WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.640 Imagine standing beneath a tree so incredibly 00:00:03.640 --> 00:00:06.360 massive that its root system literally looks 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:08.919 like, I don't know, like the flying buttresses 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:12.220 of a Gothic cathedral. Oh, yeah. It's just wild. 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:14.519 Right. And you're staring up into this canopy 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:17.460 smelling the damp earth of a tropical rainforest. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:20.320 And then you find out that this single, like, 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:23.539 500 -year -old tree served as the grocery store, 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:26.640 the pharmacy, and the hardware store for an entire 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.500 civilization. And the best part is... You are 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:32.179 not learning this from some crackly microphone 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:34.979 on a crowded tour bus. Oh, definitely not. You're 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:37.719 actually standing there with a local expert whose 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.659 ancestors utilized that exact tree. I mean, it 00:00:41.659 --> 00:00:43.659 completely rewires how you understand the landscape. 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:46.380 It totally does. Well, welcome to the Travel 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:48.840 Podcast by Excursion Pass. We are your resident 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.659 travel experts. And in today's deep dive, we're 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.880 taking you completely off the beaten tourist 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:56.520 trail. Absolutely. We are pulling insights directly 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.020 from Excursion Pass and TripAdvisor reviews to 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:01.719 bring you a front row seat to an experience that, 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:03.840 well, the two of us were incredibly fortunate 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:06.159 to intimately experience together. We really 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:08.640 were. We are heading to the Atherton Tablelands 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.480 in Queensland, Australia for a private Aboriginal 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:14.560 culture tour. Specifically, we're diving into 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:17.439 the Yadingji Explorer Tour and the rainforest 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.510 to bush cultural experiences. But before we get 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:24.430 into the incredible mechanics of this journey, 00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:27.069 we probably need to address the elephant in the 00:01:27.069 --> 00:01:29.209 room. Because if you're planning a vacation right 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:32.290 now, your guard is probably up. Oh, absolutely. 00:01:32.430 --> 00:01:34.049 I know exactly what you're probably thinking. 00:01:34.189 --> 00:01:35.650 You're like, is this going to be one of those 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:37.950 generic crowded bus tours where I'm just treated 00:01:37.950 --> 00:01:41.280 like a walking wallet? Right. Or is the... quote 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.299 unquote, cultural experience going to feel like 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:47.980 a cheesy staged theatrical show. Let's be honest, 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:51.280 we have all been burned by those highly commercialized 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.099 transactional tours. All the worst where they 00:01:54.099 --> 00:01:57.120 parade. I do. But what makes this deep dive so 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.859 compelling is how this specific experience completely 00:02:00.859 --> 00:02:03.959 dismantles that expectation. First of all, just 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:06.420 the logistics alone eliminate the crowd factor. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.180 Thank goodness. Yeah, this is an exclusive private 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:12.300 experience. It is literally Just you, your partner, 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:16.020 or your small family. Just us in a private 4WD. 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.159 No megaphone, no crowd of 50 people jostling 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:22.840 to take like the exact same identical photo through 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:25.900 a smudged window. Exactly. The moment our guide, 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:28.120 Alan, picked us up from our accommodation, it 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.060 genuinely felt like going on a road trip with 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:32.699 a remarkably knowledgeable local friend. Because 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:35.439 the entire mission here is built on genuine connection 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.819 to country and meaningful conversation. Alan 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:41.300 and his team are Yadingi people. They