Had a long lovely sleep and recharged the energy levels. The bed in this suite is like a cloud and so huge too, Hobbit told me he rolled over to give me a cuddle and ended up having to roll about three times to reach me lols! Both of us agreed we need a bed this big so there is more room for our cats.
Seeing as we had our didgeridoo night tour at 6 we thought we would just stay close to town today and go to the visitors centre and the aquarium. The Visitors centre is an impressive building, it is in the middle of town main street opposite the foreshore and it has an imposing frontage which demands your attention but in a really inviting way. Similar to the foreshore there is stunning pieces of art and informative plaques scattered about. Shark Bay is such a history rich area and really interesting when you pay it the notice it deserves. Inside I found a whisky glass with a tiger shark on it, something to add to my collection of shark themed items. I have always loved sharks and for some reason they were always the hardest creature to find in ornaments and prints. Loads of dolphins, whales, seals, rays, fish (all the happy friendly creatures) but sharks rarely get a see-in. So whenever I find something I get it. Over the years I have managed to build quite a lovely little collection, mostly from my road trips north.
We then headed out to the Shark Bay Ocean Aquarium where we spent a few hours. I cant sing out the praises enough for this place, it is set up so well (all in favour of animal welfare and preservation) and is run by a team of Marine Biologists. From 11 to 2 you can join hourly tours for $27/each where a tour guide (all are marine biologists) takes you through the grounds and explains everything to you. The main areas are a shark pool, a predatory fish pool, a turtle pool, and then inside there are many smaller aquariums and pools where an assortment of smaller creatures are housed. We got loads of facts and figures about these animals. I found the information about the stone fish most interesting, also the eels, lion fish, and of course the sharks. Much to my embarrassment my hat flew off and landed in the shark pond. All the sharks swam up to check it out, I thought they were going to eat it and get sick, I was mortified. Thankfully they left it alone. Over the space of time we were there it floated to the edge of the pond and the lady returned it to me. We had a late lunch in the cafe there and enjoyed the panoramic views of all of Shark Bay whilst eating a magnificent meal.
With a bit more time up our sleeve we stopped off at Eagle Bluff lookout and had a walk of the ecological preservation boardwalk which is an amazing sight to see. You are way up high on the edge of a cliff looking down on crystal clear waters. We could see sharks swimming around down there, they were just coasting along, not menacingly, just peacefully and gracefully. This is such a magical place, I have now seen it three times and every time it really blows me away as to how grand our land is. If you are driving this way don't miss it.
Headed back home to relax for a couple of hours and then we packed up and went to Monkey Mia to meet Capes for our long awaited tour. I now know that Monkey Mia is actually called ' Catharrugudu ' meaning two waters/bays.
Capes is an amazing and fascinating character. I just can't tell you enough how much I love and admire what he is doing in sharing the stories of his culture to tourists to show them that Shark Bay has a history that started many many thousands of years before Dirk Hartog came along. There was actually a much larger group of people than I expected but that wasn't bad, everyone was lovely. We met at the Resort office and walked over to the beach where Capes had already started a fire. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, but in my head I thought he would be driving us out to some remote location for the fire, not doing it right there next to the Monkey Mia resort. I kid you not, it was really quite cold with that sea breeze bellowing, but luckily enough I have on my new thermal jumper and the fire was amazingly warm.
Capes explained to us the importance of where you build a fire and what angle you place the logs according to where the wind direction is going. He went on to tell us the history of the area and taught us many aboriginal words for local things. Many I couldn't pronounce as they are quite difficult sounding. He then told us about his family history as well as some cultural laws and traditions, some of which he still upholds. There was so much education in such a short period of time, I certainly couldn't retain all the information at once, but I think the important part is that you come away with a whole new level of respect, interest, and understanding, so you most likely will start looking deeper for more knowledge yourself. It is a key to unlock so much more.
Have you ever smelled sandalwood? If so, have you ever smelled the burning wood from an Australian Sandalwood tree? It is a really beautiful and natural smell, so much nicer than all those artificial incense sticks. A small stick was burned till the tip glowed then stuck in the ground so that the smoke encircled us. It really smelled quite 'spritual' and really took the whole experience to another level. He then showed us how to throw some Shark Bay mullet on the hot coals, and how to roast nuts off one of the trees. The fish smelled so good cooking on the fire and I was hungry so this was the best smell ever. I was wondering what that fish was going to taste like with no salt and pepper or seasoning but when that was ready, boy! you sure didn't need a single thing on it, absolutely perfect. It was served on a bush plate made from branches of the nearby tree, see, who are the smart people - no washing up!
The boys were all given lessons throughout the night on how to play the didgeridoo. I was very proud of my Hobbit as he was the only one who gave it a good shot and he did really well, he was getting some really cool sounds out of it towards the end. I reckon with a bit of practice he would nail it. In aboriginal culture not all clans use a didgeridoo, some use sticks, some use other things, it all depends on whereabouts you are located. The didge is not local to the Shark Bay area but Capes realised that this is what Westerners want to see so he learnt it from another clan. It is only played by the males and it is something that is only played by a few in the clan, not everyone. One of the other tourists asked a really interesting question and that was "is the didgeridoo used for entertainment?" Capes explained to us that is was used for law. They told stories through sound and these stories are how law is passed down. I found that fascinating. Their cultural laws are very strict and very solid, anyone who breaks law is punished sometimes severely by means of spearing and even expulsion from the clan.
At the end of the evening we all stood up and he told us about how the aboriginal astronomers named the constellations, how they used them to tell the seasons, food availability such as when emu eggs could be found, and told us some fables which talk about creatures that created Australia and some of its famous landmarks such as Uluru and Mt Augustus.
With our bellies full, our minds activated, our spirits grown, and our love of Australia heightened, we walked back to the car in humble contemplation, absorbing all the things we had just heard. Sure, it was too much for me to remember every single thing, but there is so much I now know that a few hours ago I knew nothing about and that counts for a lot. The rest I am definitely going to research back home and learn more about.
This has to be the most wonderful culture, living in harmony with the earth, respecting it and revering it. No greed, everything is shared, and a strong attachment to law and pride. Western society has a LOT to learn from the Aboriginals.
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