Page 75 - Port Douglas Magazine 32

MYSTICAL

MOSSMAN

GORGE

WORDS by Rosie Wang
norkelling on the Great Barrier Reef or walking in the Daintree Rainforest
are activities that many enjoy when visiting here. It’s always such a joy to
commune with nature but understanding and learning about what you are
Sseeing can turn an enjoyable activity into a memorable lifetime experience.
Through the Mossman Gorge Centre and their Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks I am
about to discover how the world’s oldest civilisation (40,000 years) survived in the
oldest rainforest in the world (135 million years) the Daintree Rainforest.
Here in Far North Queensland we do live in paradise, but through the eyes of a
civilisation surviving in it, it’s no garden of Eden. It’s an environment filled with prickles,
thorns and poisons. If Eve had eaten a fruit off the tree in the Daintree Rainforest she
would have had to cook, scrape and leach it with running water to rid it of its toxicity.
As for Adam, he would have had to be careful not to catch his fig leaf on the sharp barbs
of a ‘wait a while’ plant.
I was introduced to my two guides, Tom (Creek), who is the Team Leader for the guides
and a ‘Guide in Training’ Zayden (Oui). They would take me on an enchanting one-
and-a-half-hour immersion in the rainforest on a Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk. Ngadiku
in the local Kuku Yalanji language means stories and legends from a long time ago. It
felt like I had my own private window into an ancient culture and their relationship
with this very special place.
The tour guides are linked with the local Kuku Yalanji tribe where knowledge has been
passed down through the generations. Close to their home, they work in partnership
with the Mossman Gorge Centre which offers nationally accredited traineeships. These
have been designed to assist in life skills, work experience and practical skills with the
goal of transitioning the students into full time employment. I love the idea that as
visitors we learn about the rich cultural heritage from the true rainforest people, who
live day to day in complete harmony with their environment.
The Dreamtime Walk experience begins with a traditional ‘smoking’ ceremony to
cleanse and ward off bad spirits. Zayden explains that burning the paper bark allows
the smoke from this spiritual wood to cling to you so the spirits can smell you. As
the smoky tendrils snaked around me the stress and strains of ‘civilised’ modern living
seemed to just dissolve away.
The relaxed stop, start, walking tour leads you deeper into Kuku Yalanji land. Following
gentle tracks you weave through stunning, lush rainforest and under twisting vines and
ferns high above. At the onset, the guides ask the spirits in the forest for permission
and protection on the walk. The big spirit guide who inhabits the big white rock in the
Daintree Rainforest and overlooks everything is called Kubirri whilst amongst the trees
dwell the spirits of their ancestors. So many wonderful stories and insights unfolding
with every step.

PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 75