are the 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:43.740 traditional custodians of this land. You aren't 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:45.539 getting some rehearsed script designed to get 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:47.639 you in and out in 15 minutes. You're stepping 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:50.680 into an active ongoing dialogue about a living, 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:53.270 breathing culture. And to really show you why 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:55.689 this isn't your standard sightseeing checklist, 00:02:56.030 --> 00:02:57.990 let's start with that massive tree I mentioned 00:02:57.990 --> 00:03:00.810 at the beginning. The minute you leave the modern 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:03.490 hustle of cairns or the surrounding towns, you 00:03:03.490 --> 00:03:06.129 drive deep into the wet tropics. That's a gorgeous 00:03:06.129 --> 00:03:09.750 drive. It really is. And then you step out of 00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:12.810 the vehicle at the Cathedral Fig Tree. OK, but 00:03:12.810 --> 00:03:15.430 we really need to redefine the word tree in this 00:03:15.430 --> 00:03:17.650 context. Oh, for sure. Because the Cathedral 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:22.240 Fig is a 500 -year -old strangler fig. From a 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.800 purely biological standpoint, it is a marvel. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:26.759 Like, it doesn't grow from the ground up like 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:28.580 a normal tree. Wait, really? It doesn't start 00:03:28.580 --> 00:03:32.759 in the dirt? No. It's crazy. A bird drops a seed 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:35.419 high up in the canopy of a host tree. That seed 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:38.180 sprouts, and it sends these vine -like roots 00:03:38.180 --> 00:03:40.819 all the way down to the forest floor. Oh, wow. 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.990 Yeah. And over centuries, those roots... thicken, 00:03:44.330 --> 00:03:46.330 weave together, and literally strangle the host 00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:48.629 tree, depriving it of sunlight and nutrients 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:51.330 until the host dies and rots away. Leaving behind 00:03:51.330 --> 00:03:55.030 this colossal, hollow, architectural masterpiece. 00:03:55.270 --> 00:03:56.830 I mean, do you remember getting out of the car? 00:03:56.969 --> 00:03:59.629 The sheer scale of it just humbles you instantly. 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:02.530 The air suddenly drops in temperature, it smells 00:04:02.530 --> 00:04:05.969 like rich, ancient leaves, and the canopy just 00:04:05.969 --> 00:04:08.849 swallows you up. But Alan didn't just give us 00:04:08.849 --> 00:04:11.310 the botanical facts. Right, the biology is just 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:14.780 the prologue. Allen uses the sheer age and the 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:17.600 imposing structure of the cathedral fig as a 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:20.379 foundation to discuss Yidinji homelands and clan 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:24.050 boundaries. the tree becomes a physical anchor 00:04:24.050 --> 00:04:26.829 for a much deeper lesson in survival in society. 00:04:27.009 --> 00:04:29.129 Which brings me back to the grocery store analogy 00:04:29.129 --> 00:04:31.470 because that completely blew my mind. When we 00:04:31.470 --> 00:04:33.230 were standing there, Alan started pointing out 00:04:33.230 --> 00:04:35.829 the surrounding vegetation and I realized this 00:04:35.829 --> 00:04:38.730 single ecosystem was an all -in -one survival 00:04:38.730 --> 00:04:41.129 center. It really was. It was the hardware store. 00:04:41.449 --> 00:04:44.209 They used the incredibly tough lawyer cane vines 00:04:44.209 --> 00:04:46.850 to weave baskets and construct shelters. And 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:49.470 it was the pharmacy too. The rainforest is just 00:04:49.470 --> 00:04:52.620 packed with medicinal compounds. Alan explained 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:55.220 how specific barks were crushed to treat fevers. 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:59.160 Oh, and the stinging trees. Yes. How the sap 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:01.939 from certain leaves was used to neutralize the 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:05.519 pain of stinging trees. The depth of the localized 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.139 knowledge is staggering. You can't just know 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:10.959 that a plant is medicinal. You have to know exactly 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:13.399 when to harvest it and how to prepare it. Right, 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:16.050 so it heals you instead of harming you. And, 00:05:16.089 --> 00:05:19.069 of course, the grocery store aspect. Knowing 00:05:19.069 --> 00:05:21.790 which nuts require extensive washing to remove 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:24.689 toxins before they can be eaten, or recognizing 00:05:24.689 --> 00:05:27.490 the subtle seasonal shifts that indicate a particular 00:05:27.490 --> 00:05:30.550 fruit is finally ripe. It's incredible. It is 00:05:30.550 --> 00:05:32.529 a living supermarket, but there are no aisle 00:05:32.529 --> 00:05:34.790 signs. You literally have to hold the entire 00:05:34.790 --> 00:05:36.810 map in your head. Which naturally leads into 00:05:36.810 --> 00:05:38.850 the tools required to interact with that environment. 