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02/04
/2001 |
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Katherine
- AUSTRALIA |
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S 14°28 E 132°16 |
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+ 55 |
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We
are now in the 'North Territory' the vastest
and less populated region in Australia - 1% of
the population and 20% of the country. Here,
geography alternates between tropical forests
and vast red desert plains.
Suffocating
from the torrid heat (34° C) and humidity
(90% in some places), the Car@van and its Team
explore the city of Darwin. On Christmas Eve
1974, it was completely destroyed by Cyclone
Tracy, with 280 km/h winds. Only 400 houses
remained intact. Today, Darwin is a 26 years
old modern city !
After
a breakfast with bacon and eggs, we are ready
to meet the Australian authorities. Before,
we're interviewed by Paul, journalist for 'The
Australian', a prestigious daily newspaper.
Then, we meet one of our sponsors, the
Australian Tourist Commission. Look at the
video.
During
the afternoon, we rent two cars - a Mitsubishi
and a Toyota 4x4 - the Car@van's new means of
transport. We'd like to see the sunset,
bathing for in the warm ocean, but it's severely advised not
to enter in the water : 1° there are some
saltwater crocodiles and recently, some
swimmers disappeared mysteriously. 2° there
are also the deadly box jellyfishes...
Sunday,
the tension increases: the Car@van will have the
results of Voting Form n°10 in only 24 hours.
Where did you send us, virtual traveler ?
East, South or West ?
In
the morning, we begin our descent towards the
crossroads of the huge Australian highways. We
all dream to visit the magnificent Kakadu
National Park - protected by UNESCO. But we're
running out of time, because of the Game !
The
soils seem now redder, and we are surrounded termites
skyscrapers: we finally arrive in Katherine. This
town suffers from one of the highest rates of
alcoholism in the country. We pass some white
and Aborigine zombies, wandering in the
streets. We spend the night in the Palm Court
Backpacker, maybe new nomads will come with us
tomorrow.
Now
look at the video.
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Video
1. Our trip in Australia
is sponsored by the Australian
Tourist Commission. They provide
us some help for the transports
and the discovery of nature and
local cultures.
As
soon as we arrived, we met Claire,
who works for the Northern
Territory Tourist Commission. She
provides us the authorizations to
cross and to film some parks and
towns.
Some
places are sacred indeed for Aborigines
and it's forbidden to film or to
enter in with no specific authorization.
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Video
2. Yesterday in Darwin was
shown the preview of an Aboriginal
movie 'Yolngu Boy' the first Aboriginal
production since 25 years !
The
film tells the story about 3 guys
sniffing petrol. The actors, the
crew and some Australian VIP are
in the city.
We
are lucky: some of the actors are
staying in the same hotel where we
are. Maya and Vale want to meet
them immediately. When we come in
their room, the strong smell of
beer is omnipresent.
In
the room, some children play with
sugar cubes, women are sat on the
floor, while men remain silent. It's
total confusion, and we feel ill
at ease. Only two of them can
speak English, but it's very hard
to communicate. Sometimes,
someone comes in the room, gives
us a black look and then leaves.
Is it our camera ?
In
the end, we finally learn only two
things: 4 years were necessary to
make the movie, and they live in
Gove, an eastern peninsula of
Darwin, at 3 days-drive from here.
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"
After 2 months of virtual travel,
I finally touched reality!"
Choum,
a French from Paris, father of a
little Marine, met us after a 48
hours-travel from France. His
plane was 24 hours late !
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18,8
millions people live in Australia,
of whom 350 000 Aborigines. This
native people, strange and
fascinating, has been living here
for at least 5000 years. Known for
his spirituality and its
art, this people is today
endangered.
At
the time of the European
settlement, there were
more than 250 languages, and more
than 700 dialects, coming from a
mother-tongue declined when the Aborigines
spread on the territory. 30
different languages are still
spoken by them.
At
the end of the last century, many
Aboriginal communities were semi nomadic. But
since the white people's arrival,
they slowly began to lose
their social parameters and their
identity. Their life expectancy is
less than 20 years than the whites
and half of them are out of work.
But
the perceived simplicity of these
people hides in fact a
sophisticated spirituality and
cultural life. The Aborigines
believe in Dreamtime, the creation
of Time, when the Earth was born,
its laws and inhabitants.
Every
person is believed to have two
souls, one mortal, the other
immortal. When someone dies, the
soul goes back to live in the
sacred places of the ancestors, as
the body fades into oblivion.
Through
millenniums, they learned to
communicate with the spirits from
beyond. Their mind may seem poor,
but in fact, it's free, opened to
the communication with the
ancestors. The links between
material and spiritual are the
totems. We all have one, such as
tree, snake, fish, place, etc...
The
traditions are orally transmitted,
with myths and legends, songs and
prayers.
The
Car@van will leave towards the
heart of the Red Continent...
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Guide our next steps,insert contacts & info on
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