Friday was a big field trip day for study abroad. We hopped on a bus at around 9 to ride out to a national park right outside of Sydney. It was about an hour's ride. Now, i've never been one to get car/bus-sick but this was one "wiggly" ride as our tour guide called it. It's very hilly around here and the road was pretty narrow. Very pretty ride though with some very scenic views down to rivers and this bay who's name escapes me. Our tour guide's name was Claire Jackson and she is of aboriginal descent but her tribe is native to Queensland. The sites she was going to show us were not "her land", so she was very clear about the fact that we were guests to the spirits of the land and they're specific clan. Our first view and talk was at an awesome lookout point that was similar but not the same as this picture. We were higher up and looking more out to the ocean. I'll put pictures up later today, I have a few good ones.
Our tour guide Claire was quite the character. She's about 70 years young, and a short aboriginal woman with a lot of personality. Walking to our first site I asked her about the gum trees in the area because she had mentioned something about the bush fires they have and how eucalyptus trees go up like matches. My simple question of "are those the gum trees" made her assume that I was a top scholar in Australian plant life. She asked me if I was studying botany, I said no Psychology, and weakly added that I'm interested in plants? (to stay in the conversation). Through the rest of the day Claire and I had some good long talks about the many different Gum trees native to Sydney and what the natives used make out of them. When speaking to the group, she would refer to me as her "botanist friend" and even gave me a wildlife flora-fauna book so that I could check on the different types of plants in the area. It was all very interesting, and while I did take plant biology 101 last semester, I don't know much of anything about plants, let alone Australian plants! Now that I think about it, the McCleary's do have some accomplished plant enthusiasts along the line. Maybe yesterday I was simply channeling that "botanist" vibe.
We got to see some aboriginal rock carvings at different sites around the "bush". Basically they are big rock surfaces with tracings of people, whales, and other significant figures from their culture. It's a sad thing that the art is eroding and will be completely gone before too long. Sandstone doesn't stand the test of time too well. I found it really interesting how "spiritual" these sites were. We got to explore one rock area and look for carvings on our own and I really got the feeling that it was a place of significance. I found a few carvings that my classmates missed and felt very in tune with whole experience. Aboriginal culture is very respectful of nature and everything seems to have significance. Something we could all learn from. It's also interesting to know that all of the land of Sydney belongs to these aboriginal people and was filled with them before the European "invasion". Where my apartment is right now could have been a place of significance a few hundred years ago but I'd have no way of knowing. It's hard to be in "tune" with the spirits while in the busy city but in the quiet of the "bush" I could really give it a quality listen.
We finished the day with a "wiggly" ride down to a beautiful park. It was right on a river that ran into the bay with big expansive lawn and picnic tables. It was right next to a marina where people had their sailboats quietly anchored. Eating lunch, the kookaburras were swooping in and eating our scraps and the group skipped shells across the river. I took part of the time to lay in the sun and nap. Absolutely perfect place. A nice breath of fresh, eucalyptus filled air, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. What a great day in the bush! Thank you Claire Jackson and all of the aboriginal spirits who let us have such a great day on their land.
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