00:05:39.170 --> 00:05:40.790 And I think this was the part of the tour at 00:05:40.790 --> 00:05:42.529 the Cathedral Fig that surprised you the most. 00:05:42.649 --> 00:05:45.600 Oh, I was so skeptical. When I saw Web - presentation 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.720 on the itinerary, I actively groaned. You did. 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:50.420 I remember you rolling your eyes. Okay, fair. 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:53.779 But usually these weapon demos feel so performative. 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:56.339 Someone stands on a stage, yells a bit, throws 00:05:56.339 --> 00:05:58.379 a spear at a hay bale while everyone claps, and 00:05:58.379 --> 00:06:01.360 it just feels incredibly contrived. Yeah, but 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:03.459 Excursion Pass highlights a crucial distinction 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:06.480 here. The demonstration is treated strictly as 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.040 context, not a stage show. And experiencing it 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:12.720 firsthand, it felt more like a master class in 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:15.100 ancient engineering and physics. Exactly. I mean, 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.100 it completely subverted my expectations. When 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:20.800 Alan brought out the wumara, which is a traditional 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.560 spear -throwing tool, he didn't just chuck a 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:25.759 spear into the woods, he broke down the mechanics 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.519 of it. Yeah. The wumara is essentially a lever. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:30.600 It fits into a notch at the end of the spear, 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:32.740 and it effectively extends the length of your 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:36.120 arm. It is brilliant biomechanics. By artificially 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.079 lengthening the throwing arm, The woomera dramatically 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:41.519 increases the rotational velocity and torque 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:44.060 applied to the spear. It's basically a physics 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:46.540 lesson. Literally. It allows a hunter to transfer 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:49.180 a massive amount of kinetic energy into a relatively 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:52.319 lightweight projectile. That gives it the speed 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:54.639 and penetrating power needed to take down large 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:57.240 game from a safe distance. You're standing in 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.019 the quiet of the rainforest, examining this carved 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.939 piece of wood, and realizing you're holding thousands 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:06.250 of years of refined physical science. And we 00:07:06.250 --> 00:07:08.649 actually had the space to ask genuine questions. 00:07:08.949 --> 00:07:10.629 I asked him how the hunting actually worked in 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:12.769 practice, and the answer tied right back to the 00:07:12.769 --> 00:07:14.990 society itself. You couldn't just take your wumara 00:07:14.990 --> 00:07:17.110 and hunt wherever you wanted. Right. The Klan 00:07:17.110 --> 00:07:19.660 boundaries. Exactly. Klan boundaries. strictly 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:21.600 dictated where you could go and what you could 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:24.680 harvest. It was the sophisticated system of ecological 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:28.160 management disguised as territorial law. They 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.920 ensured no single area was ever overhunted. It 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:34.339 strips away all the theatricality and replaces 00:07:34.339 --> 00:07:36.920 it with profound respect for the intelligence 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.000 of the culture. And from that very practical, 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:43.040 survival -based grounding at the Cathedral Fig, 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.040 the journey shifts gears. Yeah, we piled back 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.639 into the 4WD. You move from the mechanics of 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:51.399 everyday survival to the deep geological and 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:53.879 spiritual history of the land itself. So we leave 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.939 the dense rainforest canopy and we travel into 00:07:56.939 --> 00:08:00.389 Dolgabura -Yedinji country. Picture this. You 00:08:00.389 --> 00:08:02.970 emerge into this bright open space and suddenly 00:08:02.970 --> 00:08:05.290 you are sitting at a lovely local timber cafe 00:08:05.290 --> 00:08:08.370 sipping a genuinely fantastic cup of locally 00:08:08.370 --> 00:08:10.870 grown coffee. Such good coffee. So good. And 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:12.889 you're just looking out over Lake Boreen. The 00:08:12.889 --> 00:08:15.310 juxtaposition