Mossman Gorge, Mossman Qld 7 August 2019

Mossman Gorge, Mossman Qld 7 August 2019

Mossman Gorge is the second biggest attraction up here, but at least you can drive to this one! We have been there a few times and weren't too fussed about going again, but then we thought, 'Why not pay the cash and do the Aboriginal Direamtime Tour?' Why not indeed?

The tour leaves the Centre on a small bus, along with an Aboriginal Guide, and follows up the normal track to the start of the gorge walk, but then proceeds past this and further up into the rainforest to a smaller camp. Here we were given the introductory chat and were duly 'smoked' and introduced to the Spirits of generations passed, who live in the forest, which is why it  is a sacred place for the locals. Our guide was a young lady who chatted the entire time, pointing out various plants and describing their uses and / or dangers.

First stop was a large cedar tree, where we were shown some weapons and shields, and then surprised all of us by demonstrating how to use a cedar tree to call for help. All you have to do is pick up a large rock and give the trunk a good smack with it. The trunk makes a very loud, almost hollow noise that reverberates all around and can be heard for miles. This also happens to be the mating sound of the female cassowary as she bangs her helmet onto the tree to attract the male. We were very aware of anything hiding amongst the foliage looking for an attractive female!

Sharleena the guide, Cedar, the tree. Mossman Gorge, Qld

Our little tour party. Mossman Gorge, Qld

Moving on up the track, we were shown the rock shelter which she maintained was used by all the tribe from boy's initiation, sheltering from floods, girl's sacred birthplace and who knows what else.

Rock shelter. Mossman Gorge, Qld

 Did I mention that it started to rain, and quite heavily? Being under the canopy of the rainforest we were sort of protected, but after an hour or so it started to soak in for those of us who had left our spray jackets safely in the car.

Rainforest. Mossman Gorge, Qld

Rainforest. Mossman Gorge, Qld 

Rainforest. Mossman Gorge, Qld

Rainforest. Mossman Gorge, Qld

The tree below is a Daintree nut tree. It drops a pile of nuts in its season (depending on weather conditions, maybe none at all) which the women would scurry to gather up before the white-tailed rats got to them. Anyhow the women would sit around those rocks and crack the nuts and extract the edible part from inside. The bigger rock on the lift is a proper grinding stone, in that it has a groove worn in it on one side from the other rock used to do the crushing and grinding. They say that these are like bars of gold to the women who own them, handed down from generation to generation, and they are hidden at the end of the day by the simple act of turning them upside down so you can't see the groove, and leaving them handy next to the tree root. The smaller rocks on the right also grinding stones and were stated as having been stolen from the mob up north, but that was OK.

We stopped next to a stream where Sharleena showed us how they use ochre to paint their markings on themselves, and then washed it off using a soapy foam made by crushing some leaves from a sassafras tree.

Lastly we were shown a bark shelter, before being taken back to the camp for a very nice cup of tea and some damper, cooked right there in a camp oven

Native bark hut.  Mossman Gorge, Qld 

Our lovely guide, Sharleena. Mossman Gorge, Qld

Overall, despite the rain, and my rising levels of doubt regarding the credibility of the almost pat story,  the tour was really enjoyable. One other thing which we all thought odd was that we are here in the internationally protected Daintree rainforest, and their sacred ground and all the stuff about the environment and protection thereof, they had feral pigs in the bushcamp that were starting to become a problem and were would probably have to be controlled and removed very soon.

They dropped us of at the start to the normal Mossman Gorge walking trail and we took a brisk walk up to the bridge and back. The Mossman River is running quite fast, certainly more so than previous times we have been here, and we stopped for some quick snaps before heading back to the shelter of a waiting shuttle bus.

Mossman Gorge, Qld

Mossman Gorge, Qld

Mossman Gorge, Qld