Wujal Wujal 1

Early the next morning we met the rest of our group. Luke from the Cairns office of the State Library came to collect me and Shannon at our hotel and bring us to the other hotel. We, with Olivia, would be one four-wheel-drive vehicle. Amar, Connie, Alissandra, Min, and Julien were a second car. Terena, the regional director, was a third car, along with several others from the State Library, Mary and Bronwyn. The fourth car held the philanthropic group from Sydney. They have sponsored some of the technology in the Indigenous Knowledge Centres, and were interested in learning not just how that was working, but if there was more that could be done. The Library staff had selected two communities to visit, and the communities had agreed. This "big bang tour" would accomplish multiple objectives at once, and limit the intrusion on the communities.

We headed out in two groups: Terena responsible for keeping the philanthropic group in her follow, and Luke responsible for keeping the international car in his. We were headed about three hours north, to Wujal Wujal. There are two roads here, an inland bitumen road which is open year-round and takes nearly two hours longer to traverse, and the coastal road which requires four-wheel-drive vehicles when it is open, which is not during the rainy season. How lucky we were to take this route -- it was absolutely stunning.

First off, we drove for a while, then had to wait for the ferry to cross one of the rivers.


Then we drove some more. We climbed heartbreak hill and switchback hill.

I love signs. And Australia has some wonderful ones that I've never seen elsewhere. While I missed the signs for kangaroo and echidna crossings, we were able to stop the car to catch this sign warning of casowaries.

The next river we could cross without the aid of a ferry. We stopped on the other side, both so that we could take a picture of the car behind us, and to catch the hospital sign. Out in the bush, it is important to know where they are!



I also grabbed the river, while I was at it. So lovely!

The community gave us a wonderfully warm welcome! We collected on the back porch of the shire council building. Two of the elders did a smoking ceremony for us, using paper bark and iron wood leaves. It was wonderfully fragrant.


Mayor Desmond Tayley welcomed us warmly to his community. Wujal Wujal is located in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. He is justly proud of his home.

After a community lunch, we were asked to go to the Indigenous Knowledge Centre, because the children had a surprise for us. We gathered on the porch, and were treated to traditional dances! Accompanied by clap sticks, didgeradoo, and vocals, they were fun and sometimes funny, as the children's personalities sometimes came clearly through their performances. It was a true honor to receive this gift, and made this visit and this day one that I will cherish for all time.













This top dance is about the crocodile while the bottom is about the snake.


Following this, we toured the IKC, and spent some time here with the children. To me, it felt like I'd walked into someone's home, that's how welcoming and comfortable I found this space. The IKCs are, in essence, outposts of the State Library in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, but tailored to the community's interests and needs. They tend to be part library, part technology center, part training center, part community gathering space. They are certainly distinct from one another as a result, but remarkable in their applications and flexibility.




We left several of the museum's children's books and other items here for the IKC, before we were called to the Mayor's office for a meeting.