between the tranquil setting and 00:08:15.310 --> 00:08:17.730 the geological history of that lake is striking 00:08:17.730 --> 00:08:20.850 though. Lake Boreen is a Marr crater. Okay, for 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:22.990 those of us who aren't geologists, break down 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:25.649 what a Marr is because the violence of its creation 00:08:25.649 --> 00:08:27.670 is hard to fathom when you're just looking at 00:08:27.670 --> 00:08:32.090 a calm lake. Right, so a mar is formed by a phrydomagmatic 00:08:32.090 --> 00:08:35.049 eruption. Basically, thousands of years ago, 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:38.269 rising superheated magma intersected with the 00:08:38.269 --> 00:08:41.009 local groundwater table. When that magma hit 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.730 the water, the water flashed into steam instantly. 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:47.350 The resulting expansion caused a massive explosive 00:08:47.350 --> 00:08:50.070 vaporization that literally blew a huge hole 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:52.230 in the Earth's crust. That is terrifying. It 00:08:52.230 --> 00:08:55.330 is. Over millennia, that violent crater filled 00:08:55.330 --> 00:08:58.110 with rainwater to become the serene, mirror -like 00:08:58.110 --> 00:09:00.750 lake you sit beside today. It is so hard to wrap 00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:02.649 your head around that level of explosive force 00:09:02.649 --> 00:09:04.450 when you're just enjoying a scone and a coffee. 00:09:04.769 --> 00:09:07.690 I know. But then you take a short walk along 00:09:07.690 --> 00:09:10.129 the water's edge to see the twin cowrie pines. 00:09:10.470 --> 00:09:12.649 And this is where the concept of deep time really 00:09:12.649 --> 00:09:15.669 hit me. These two trees are believed to be over 00:09:15.669 --> 00:09:18.629 1 ,000 years old. Just let that timeline marinate 00:09:18.629 --> 00:09:21.409 for a moment. They were seedlings during the 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:24.590 Middle Ages. They were growing before most modern 00:09:24.590 --> 00:09:26.950 countries even existed, but standing beneath 00:09:26.950 --> 00:09:29.009 them brought up a really heavy question for me 00:09:29.009 --> 00:09:30.769 on the tour. Yeah, I remember you asking Alan 00:09:30.769 --> 00:09:33.710 about this. The Atherton tablelands are beautiful, 00:09:34.070 --> 00:09:37.230 but they were heavily logged by colonizers. The 00:09:37.230 --> 00:09:40.769 red cedar and pine forests were decimated. So 00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:43.669 how does a tour guide balance the awe -inspiring 00:09:43.669 --> 00:09:46.769 beauty of these ancient surviving trees with 00:09:46.769 --> 00:09:49.629 the tragic reality of the colonial timber history 00:09:49.629 --> 00:09:52.279 that completely altered the environment? And 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:54.659 that tension is where the expertise of Alan and 00:09:54.659 --> 00:09:58.200 his team elevates this from a simple nature walk 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:01.320 to a profound historical reckoning. They don't 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.860 shy away from the difficult realities, nor do 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:06.179 they try to make you feel guilty. No, not at 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:07.759 all. They simply tell the truth of the land. 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.179 They weave it all together so seamlessly. They 00:10:10.179 --> 00:10:12.980 really do. Alan shared the indigenous creation 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:15.620 stories of the volcanic crater, drawing parallels 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:17.759 between the ancestral memories of the explosions 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.659 and the literal geology we just discussed. and 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.659 then he brings you directly into the colonial 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:26.200 era. You're looking at these two majestic 1 ,000 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:29.179 -year -old pines, and they suddenly transform 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:32.720 from botanical curiosities into monuments of 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.379 survival. They are the few that were spared from 00:10:35.379 --> 00:10:38.529 the sawmills. The storytelling acknowledges the 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:41.190 pain and the environmental devastation of colonization, 00:10:41.789 --> 00:10:44.350 but it focuses entirely on the resilience of 00:10:44.350 --> 00:10:47.210 the Yedinji people and their unbroken connection 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:49.610 to this altered landscape. It was incredibly 00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:51.710 moving. It makes you realize that the landscape 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:54.809 is not just a pretty green backdrop for a vacation 00:10:54.809 --> 00:10:57.490 selfie. Exactly. It is a historical document. 