Day 59: Townsville, Aborigines and Cattle Ranches

 

Today, we're docking in Townsville, the largest town in Northern Queensland, with a population of around 180,000. The town has a split personality. On one hand its the center of Australian renewable energy projects, on the other its home to a massive zinc and nickel refinery.

Historically, Captain Cook sailed past the area in 1770 but did not land. The first Europeans to disturb the native Aborigines were Captain Phillip King and botanist Alan Cunningham in 1819. It wasn't until 1860 that a maritime expedition from Brisbane landed and attempted to settle. The locals met them and greeted them with the traditional smacking of lips. This unsettled a few of the sailors, who thought that meant they wanted to eat them—and they opened fire. Not a great first contact! Undaunted, settlers returned, and the population grew to 4,000 by 1882 and 13,000 by 1891.

Ironically, the Second World War put Townsville on the map. During WW2, the city was host to more than 50,000 inhabitants, plus the Townsville Naval Section Base housing American and Australian troops and aircrew. It became a central staging point for battles in the South West Pacific. A large United States Armed Forces contingent supported the war effort from seven airfields and other bases around the city and in the region. Many buildings, schools, and 177 private houses were commandeered for use by the military. Since then, the town has continued to grow, highlighted by the creation of a university in 1961, a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1970, and a rise in eco-tourism from the mid-90s. 

My excursion today was to the Mungalla Cattle Station, wholly run by the Nywaigi
Clan of Aborigines. Their brief story is: "Nywaigi Aboriginal people have occupied our lands north of Townsville, Tropical North Queensland for over 45,000 years.  Unlike Aboriginal people in central Australia who had to travel large distances for food, we were fortunate to live in the ‘land of plenty’ where wildlife, fruits, berries, and seafood were freely available.  We used the rainforest vines to create our bags, and the tall trees provided the raw material for outrigger canoes that allowed us to fish in our rivers and the nearby Great Barrier Reef. We lived in harmony with the environment according to the Tjukurpa - a complex set of laws and beliefs (for which there is no equivalent English word) that we followed strictly to maintain our society, ecology, and culture.  Our culture – passed on orally, through dance, and through our art – is closely connected to the natural history and beauty of the area."

As well as learning more about their history, I also got a demonstration of their arts and crafts, the didgeridoo, boomerang throwing (more on that later), and how they utilized bush medicine. There was one plant that, if you crushed its leaves and added water, turned into disinfectant soap. It also has a use for temporarily stunning fish. Another plant leaf is as rough as medium-grade sandpaper and is used to smooth wood carvings. 

This was a great experience - maybe we have something to learn from the oldest civilization on the planet. 

And they taught me how to throw a boomerang. Apparently, I'm pretty good for a white guy!

Next up is Cairns - one of our favourite places in the world. (And hullo to Morgan and Rylee!!)