By Erik Skye

January 8, 2011:

I first became fascinated by the aborigine when I read about Captain Cook’s initial encounters with them in 1770. Cook accidentally discovered Australia while returning from a scientific voyage to Tahiti (and an exploration of New Zealand), arriving at Botany Bay (near present-day Sydney) with his 106-foot ship the Endeavour. Cook sailed right past aborigines who were fishing from bark canoes (and who could never have had any contact with or knowledge of the outside world).The aborigines looked up for a moment, and then went back to what they were doing, showing not the slightest interest. Any other culture (and Cook certainly found this out with the Tahitians and Maoris) would have been as stirred as hornets whose nest had just been struck by a rock. Yet the Australians had no concern whatsoever.

Cook had the Tahitian King Tupaia with him. Tupaia had a low opinion of the aborigine, referring to them as “Taata Eno’s”, which means bad or poor people (the lowest class of the Tahitians - some of whom were used for human sacrifice). When Cook landed, a small skirmish broke out with the aborigines finally running away into the bush. However, small children and babies were left behind, and Cook wondered what kind of people these were who would leave their offspring at the mercy of strangers. When offered gifts, the aborigines would accept nothing. Nor would they part with anything that they owned (which was only basic tools). They were satisfied. Their first recorded words to white man was "warra warra", which means "go away".

The aborigine got a bad rap in descriptions made by most outsiders who first encountered them. But here’s what Captain Cook wrote: “They may appear to some to be the most wretched people upon Earth, but in reality they are far happier than we Europeans; being wholly unacquainted not only with the superfluous but the necessary conveniences so much sought after in Europe, they are happy in not knowing the use of them. They live in tranquility which is not disturbed by the inequality of condition.”

Obviously, the aborigines were different – very different.

I made my way from Cairns almost directly south to Townsville today.

As I paid for my coffee in Cairns, the cheerful waitress exclaimed “so what are you doing today - anything fun?” I was still half asleep, but managed to muster a meager smile. I silently put an index finger to the tip of my nose and then moved it away, adding “I don’t know - I’m just following my nose”.

After following my nose around the outskirts of Cairns, I started south. My first stop was Innisfail, where I had my second coffee and felt ill from the heat. An elderly man walked by wearing thick wool socks extending up to just below his knees. It was too hot for that, no matter how fashionable.

I took reprieve from the heat through the car’s air conditioning and soon arrived in Mission Beach. There, I had my third coffee, which came with a big flask of chilled water. They typically serve chilled water in glass bottles (like old fashioned milk bottles or wine bottles). It’s a nice touch. I found two fishermen on a jetty and walked out to join them. It was cooler over the water. They pointed to a sea turtle bobbing in the waves.

I’ve been hoping for a picture of a cassowary, which is a big (i.e. over a meter tall) flightless bird that inhabits these parts. I found a giant (fake) one (maybe 4 meters tall) and decided it’d have to do as a photographic prize. It also demonstrated the odd phenomenon of placing large fake creatures along highways in Australia. Five minutes later, I found a real cassowary. I decided liked the giant fake one better.

There were many signs indicating national parks with waterfalls, so I chose one at random (Murray NP I think). After working my way through sugar cane plantation and jungle on the little dirt road, I emerged at a wonderful spot in the boulder-strewn river with a smattering of people enjoying themselves. I took a short swim. I should do that more often.

Another song for ya: Dilly - Band of Horses