00:10:57.669 --> 00:10:59.610 And having Alan there was like having someone 00:10:59.610 --> 00:11:01.590 read the earliest most important chapters of 00:11:01.590 --> 00:11:04.029 a book you never even knew existed. And that 00:11:04.029 --> 00:11:06.950 transition from passive observation to deep historical 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:09.250 understanding is exactly what prepares you for 00:11:09.250 --> 00:11:10.990 the second half of the day. Right. Because the 00:11:10.990 --> 00:11:14.070 tour moves from absorbing history to active, 00:11:14.309 --> 00:11:16.429 hands -on participation. Right. After all that 00:11:16.429 --> 00:11:18.509 heavy history and deep time at Lake Boreen, we 00:11:18.509 --> 00:11:20.710 grab lunch at a local spot and then we head further 00:11:20.710 --> 00:11:24.129 out into Mbabaram country. The environment shifts 00:11:24.129 --> 00:11:27.029 entirely again. You arrive at Hay Sea Swamp. 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:30.649 It is this phenomenal, expansive wetland area, 00:11:31.090 --> 00:11:34.169 famous for bird watching. The chorus of wildlife 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:36.590 there is deafening in the best way. It was so 00:11:36.590 --> 00:11:39.830 loud. But the swamp serves as a transition into 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.250 the final major site in Watsonville, where the 00:11:42.250 --> 00:11:44.850 tour gets wonderfully tactile. You aren't just 00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:47.049 looking and listening anymore. You are physically 00:11:47.049 --> 00:11:49.500 interacting with the culture. We went on a short 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:51.379 bush walk and this is where we learned about 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:54.220 traditional umbarbarum and yadingji fire burning 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.700 practices. With all the global news about catastrophic 00:11:57.700 --> 00:12:00.220 wildfires and debates over forest management, 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.000 hearing firsthand how these cultures have used 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:05.419 fire for thousands of years to regenerate the 00:12:05.419 --> 00:12:08.320 land, it was a total paradigm shift. Yeah, they 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:10.299 practice what is often called cool burning or 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.840 cultural burning. Instead of letting fuel load 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.580 build up for years until a lightning strike causes 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.860 an uncontrollable inferno, they conduct low -intensity, 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.519 highly controlled burns. Right. They typically 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:23.980 do this early in the dry season or even at night 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.259 when there is dew on the ground. I remember Alan 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:28.820 pointing to the canopy and explaining that a 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:31.440 proper cool burn shouldn't even scorch the upper 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:34.320 branches of the trees. The flames just slowly 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.610 creep through the undergrowth. It clears out 00:12:36.610 --> 00:12:38.929 the dead brush, which prevents massive destructive 00:12:38.929 --> 00:12:41.909 wildfires later in the year. But it is also a 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:45.450 tool for regeneration. The ash leaves a nutrient 00:12:45.450 --> 00:12:48.669 -rich alkaline bed that fertilizes the soil. 00:12:48.909 --> 00:12:52.070 Oh, and the smoke thing. Yes. The smoke itself 00:12:52.070 --> 00:12:54.990 actually triggers the germination process for 00:12:54.990 --> 00:12:57.570 specific native seeds that literally will not 00:12:57.570 --> 00:13:00.230 sprout without chemical cues from the smoke. 00:13:00.590 --> 00:13:04.389 It is highly advanced applied ecological science. 00:13:04.629 --> 00:13:06.710 And after wrapping our heads around the science 00:13:06.710 --> 00:13:09.350 of fire, we finally got to experience the physical 00:13:09.350 --> 00:13:11.830 culture. We got to try throwing spears using 00:13:11.830 --> 00:13:13.629 the wumara we had learned about that morning. 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:16.649 And I think it's safe to say that understanding 00:13:16.649 --> 00:13:18.529 the physics of the wumara did not immediately 00:13:18.529 --> 00:13:21.250 translate into athletic success for either of 00:13:21.250 --> 00:13:23.529 us. Oh my gosh, I was terrible at it. I nearly 00:13:23.529 --> 00:13:25.549 threw my shoulder out and the spear just sadly 00:13:25.549 --> 00:13:27.549 flopped into the grass about 10 feet away. It 00:13:27.549 --> 00:13:30.129 was pretty bad. Hey, you weren't much better. 00:13:30.350 --> 00:13:33.750 But you gain a whole new, very humbling appreciation 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:36.850 for the sheer athleticism and muscle memory required 00:13:36.850 --> 00:13:39.389 to actually hunt that way. It was a very grounding 00:13:39.389 --> 00:13:42.210 moment. And following that exertion, the tour 00:13:42.210 --> 00:13:45.009 concludes with tasting the traditional meal bush 00:13:45.009 --> 00:13:47.809 tucker. You are literally tasting the environment 00:13:47.809 --> 00:13:50.250 you've spent the entire day learning about. For 00:13:50.250 --> 00:13:52.250 those wondering, bush tucker isn't a gimmick. 00:13:52.370 --> 00:13:54.990 It is the authentic native ingredients of Australia. 00:13:55.509 --> 00:13:57.389 We're talking about flavors like lemon myrtle, 00:13:57.629 --> 00:13:59.889 which has this incredible intense citrus punch, 00:14:00.629 --> 00:14:03.870 or native macadamia nuts, and beautifully prepared 00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:06.769 kangaroo. You're engaging every single sense. 