Sydney, my final destination..

         At first I decided to spend more time in Sydney, but I stood too many time on Nitmiluk. So, I had just one day to visit this city, before taking my plane.
        It was a shock to come in a big city like Sydney after my days spent in the bush. It is real that Australia is a country of differences.

      Then, I decided to visit things which illustrated for me this city. I spend time on the Bondi Beach, the favorite beach of the surfers, to meet them. It was so cool to find water after my days spent on the desert ! I learnt that is is many sharks on bondi beach, thens I decided to leave to find a quieter place : the Chinese Garden of Frienship ! What an amazing garden ! Obviously isn't this Garden an australian particularity but for me it represent the diversity of Australia. 

     I spent my last hours to walk on the downtown, and I eat an amazing burger, sorry ! 

The Dreamtime

       On the Aboriginal culture, it is beliefs. These beliefs have a particular origin : for the Aborigines, all things on Earth have their origins in Mother Natur. For them, it is a natural explenation for all, and these explenations come of tales. The Dreamtime is the period when the earth was no create and when it was just spiritual and immaterial. For the Aborigines, all actions have consequences and things take place in the continuation. The Aborigines decided to tell their histories about the creation of the Earth by Mother Nature with paintings. All forms represent a thing about Mother Nature.

           It is an aboriginal village where live many artists : Papunya, but I coun't visit it. One of the most important painters live here : Long Jack. 

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Nimbin, the kingdom of the peace

Nimbin, the kingdom of the peace

      The multicolored streets, the excitement, the madness of the people, but the peace and the wisdom too. Nimbin. In Nimbin, the drug is the center of the attention. Me, the little angel who hates to smoke no anything, was very surprised by arriving there. Many dealers, and the people who made the praise of the cannabis ☠! 

          Nimbin, the hippy community, where we can found cannabis's shops with psychedelic shops fronts, paints, photos... 

I decided to visit the Nimbin Museum to understand how this little country became the capital of drugs and hippies. I learned about the history of this village which was just a festival place at first. It's like Woodstock, but in Australia said a man. The culture of the rebellion, and the self expression, with art. On the Museum, it said that people have to leave in peace with Mother Nature (like the Aborigines) and people can just use the Nature (animals, plants) when it is necessary. I learned too that it is all year new inhabitants and artists who are coming in Nimbin. But the regulations are strict : the new inhabitants have to make a test of one year to see if they are in capacity to live on the hippy community. 

the most : we don't need to smoke to understand the atmosphere of the city !

the Stolen Generation

     On the small aboriginal village of Ngukurr, I noticed a strange fresco on the wall. I questioned an old man of the signification of this fresco. He told me it is a memory to the Stolen Generation. I had already heard the story of it, but I asked him of what it represented for his community. He said that many people he knew were children of the Stolen Generation. From 1869 to 1969, the australian's white government decided to remove (or kidnap) the aboriginal children to placce them on white occidental's families of Australia, to make of them good citizens and australians. The government wanted to destroy the aboriginal culture. For many times this comportment was not recognize by the australian government but in 1997, he decided to make public excuses. But a big part of the aboriginal community is today in gap, and many are misfit, because of the settlers who wanted to make of them the lowest form of scum. The elder spoke to me of the first aboriginal children of the Stolen Generation, Bruce Trevorrow, who was the first one to claim compensations. 

A small movie to understand :

Stolen Generations - First Australians from Blackfella Films on Vimeo.

Ngukurr

    My way guided me to Ngukurr, a little village. Here, no white people, but just a gang of aboriginal kids who played with us, took photos. It was no parents, where were they ? I moved forward on the street, and discover ed small wooden sheds. I understood that here was not like Katherine, like Canberra. They have nothing but are amazing, all smiles. I was lights-years away of the australian's cities. I discovered here a new image of the Aborigines, not the same like in Katherine. I decided to stay here for one night. 

    At sunset, I met the parents, the elders, who were not less smiling as their children. And after, an amazing show started : I saw dancers, singers, with their typical music instruments. I was amazed by this spectacular demonstration. Then, I discovered the really aboriginal community. 

The National Park of Nitmiluk

      After the 2 days spent in Barunga, I decided to return to Katherine to begin an excursion on the Katherine River, knew for the gorges. I wanted to go canoeing. We advance in the gorges, and we discover an atypic nature, and many animals. 

