Australia - From Spears to Cuddles

What a great last day in Australia we had.

First thing this morning we headed off to Port Douglas and Kubirri Warra to learn about coastal Aboriginal life.  Once there, we met our guide for the day, Link, and off to the beach we headed, where we were instructed to take our shoes off for the activities.

Our first activity was learning how to throw a spear in order to fish or catch crabs.  He explained how the Aboriginal people in this coastal area all hunt/fish for their meals.  After our practice was over, it was off into the mud flats to hunt for crabs with spears in hand.  We walked about 4 miles in the water looking for dinner.  While some were successful in catching a crab, I don't think we have any budding spear fishermen in the group.  Some of the students even saw a stingray.

Once back on land, Link's mom had baked us some delicious Damper and vanilla and chocolate cakes and also cooked the crab we had just caught.  She is quite the cook!!

After we said goodbye to our hosts for the morning, we headed to the Port Douglas Wildlife Sanctuary where we had lunch with the lorikeets.  After lunch, we cuddle koala bears and feed the kangaroos and wallabies and saw many other indigenous animals, including the salt water crocodile.  Everyone really enjoyed the interaction with the animals.

This evening, we went to a really nice restaurant for our last meal in Australia and went to a local grocery store for the last minute treats to bring home - particularly the Tim Tams.  It is sad that our South Pacific Adventure is coming to an end, but we are looking forward to starting our journey home tomorrow.