00:14:06.850 --> 00:14:08.929 You saw the giant trees, you heard the creation 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:11.070 stories, you touched the tools, you smelled the 00:14:11.070 --> 00:14:13.429 smoke of the fire practices, and finally you're 00:14:13.429 --> 00:14:16.169 tasting the land itself. It is a complete sensory 00:14:16.169 --> 00:14:19.259 immersion. However, as an expert traveler, you 00:14:19.259 --> 00:14:21.320 have to look at the logistics. We did the full 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.379 itinerary, the Cathedral Fig, Lake Breen, Lunge, 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:27.639 The Swamp, Watsonville, Bush Tucker. That is 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:30.220 a comprehensive eight -hour day. Right. And if 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:32.340 I'm playing Dulles' Advocate for a second... 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:35.379 If you're planning a packed vacation itinerary, 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:37.820 particularly with young kids or older parents, 00:14:38.620 --> 00:14:41.220 a full eight -hour deep dive in the tropical 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:44.179 heat sounds a bit exhausting. It's a long day. 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:46.299 Yeah. What if a traveler simply doesn't have 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:48.559 a whole day to spare? Do they just have to miss 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:50.620 out on this incredible connection completely? 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:53.600 That is a very practical concern, and it's something 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:57.379 Excursion Pass clearly anticipates. their listing. 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.980 If you don't have the capacity for the deep eight 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:04.019 -hour immersion, there is a specific 150 -minute 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:07.700 private 4WD Explorer version of the tour. Oh, 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:09.639 two and a half hours is incredibly manageable. 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:12.080 How do they condense an eight -hour philosophy 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.220 into that time frame without it feeling rushed? 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:16.799 It works because it's highly focused rather than 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:19.799 rushed. It still includes the private 4WD pickup 00:15:19.799 --> 00:15:22.000 from your accommodation, but it concentrates 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.320 entirely on the first half of our journey, the 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:26.600 Cathedral Fig Tree and Lake Boreen. So you still 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.799 get the guided rainforest walk, the deep dive 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:30.960 into the living supermarket of seasonal foods 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.840 and medicines, the Wumera biomechanics display, 00:15:34.179 --> 00:15:36.399 and the creation stories at the volcanic lake. 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:40.480 Precisely. It is a concentrated dose of the exact 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:44.059 same high quality intimate cultural interpretation. 00:15:44.139 --> 00:15:46.740 You're just omitting the afternoon journey out 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:49.620 into Mbabaram country for the fire management 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:52.059 in the swamp. Got it. It's designed perfectly 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:54.700 for travelers who might be doing a self -drive 00:15:54.700 --> 00:15:57.120 route through the table lands and just want to 00:15:57.120 --> 00:16:00.120 insert a highly impactful, authentic experience 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.980 into their morning before moving on. I love that 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:05.360 flexibility. It removes the friction of trying 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:08.000 to navigate unfamiliar territory and find these 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:10.360 cultural sites on your own while ensuring you 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:12.919 still get the context that makes the sites meaningful 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:15.210 in the first place. Absolutely. And honestly, 00:16:15.529 --> 00:16:17.809 the proof of just how impactful this tour is, 00:16:17.809 --> 00:16:19.330 whether you do the short or the long version, 00:16:19.570 --> 00:16:21.990 really lives in the reviews. We pulled some of 00:16:21.990 --> 00:16:24.470 the TripAdvisor reviews and they completely validate 00:16:24.470 --> 00:16:27.350 everything we experienced. The ratings are uniformly 00:16:27.350 --> 00:16:31.070 a perfect five out of five bubbles. But it's 00:16:31.070 --> 00:16:33.149 the specific language reviewers use that tells 00:16:33.149 --> 00:16:36.070 the real story. One reviewer simply stated that 00:16:36.070 --> 00:16:37.990 Alan and his team were the coolest people in 00:16:37.990 --> 00:16:40.409 Queensland. I love that review because it is 00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:43.929 so true. It highlights that this isn't a stuffy 00:16:43.929 --> 00:16:46.629 academic lecture. It genuinely feels like hanging 00:16:46.629 --> 00:16:49.669 out with incredibly cool, incredibly smart people 00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:51.950 who just want to share their home with you. But 00:16:51.950 --> 00:16:54.049 there