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Date: May 2004
Location: Tully Valley, Queensland Australia
If you walk into the forest and see only a mass of trees, you're not getting the full picture. Take a walk with a Rainforest Aboriginal guide in Tropical North Queensland's pristine Tully Valley and you'll have a completely different experience.
The Echo Creek Walking Track is a tour owned and operated by local Rainforest Aboriginal people, who built the track and are now guiding visitors on a half-day tour, as part of the Queensland Heritage Trails Network attractions.
Team leader Robert Grant has spent more than 20 years working on nearby banana farms, and is enjoying working for himself in the bush he loves.
"We spent our childhood running around and living in the bush," he says, "so we all really loved getting in here and clearing up the track. We've kept it looking very natural, so that people can get close to nature."
The trail follows a traditional Aboriginal trading route from the coast over the coastal range to the Tablelands.
Robert and several other guides take groups for a half-day walk through the forest, identifying the many different rainforest species by both their Aboriginal, botanical names, and describing their traditional uses as bush tucker and medicines. The trail passes carpets of lush moss beside the peaceful Healing Pools where fish and turtles swim.
Visitors continue the walk and finish up having lunch and a swim at a swimming pool at the base of a waterfall deep in the rainforest.
Of course, not all visitors are prepared for the stillness and strength that pervades these ancient tropical forests.
"We've had American people who came here straight from the plane," Robert says. "At first they're a bit nervous, but they soon start to enjoy themselves."
"We help them to look at the bush through our eyes. We tell them how Aboriginal people used to live and walk around in the rainforest.
"We also explain how there are many Aboriginal language groups in the rainforest, and each one is very different. We all have our own language and culture."
Both the Echo Creek Walking Track and King Ranch Cultural Centre are part of the Queensland Heritage Trails Network of 43 authentic heritage experiences. A cultural amphitheatre, the King Ranch Cultural Centre incorporates gallery and performance space as well as housing a fascinating collection of artefacts from the local Aboriginal people and early settlers. Also part of the network are six Kuranda Rainforest Walks, a Mission Beach foreshore walk, and the Misty Mountain Trails. Also near by is the Tully River, well known to white water rafting enthusiasts the world over.
For more information:
Echo Creek Walking Track & King Ranch Cultural Centre
Ernie Grant
Tel +61 7 4068 0424
- By Sue Fuller
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