Happy Wanderers: March 21, 2019 - Cairns, Queensland, Australia

March 21, 2019 - Cairns, Queensland, Australia - Thursday , Day 74

We arrived in Cairns at 7:30 this morning. The ship is expected to be cleared by local officials by 8:00. Then every passenger will have to be seen by immigration officials in the terminal. Those on tours or traveling independently will go on their way, but those planning to stay onboard will not be allowed to return to the ship until everyone has been seen by immigration.

Alice and I are going on a ship’s tour to Tjapukai Cultural Center. There we will experience an introduction to the aboriginal culture. There was a delay in the immigration process that had us leave 15 minutes late. That will be made up by extending the tour. It is a half day tour so there will be no problem getting back before sail away.

To get to the center we had a bus ride through the city to the foot of the mountains and the rainforest canopy. This enabled us to see many of the highlights of the city. It had rained before we arrived and was raining now. This is the afterglow of the cyclone. It is expected to rain for several more days.

When we arrived at Tjapukai we were admitted to a large gallery with some aboriginal art and artifacts. Off to one side was a young aboriginal man offering welcome with face painting. Anyone who wanted to participate had his or her face painted with the pattern of the Djabugay Tribe. Alice and I got in line. Not all of us did. We ended up with 4 black streaks on our right cheeks and 4 red streaks on our left cheeks. We proudly wore these.

The first event was mixed media with a film in the round telling the tribe’s creation story while members of the tribe enacted the story. This was very well done and gave us the basis for understanding what we were to experience next.

We moved to another stage. Here we were treated to music song and dance that accompany tribal rituals. After that, one man explained the tools and weapons that are part of their heritage. Another explained the fruits that formed a large part of their diet. He also explained how some of these fruits were toxic and how they processed them to detoxify them. After processing they had medicinal value. Finally we saw and heard a fine explanation of the didgeridoo. This included how the instrument was selected from the forest where termites had eaten out the center of tree trunks or branches. He also showed us how circular breathing is used for continuous playing. He was very good at playing this instrument.

We were led to a field where the arts of throwing the boomerang and spears were demonstrated and explained. This is the first time in our many visits to Australia that we were actually shown how to throw the boomerang. The field was large and watching the boomerangs fly in a large circle and return to the thrower was a real treat. Two men must have thrown 15 times apiece. It was a remarkable display.

In the next field spears were thrown with impressive accuracy. The rain persisted, but we had been under shelters for all of the outdoor activity. Now we walked across a field to get back to the sheltered walk. As the men bid us farewell I asked the boomerang pro if the boomerangs sold in the souvenir shops actually returned to the thrower or if they were just for decoration. He chuckled and said they sell returning boomerangs in the gift shop. I should have guessed.

Shield

Club

Handle of Shield

Jagged Blade Tip for Spear Driven Thru Thigh to Punish Misbehavior

Axe

Fruit Smelling Like Stinky Cheese Heals Many Ills

Skin On

Skinned and Ready for Use

The gift shop was on our way out. They had returning boomerangs for left and right handers. They had unadorned ones and highly decorated ones. All were made of wood. They were priced according to their ornamentation. I bought a very simple one with no artwork for just $10. I will have to find a large field when we get home. I passed on the large selection of beautiful didgeridoos. These were beautiful instruments selected by accomplished players. The prices in the hundreds of dollars included shipping.

Our ride back to Maasdam took us through another part of town. It was great to see more of Cairns.