was one review that actually stopped me 00:16:54.049 --> 00:16:55.909 in my tracks. Oh, the what about the local guy? 00:16:56.049 --> 00:16:58.250 Yeah. It was from someone who actually grew up 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:00.750 in the area but had been away from the Appleton 00:17:00.750 --> 00:17:04.230 table lands for 40 years. That one carries so 00:17:04.230 --> 00:17:07.240 much emotional weight. They wrote that taking 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:10.380 this solo tour allowed them to, quote, reconnect 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:13.279 with the countries of Yedinji and a Baburam First 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.880 Nation. Yes. They specifically said the tour 00:17:15.880 --> 00:17:18.400 gave them a sense of being back home and the 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:21.549 intimacy of connection to country. Just imagine 00:17:21.549 --> 00:17:24.309 the authenticity required to achieve that. A 00:17:24.309 --> 00:17:27.309 tour that is so deeply rooted, so devoid of commercial 00:17:27.309 --> 00:17:29.589 fluff, that it can take a local who has been 00:17:29.589 --> 00:17:32.509 gone for four decades and make them feel intimately 00:17:32.509 --> 00:17:34.730 reconnected to the soul of their own homeland. 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:37.329 You're never ever gonna get that on a generic 00:17:37.329 --> 00:17:39.289 sightseeing bus with 50 other people. Never. 00:17:39.369 --> 00:17:41.970 Another reviewer summed up the core ethos perfectly 00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:45.819 saying It is so important to know whose country 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.519 you are walking on and to acknowledge the care 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.279 traditional owners have given it. That is the 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.940 ultimate takeaway. This experience completely 00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:56.019 strips away the identity of the passive tourist 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:59.980 and transforms you into an informed guest. So 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:01.839 what does this all mean for you, the traveler? 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:04.440 It means that if you're heading to Cairns or 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:07.160 exploring the Atherton table lands, this tour 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:09.660 is the ultimate way to experience the landscape. 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:12.839 It replaces the superficial checklist of snapping 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:16.079 a photo of a big tree or a pretty lake with rich, 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:18.940 deeply educational storytelling. You're finally 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:21.339 understanding the laws, the engineering, and 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:24.079 the generations of people who have actively managed 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.779 that ecosystem for millennia. It changes your 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:29.160 entire paradigm of travel, and it leaves us with 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.460 a beautiful reflection drawn directly from the 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:33.940 Excursion Pass source material. In describing 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:36.420 the tour, the listing states that cultural knowledge 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:38.990 is carried in place. Cultural knowledge is carried 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.049 in place. That is such a powerful way to phrase 00:18:41.049 --> 00:18:43.609 it. It implies that the landscape itself is a 00:18:43.609 --> 00:18:47.210 living library. The strangler figs, the volcanic 00:18:47.210 --> 00:18:50.369 crater lakes, the swamps, they aren't just scenery. 00:18:50.950 --> 00:18:53.230 They are the actual shelves holding the memories, 00:18:53.430 --> 00:18:55.789 the history, and the laws of the people who tended 00:18:55.789 --> 00:18:58.390 them. So the provocative thought I want to leave 00:18:58.390 --> 00:19:02.450 you with today is this. If a landscape is a living 00:19:02.450 --> 00:19:05.220 library, How does that change the way you look 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:07.339 at the nature, the trees, and the local parks 00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:10.460 in your own town? What stories are sitting silently 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:12.960 in the soil of your own backyard, just waiting 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:14.619 for someone with the right knowledge to read 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:17.559 them to you? Next time you step outside, remember, 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:20.819 you're walking on pages of history. It's time 00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:23.160 to start reading. Thank you so much for joining 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.779 us on this journey today. We are your resident 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:28.339 travel experts, signing off from the Travel Podcast 00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:30.940 by Excursion Pass. We invite you to book the 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:33.640 adventure ditch the generic conveyor belt, and 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:35.039 truly experience the world.