posted by Savanah on Sep 3
I didn’t have enough time to do all the hiking I wanted to do in Australia. So, I limited my choices down to doing all Aboriginal hikes and only do three, this way, I would still have time to enjoy Sydney where I’ve booked a room in one of the Sydney five star hotels for when I get back from my hikes. I want to discover Australia the same way the Aboriginals have. Not only by hiking, but experiencing their art, myths, dance, music and of course the land itself. I want to understand this ancient land and its spirituality and pure wonder. My first hike was to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, located in the Northern Territory. This land has a huge spiritual significance for the Anangu Aboriginal people. Their creation stories tell about ancestral spirits formed Uluru, which lies in Australia’s red center like an enormous heart. I had an Aboriginal guide share the ancient tales as we walked around the rock’s base. About 30 kilometers away is another sacred site, the Kata Tjuta. I was awestruck by the steep, rounded russet domes, which were over 3,500 hectares. My second hike was the Gippsland, Victoria. It’s a rugged coastline where I could wander the fern gullies, the eucalyptus forests and the beautiful sandy beaches. This is the sacred land known as Wilsons Promontory National Park. I could trace Aboriginal trading routes that were 18,000 years old! I got to participate in making Aboriginal spears, and I watched them make baskets and canoes in the traditional way. That night, I learned where the Dreamtime touched the rugged gorges, gullies and rainforest of Woolshed Creek. My final hike was The Daintree, Queensland. It’s more than 135 million years old. It’s a stunning rainforest and the oldest rainforest in the world. I traverse the canopy of green with the traditional owners, the Wujal Wujal people. I learned about bush tucker and I got to fish for barramundi while fresh water crocs sunned themselves on the mangrove lined banks of the river. I really wished I had more time to explore all the other sacred Aboriginal sites, but the three that I did manage were splendid.
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