day. Good luck with your business. I am sure you will do well.
Cheers Di
14 August 2009
Hi Tess
Thanks again for sharing a little of your land and culture with us on Wednesday. We both enjoyed our day and your hospitality.
Next time we make it longer yes ...
Kind regards
Mike & Dr Lu Min
14 August 2009 (Tourism Top End Super Deeds nomination for Tess)
Excellent organisation. Interesting and informative talks. A delightful presentation.
Mrs Helen Court
9 August 2009 (Tourism Top End Super Deeds nomination for Tess)
Her tour stands alone in what it offers being 100% indigenous. It created a cultural experience that left me enriched and enlightened and feeling I had made a new friend on the other side of the world.
Janna Notick
6 August 2009
Hello Rick, Annette, and Tess,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do a tour with the owner and Head Guide, Tess, of NT Indigenous Tours. I went to Territory Wildlife Park and Litchfield National Park yesterday with 3 other clients.
It was a very learning experience of Aboriginal culture that we had all along the day. Tess was professional but also very listening to all our questions and comments. The day was excellent and on our return we were all laughing with happiness.
CONGRATULATIONS TESS. I hope you do well in your new business.
All the best,
Olga Dos Santos
10 July 2009
Hello Tess
Eva and I would like to tell you how much we enjoyed the day with you on Wednesday. It was an enlightening experience and you gave us a great understanding of relationship between indigenous people and their land.
We especially enjoyed the openness with which you described your own life and experiences and we were impressed how you have retained your traditional indigenous culture in white Australian society.
We also think you have done a professional job in setting up your business with its logo, brochure and well equipped vehicle.
Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we leave Darwin on the Ghan. We have really enjoyed our time here and learnt a lot about indigenous life on the land. You taught us a lot.
Best wishes,
David and Eva Boulton