Before leaving the Cairns area, we wanted to visit the town itself once more. We had lunch on the wharf, in the cafe we already knew and liked, then spent some time in the nearby “Fig Tree Playground” – a small playground by the wharf, built entirely on and around a giant strangling fig. From there we headed along the esplanade to a gallery displaying contemporary aboriginal art. Aboriginal artists have adopted new materials and techniques, adapting them to traditional themes and developing new styles. Some of the works are very interesting, and we spent a long time looking at the wide selection on display and reading the little plaques presenting the artists. The place also had didgeridoos and boomerangs on sale, as well as a small selection of children’s books with “Dreamtime Stories” – aboriginal mythology. We purchased one book that looked nice and interesting, with a nice painting accompanying each one-page story. At checkout, I asked the guy, who looked like the owner of the place, if he knew where we could perhaps hear a live didgeridoo performance. He scratched his head and said he couldn’t think of any place where there would be a performance, and added “but I could play you some if you want”. I said that I would love to hear him play, and he took a didj marked as “not for sale”, and started playing it in the most remarkable way I have ever heard, with perfect circular breathing, amazing vocalizations and beautiful tonal variation. When he finished I complimented him for the superb performance, and he said, “well, I’ve been playing since the age of 8, and performed all over the world”. Turns out he was Marshall Whyler – a famous didgeridoo player who has indeed performed all over the world, including with the London Philharmonic Orchestra… He offered to play us a second piece, which we of course enthusiastically encouraged him to do. I asked if I could record it on video this time and he said that “not this one”, since it was a new piece he was still working on and hasn’t recorded yet. After he finished that one, he offered to play a third one – “that one you can film”. So we got a wonderful and completely unexpected private didj concert from Marshall Whyler (and an autographed CD).
We went along the Esplanade to the Cairns Marina, where Lilach read aboriginal stories to the kids. After a restocking stop in a supermarket along the highway, we got to Etty Bay around sunset, and were welcomed to the site by clouds of mozzies (Australian for mosquitoes). After sunset the mozzie situation improved, and we had BBQ meats and a large salad on the beach.
Family Trips 