Traveled along the James Cook highway which was named most beautiful route in the world. Along the way we passed the Coral Sea where a major battle between the U.S. and Japanese took place. We went to the Mossman Gorge and had a walkabout with an Aboriginal guide named Roy. We went through the oldest rainforest in the world and learned about how the aboriginals lived off the land throughout their history.
We started our walkabout with a smoke ceremony to welcome us to the country and protect our travels. Roy spoke in his native language as we passed through the smoke as part of the ceremony.
As we walked through the rainforest, Roy shared many things about the land. He talked about a variety of plants, some that heal and some that hurt.
He also talked about the shields that his people used to trade with other tribes for supplies. Up north where we were, people did not use didgeridoos or boomerangs. He showed us how they would call out to others in the forest using the trees and a rock as well as talked about how the berries and nuts were important to their culture.
After the walkabout we traveled back to Cairns and went to the Sky Rail. This gondola takes the trip up to the top of the rainforest covered mountain with a few scenic stops along the way. Once at the top we had some free time to shop in the town before loading a bus to head back down.
Our last dinner tonight was really great and kids were able to try kangaroo if they wanted to (I had the lasagna option). We also had the traditional Aussie dessert, pavlova. We then had one last shopping outing at the night markets.
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