Cave Painting Australian Aboriginal Art

Visiting Aboriginal Communities

Australia’s original people have a culture that goes back to the Stone Age. It’s not known exactly when their ancestors first arrived on the Australian continent but good circumstantial evidence indicates that people were here at least forty thousand years ago.  The silly theories about families  being washed ashore on tree trunks following tsunamis have been discarded.

The current view is that the first Australians were competent seafarers who made the voyage in boats or rafts. Australia has never been joined to the Asian mainland and the voyage from the nearest islands would have taken the early settlers out of the sight of land.

With such a rich culture it is not surprising that visitors from overseas want to visit Aboriginal communities and see something of it themselves. In the more settled parts of Australia, you won’t find people living in anything like the old lifestyle. They live in houses like everyone else and their kids attend the local schools. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a sense of community. Sometimes this finds expression in the communal ownership of land belonging to their ancestral clans.

The Minjungbal people in Tweed Heads, just south of where I live on the Gold Coast, are a good example. They have a patch of land at the mouth of the Tweed River and they have developed it as a cultural and environmental reserve. Visitors are welcome. There are walkways amongst the mangrove swamps and fringing woodlands. The diverse habitat is rich in plants and wildlife. In the old days it was capable of supporting a substantial number f people.

If you visit the Minjungbal reserve you will find a visitors centre with displays illustrating the old way of life. Outside, on the paths and walkways, information boards tell you about different plants and how they were used. You will see plants with medicinal properties and plants that need skilled preparation before they can be eaten. Other plants were used for basket making, babies’ nappies (diapers) and adults’ clothes. The reserve has an ancient clearing where the tribes used to gather for corroborees.

If you want to visit an Aboriginal heritage centre, inquire at the local tourist information offices on your travels.

For more: http://mikestales.wordpress.com

About the Author

I either started off on the wrong foot or I’m the legendry rolling stone. Normally, a degree in astrophysics does not lead to a stint in Parliament House, public relations, backpacker resorts and the diving industry.  But that’s what happened to me.  I’m now retired in the sense that I no longer need to work for a living and that gives me a lot of time for travelling and writing.

My web pages:

http://shadymike.wordpress.com

http://mikestales.wordpress.com

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