Jan 28 2008
Tjapukai
Tjapukai is a dream. It showcases the culture of the rainforest people from the Dreamtime through to present reality, it’s the most awarded attraction in Australia, an international benchmark in Indigenous Tourism where you sense the real spirit of a 50,000 year old society and it’s set in lush tropical forest that must be the original Garden of Eden.
But it’s more than that. Tjapukai is an Aboriginal experience providing direct benefit to the local Aboriginal People, and the only authorised presentation of Aboriginal Culture in the North Queensland area.
Driving some 15 minutes north from Cairns you reach Smithfield and Caravonica Lakes, easily identified by the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Tjapukai Park. Make a day of it, take the Scenic Railway to Kuranda for a winding 90 minute ride through 15 tunnels and over 36 bridges with spectacular scenic views from the open-air windows of the historical carriages. In Kuranda visit the many attractions like Koala Gardens (get your photo taken with a koala) see kangaroos, crocodiles and the delightful Australian Butterfly Sanctuary among the ancient ferns.
Ride the Skyrail cable car from Kuranda back to Caravonica at the bottom of the range, gliding over 7.5 kilometres (for 75 mins) of deep gorges and spectacular waterfalls in the pristine World Heritage Rainforest. Then walk to adjacent Tjapukai.
The Tjapukai and the Yirrganydji Communities and their Elders have approved and overseen the materials presented in the seven separate arenas. The Tjapukai experience is an authentic journey of discovery.
Creation Theatre
TheCreation Theatre uses the latest in illusion theatrics and technology to portray the story of the creation of the world according to the spiritual and traditional beliefs of Tjapukai mythology. In the Tjapukai language, in words spoken again for the first time in two generations, the legend of creation is told, as it was in the Dreamtime to the bama, the people. (Guests hear the story in the original language overlaid with a translation in English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Mandarin, Italian or Spanish)
In the beginning of the story, a cassowary egg forms, growing and growing. Bolts of lightening appear and form around the egg, forcing it to break apart. Out of the egg come the twin elements that create the universe - Damarri, the Wet and Guyala, the Dry, and, after them, all of the life forms on the earth.
History Theatre
Next on the list is the History Theatre for a 20 minute audio visual presentation of the history of the Tjapukai since the Europeans arrived 120 years ago. This is a provocative movie containing material which some members of the audience may find disturbing, it is however, a truthful and compelling account.
After crossing a 100 metre bridge across the Caravonica Lakes, you reach the open air theatre set at the base of the rainforest hills,
Tjapukai by Night
In the evenings experience Tjapukai by Night. Thunder and lightening herald the Gadja, a Dreamtime spirit in glowing, UV fibre-optic costume. A good spirit, he tells of the past. Suddenly, his opposite appears from nowhere, the Quinkan who towers 6 metres above the audience, bidding them to enter the past.
The audience is handed tapsticks and asked to become part of an ancient corroboree ritual which climaxes in the ceremonial making of a fire. The Tjapukai hurl the fire spear across the lake where it contacts with the ancient tribal lands to become a mushrooming fireball, illuminating the lakeside and the audience.
A canoe appears, guided by Tjapukai carrying flaming torches. The dancers from the corroboree guide the canoe and its people to the shore. Here, they bid the audience to follow their light, as their flame torches magically create a pathway from the darkness up into the glowing restaurant overlooking the Caravonica Lakes. By this time everyone is eager for the buffet, which uses the best of local foods and Australian wines.
Afterwards, the lights dim, heralding the finale of the night, when Tjapukai entertainers claim the stage, presenting their culture through a blend of theatre and black humour. It’s easy to see why Tjapukai is the most awarded attraction in Australia
Like to shout me a cold beer?
