Still rambling about in Darwin and a side trip to the Barunga Aboriginal Festival

The next few dates in the diary are a bit sparse on detail.  I guess when I decided that I needed a stress break it included diary writing. June 4 through to 7 have only the following entries...
June 4
library
waterpark
museum
June 5
Territory Wildlife park
Wharf for dinner
June 6
Library
Water Park @ Leanyer

June 7
Dad's Hospise Clair Holland House main desk 02 62730336
Booked flight for next Thursday - 1am Virgin Blue
Friday, June 8 and things got back on track, it seems once the decision was made and enacted I could get back on with things.  The diary entries for the next few days are quite comprhensive.
Pack up Darwin.
Rang Dad @ hospise and spoke to him for a while. Sarah and Harry also spoke to him.
Met Pat and Eric

Barunga Aboriginal Festival

Able to camp with the community for only $5 per adult for the entire weekend.

There are lots of Aboriginal rock bands, and heaps of Aboriginal people. It's pretty cool really to be in such a cultural minority in your own country. It is great to see them all out celebrating, and without alcohol.

Tonight was freezing. After our balmy nights in Darwin the weather is quite a shock. We had to get into all of our winter stuff.  The children were keen to get to bed, being finally able to enjoy snuggling up to get warm.  It is even too cold for mosquitoes.

We met Steve's parents and decided to go to the Barunga Aboriginal festival with them.  It was a bit of culture shock for all of us.  Where Steve and I loved seeing the culture and the people in action, we were surprised that the thing most noticed and commented on by his parents was the rubbish and mess and untidiness.  Funny, Steve and I didn't really notice those things, festivals of any persuasion get messy....

Saturday June 9

Had a better look at the festival today. A lot more whiteys are here today, but we are still well in the minority!

There are lots of stalls set up to educate the Aboriginal people to eat healthy, Centrelink and other government services.  Most stalls give out free fruit to entice the people to come and have a look and take some information.  The children got free hats, t-shirts, sweat bands and a bag and bottle with autographs from Nova Kneebone, Tony Blackwood and a touch football star.

They danced to Yamba the Honey Ant which they really enjoyed.  We had never heard of yamba before but he is big in the Aboriginal community and on their TV station.

 

Tonight we went to a concert which had amazing decorations of massive fish made out of tissue paper and lit up like Chinese lanterns.  We were glad that we were able to have a fire to keep warm.

Sunday 10 June

Today is more of the same.  Lots of sport to watch and music to listen to.
We packed up after lunch to leave.  Unfortunately that means that we miss the bush tucker, spear throwing and masks of didge.  But as "community time" is a loose concept like "Island time" there is no guarantee that those things will be on.

Travelled to Katherine Gorge after Barunga and set up camp in the camping ground.  I phoned home to see how things are going.  Dad has gone into a coma, but woke briefly while I was on the phone talking to Gary.