Farewell to Sydney

it was a hot, sticky day in Sydney. The ship moved to a different pier overnight to make room for a big Princess ship. Our ship is small enough to go under the Sydney Bridge, so we had to give way to the other ship. We had to take a water shuttle to the old pier to get to the market. But the ferry dock was further away from the market and I only had an hour before my excursion. So I just walked the area and went back to the ship. I didn’t have time to get on the ship before my tour, so I just waited in the terminal. We had to take a 20 minute bus ride to get to the dock for A Cultural Cruise of Sydney Harbor. When we got there, our ship was just across the way. I wasn’t sure what a cultural tour would entail until the guide on the bus told us it was all about the Aboriginal people. Our boat arrived and we boarded. There were tables in the center of each area of the boat. They were covered with aboriginal artifacts-boomerangs, a billabong, ceremonial weaving and plates to have a smoking ceremony in. Ronald explained to each group the significance of each item. A bilibong is a tree branch with a big knot on the end. The knot was where mistletoe grew on the tree. It was used to kill animals or threaten unruly children. The boomerangs were gorgeous. Turns out Ronald had made most of the items displayed. As we were cruising around, they brought us food. I didn’t partake of anything, just to be on the safe side. The first thing they brought was breaded emu pieces. I would have liked to sample that one. Next came some mushrooms, and I’ve forgotten the last thing they brought out. We stopped at Goat Island, a National Park with limited access. It belongs to the Aboriginal people. The crew had put ocher, which was white, on their bodies. Then we had a smoking ceremony, which was to walk by the smoking pile of eucalyptus and inhale the scent.

I avoided it since I’m allergic to that tree. Then we walked up a little rise and there they had room to have a dance ceremony on the grass. They had 2 digerydos, not called that in their language. One of the men played while everyone else danced. It was a nice performance. We got back on the boat and headed back to the dock. They served fruit skewers and cookies on the way back.

I did not realize Aboriginal children were taken from their parents and put in school to ‘civilize’ them, just as we did with Native Americans. They did not become Australian citizens until the late 50’s. I asked Ronald about where I could buy something like what they had on display. Since he’d made most of it, he said it was for sale. So I bought one of the plates they burn the eucalyptus in. He put his tribe name and signed it for me. Luckily it’s pretty flat so it will pack easily.. As we were coming back, we saw 2 fire boats spraying water and followed by 2 tall ships. It was a pretty spectacular thing to see. There were people on the masts on one of the tall ships.
‘I went on deck to watch the sail away. We were going under the bridge. There were people on top of the bridge. They had climbed up the bridge. It’s a big deal to do that here.
‘After sail away I went to the Cafe for dinner. I was joined by Ben and Beryl. After dinner we went to the entertainment. It was a man who plays the guitar. He is an excellent player but classical guitar is not my cup of tea. Bunny was still under the weather so she stayed in today. The doctor gave her plenty of meds so let’s hope they work! The photos below are pretty self explanatory. A sea day tomorrow so we can rest up for Brisbane.