Barunga

 

     When I arrived in Barunga, I was surprised by the atmosphere. Indeed I arrived on the Barunga Festival ! I stood there during 2 days, so I met many Aborigines who told me their histories and their faiths. On this festival it is many sport. I discovered a lot of music instruments, and I ate a lot of delicious things. It was danses, sports, paints... I was fascinating by the effervescence of the place ! 

The city of Katherin

      

        I decided to visit the region of Katherin. Katherine is a little city of the Northern Territory, and it is the most important concentration of Aborigines on this area. I sleep in a motel on this city. But, when I walked on the streets, I was very disturbed and sad by the attitude of the Aborigines. Indeed, they were drunk, and passed the hat around. But white people, the other Australian were absent, they did'nt take attention on them. I was very hurted by this comportment. I realize that what we see on the books, on TV, with a good image of the Aborigines is not the reality. The reality is that this community is not admitted and integrated on the society. I decided to leave this city to go to a real aboriginal village in the bush, Barunga.

Ayers Rock

       Ayers Rock, called Uluru by the Aborigines, is a sandstone mountain. The bush is very attractive and beautiful beaucoup of his orange color, so Uluru, which is an orange mountain, is a very touristic spot. I wanted to see it because I was impressed by the strengh of the place, and by the aboriginal histories. It's like an emblem of Australia, an emblem of the strengh of the amazing landscapes of this country. 

       So, after visiting Eyre, I decided to go to Uluru. After visiting it, I spoke with an elder in a village next to the mountain. I told me his stories about Uluru. For him, the creatures of the Dreamtime shaped the forms of the world in particular Ayers Rock. This mountain is one of the points traveled by the elders of the Dreamtime. This way was took by the elders every year to immortalize the memories of the spirits. For him, the place is always inhabited by the spirits. 

       It's a malediction with the rocks of Uluru. If people take stone of Uluru with them, they would have only misfortunes.

the national park of Eyre, and the lake

      I heard before my travel that one of the great thing of Australia was the Eyre Lake. It's true ! What an amazing place ! 

      This lake is a salt lake, situated on the South Australia. It's the most important lake of Oceania. The Eyre is situated on the desert, and is dry most of the time.

      It's incredible that when we arrived, we just see a white enormous area. I was surprise by the tones of colours - white for the lake, and blue for the sky - that we see up to horizon.

Canberra, the bush's capital

      I continue my trip by going to Canberra, the capital of Australia. With this destination I wanted to see the difference between an urban life and a life in the bush in Australia. I heard many times that Australia is a country of differences, on the population, in the environment, of the lifestyle. So, When I decided to make my trip in Autralia I wanted to understand of what Australia is really composed. 


     Canberra is called "the capital of the bush by the inhabitants, and before going there I did'nt understand this appelation. For me Canberra was a big city, with skyscrapers... Now I understand : Canberra is a green city, she was enough protected of the urbanization. The inhabitants told me it's different of Sydney or Melbourne. I did'nt visit this city before going to Canberra, but I realized after that Canberra is very protective to the nature. 

        
       I love to visit by making activities which move. With the Ainslie mountain, I was conquered ! This mountain overhang the city, so we have an amazing vue of the valley.


       This city is very open to arts, so we can visit many art galleries, like the National Portrait Gallery, where we can find aboriginal, indigenous et asiatic art. 

the link  >   http://www.portrait.gov.au/

The Blue Mountains

    When I arrived in Australia, I decided of just one place to visit. It was the Blue Mountains so it was my first destination.

     The Blue Mountains are a mountain range of sandstone. The highest point is One Tree Hill, with 1, 111 meters in height. 

     This mountain range is a part of the Great Dividing Range, which is approximately 3000 kilometers, from the East to the South-East of the australian coasts. It is a big area  of 1 436 square kilometers. 

     I decided to visit the Red Hands cave. In this cave we can see many rock paintings by the first Aborigines. 

    For the Aborigines, it is three moutains which have a important role on nature : the Three Sisters, called Meehni (922 meters), Wimlah (918 meters) and Gunnedoo (906 meters). A legend tell that the mountains were humans, and they fell in love of three boys of another tribe. But the weddings were impossible, because of the laws. There would have been a war and an older woud have transformed the tree grils in rocks to protect them. But the older would have been killed and nobody would have know how to deliver the sister, they stayed rocks.