Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
called in their native tongue. Join
them for walks around the Rock
as you learn about the poisonous
“snake men” who fought battles
here, pick bush food off the trees,
throw spears, visit rock paintings,
and watch the sun set over the
monolith. Their Cultural Centre
near the base of the Rock has
good displays about the Aborigi-
nal Dreamtime. See “Uluru-Kata
Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock/
The Olgas)” in chapter 7.
•
Manyallaluk: The Dreaming
Place
(Katherine, NT): This Abo-
riginal community welcomes visi-
tors to their bush home and
teaches them to paint, weave,
throw boomerangs, and other
tasks of daily life. A low-key day
and the chance to chat one-on-
one with Aboriginal people. See
“Katherine” in chapter 8.
•
Mangarrayi People
(Katherine,
NT): Mike Keighley of
Far Out
Adventures
(
&
08/8972 2552
or
0427 152288; www.farout.com.
au) takes tours to beautiful Elsey
Station (a ranch) near Katherine,
where you visit with the children
of the local Mangarrayi people.
Sample bush tucker, learn a little
bush medicine, and swim in a nat-
ural “spa-pool” in the Roper River.
See “Katherine” in chapter 8.
•
Yamatji Bitja Aboriginal Bush
Tours
(Kalgoorlie, WA): Geoffrey
Stokes (
&
08/9093 3745
or
0407/378 602), brought up the
traditional Aboriginal way in the
bush, takes you out to track emus,
forage for bush food, and maybe
even hunt a 'roo for dinner (with a
gun, not a boomerang!). Explore
the bush, learn about Aboriginal
Dreamtime creation myths, and
find out more about his child-
hood. See “The Goldfields” in
chapter 9.
•
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural
Institute
(Adelaide, SA): This is a
great place to experience life
through Aboriginal eyes. You
might catch one of the dances or
other performances, although
there are plenty of other opportu-
nities to find out more about Abo-
riginal culture. See p. 499.
9 The Best of Small-Town Australia
•
Central Tilba
(NSW): Just inland
from Narooma on the south coast,
this historic hamlet is one of the
cutest you'll see, complete with its
own blacksmiths and leatherwork
outlets. The ABC cheese factory
offers free tastings, and you can
spend hours browsing antiques
stalls or admiring the period
buildings. See “South of Sydney
Along the Princes Highway” in
chapter 4.
•
Broken Hill
(NSW): Known for
its silver mines, the quirky town of
Broken Hill has more pubs per
capita than just about anywhere
else. It's the home of the School of
the Air—a “classroom” that trans-
mits lessons by radio to communi-
ties spread over thousands of miles
of Outback. Here you'll also find
the Palace Hotel, made famous in
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen
of the Desert,
as well as plenty of
colonial mansions and heritage
homes. See “Outback New South
Wales” in chapter 4.
•
Port Douglas
(QLD): What hap-
pens when Sydneysiders and Mel-
bournites discover a one-street
fishing village in tropical north
Queensland? Come to Port Dou-
glas and find out. A strip of
groovy restaurants and a champi-
onship golf course have not
diminished “Port's” old-fashioned
air. Four Mile Beach is at the end
of the street, and boats depart
daily for the Great Barrier Reef.
See “Port Douglas, Daintree &
