Together they run camps and night cruises while sharing the history of their ancestors, the Bolmo Dedjrungi.
"We get out there and talk about our country and our culture, whereas before there was nothing," Hunter says from the southern border of the iconic national park, at the headwater of the East Alligator River.
"We wanted to talk about the country we were born and bred in ... so people could come here to share our stories, get a little bit of our culture and hopefully they take a little bit back with them."
The 20,000sq km national park - home to Aboriginal people for at least 50,000 years - is undergoing a quiet tourism revolution.
New indigenous tourism ventures - bush tucker walks, nature trails, basket-weaving courses, camping and night wildlife tours - are emerging, and traditional owners have welcomed tourists into parts of the park previously kept hidden from the public.
It is a dramatic shift from 2005, when a scathing report found long-held tensions between governments and limited Aboriginal involvement was holding back the world heritage-listed park.
The Morse report contained 71 recommendations to turn around dwindling tourist numbers and the long-held negative view by locals of the park as "Kakadon't".
To mark the shift in thinking and a new era of indigenous tourism, Kakadu National Park has been relaunched with a "new logo and new identity".
"Aboriginal people and their culture are now at the heart of the visitor experience," says federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.
"There is a groundswell of interest in Aboriginal culture and Kakadu's transformation will help meet that need."
And there's an indigenous tour "to suit every taste".
General manager of Tourism Top End, Tony Clementson, says the focus is on Aboriginal people starting their own businesses, creating sustainable jobs for their families and young people.
"Kakadu has moved forwards in so many ways over the last few years and this is another big step forward," he says.
"Kakadu is a very special place, cared for by its traditional owners, and that's something you can feel as soon as you arrive."
Hunter says the ventures offered his culture a lifeline.
"A lot of old stories here are long gone," he says.
"But some others are still there and talking about them, telling people, hopefully it will keep them alive."
The Hunter family shows tourists how to weave, hunt, spear and play the didgeridoo: "Most people don't know the termites eat it, hollow it out."
But Hunter says his favourite is the spotlight cruise, which runs five nights a week in an open-roofed boat that fits 22 people.
"It's small [but] that's fine by us," he says.
"It's just something so different, heading out there at night. Most people never get to see birds sleeping and with the water so still and clear you can see the crocodiles, every detail of them through the water."
The Hunters offer the sort of bush luxury the discerning traveller is looking for. Safari-style tents allow people to wake up beside a billabong with the smells of the bush and the sounds of the brolgas in the air.
With Kakadu reshaping itself to meet the demands of this market - now huge both overseas and domestically - there is also a new visitor guide and travel website.
While on the ground, locals are doing what they've always done.
"I'm building a big hole right now, lining it with stones and paperbark," Hunter says.
"I'm going to chuck in some pig leg and buffalo for lunch tomorrow."
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Qantas offers daily services to Darwin via Sydney.
Getting around: For vehicle hire contact Budget Car Rental. Contact Territory Discoveries for bookings in Northern Territory.
Further information:
Tourism Northern Territory
Tourism Australia
Kakadu National Park
- AAP
