Human Life Began in Australia

Cave Art

KAKADU, AUSTRALIA: As our small group climbed the rocky escarpment to the hidden cave above, I struggled to pull myself up over the steep boulders, thinking, “I hope this is worth the effort.” Above I could see the contours of our destination, as our guide huffed encouragements, “Come on, we’re almost there.” The others in the group were a third my age and sympathetically lent me their hands and shoulders as I contorted and stretched my body to keep up with them. As we were about to reach our goal, one big boulder remaining, our guide motioned us to be quiet. “Please respect what you see here. Do not touch anything. This has been the home of someone for 28,000 years.” Respectfully, we raised ourselves over the final boulder to see in front of us a large open-faced cave with its ancient paintings. “This site was just one of over 5,000 sites in Kakadu,” our guide told us. Throughout Australia there are similar sites, some dating back as far as 40,000 years. To put this in perspective, the oldest pyramid, Djoser, was constructed around 2630 BCE. Together, the Australian sites show the rich diversity of humankind’s cultural development. There are pictures of extinct animals being killed, people dancing and playing, battles being fought, and religious ceremonies observed. Some sites are sacred and can only be approached by Aboriginal elders while others show layers of paintings over the ages where the act of painting was more important than the painting itself. In awe our little group stood there under the cave’s overhang looking out toward the distant sea. What must this have looked like to someone standing here 28,000 years ago? What dreams and aspirations possessed these people? Maybe those two Aboriginal guides I had met earlier were right, "Human life began in Australia."

Only a Fool Could Be Eaten by a Crocodile

A Hungry Saltwater Crocodile

KAKADU, AUSTRALIA: The saltwater crocodiles have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. Their stealth, patience, and explosive bite put them in a category of their own when it comes to the survival of the fittest. Their heartbeat can slow to just two beats per minute allowing them to stay under water for up to three hours before pouncing on their prey. Without the slightest qualm they’ll eat their offspring or any other crocodile that appears their weaker. Only one in a thousand crocodile eggs will survive to adulthood. “At that rate,” our guide told us, “You have to be tough even to survive.” Crocodiles can live up to seventy years, grow to 22 feet, and weigh over two ton. Thousands abound in the rivers, flood planes, and billabongs around Darwin. They are also grown commercially for their leather and meat. A crocodile belt costs $150 in Darwin. On the way to the Kakadu National Park, our guide took us to the Adelaide River to observe these awesome beasts in action. From our boat, he would dangle pieces of meat in front of a lurking crocodile, which, of course, couldn’t resist and would leap high out of the water to snatch even a small morsel of meet. Stories of crocodiles killing humans abound. Just a month ago outside Darwin, a crocodile devoured a nine-year-old boy. In another case, one attacked a boy, ripping off his arm. The boy’s friend came to help and was eaten. Two days later they found the few pieces of what remained of him. I might be wrong, but could it be that the Australians’ resilience and tough no-nonsense attitude has a lot to do with hostile environment in which they live? “Only a fool could be eaten by a crocodile,” is the unsympathetic response of the Australians I talked to.

Solving the World's Problems the Hard Way

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA: Many restaurants in Australia don’t have table service. You must go inside to order and pay for your food. If you want something to drink, you go to another part of the restaurant and pay for your drink there. It’s a strange system, but the food without a doubt is often quite good. In Darwin, after studying the menu of such a restaurant, I decided to order the breaded prawns, but instead of rice, I wanted chips and a side of coleslaw and some tartar sauce. Strangely, this was all very confusing to the waiter (clerk), who had to consult the owner several times before he could confirm the order. When my order came out, instead of breaded prawns, I got a bowl of shrimp in a gooey yellow sauce and instead of coleslaw I got a simple green salad. I told the waiter, “Sorry, but this is not what I ordered.” He said indignantly, “Yes it is.” I replied emphatically, “No it isn’t. Let me talk to the owner.” I didn’t have to wait long. The owner came racing out red as a beet. “Did you order from the menu?” he said, looking down at me threateningly. “Yes, but….” “Well then, this is what you ordered.” This was the flight or fight moment. “No I did not! I ordered breaded shrimp, chips, coleslaw, and tartar sauce.” I said loud enough for others to hear and hopefully cause him to back off and reconsider. He didn’t, and to my surprise got even more adamant and started swearing at me. The F word was used a lot. For me, flight was not an option. I returned his insults with my own, thinking at the same time this guy is much younger and bigger than I. What if I end up in the hospital with a broken jaw? What will my wife think? But I didn’t back down and finally he walked away in a huff leaving me to stew and eat something I didn’t order. As I finished my meal, he came back. “I want to apologize for the misunderstanding,” he said. “The waiter’s a new employee and his English is not very good.” I had actually gotten over it by then and told him I appreciated his apology. He then offered me a glass of wine and for the next half hour we talked politics and to our credit solved all of the world’s problems.

Everything You Didn’t Want to Know about Cricket

PORT DOUGLAS, AUSTRALIA: Nothing is more boring than watching a cricket match. Of course, the Aussies could say the same of American baseball or football. The problem, of course, is that we Americans don’t understand cricket. But even to the die-hard Australian cricket fan sitting through a match that lasts six hours a day — tea breaks excluded — for five straight days is a bit much. This is what the two elderly Aussies told me as they watched their beloved Australia pummel South Africa live on TV without so much as a commercial break. Players wear their sponsor’s logos and that suffices for all the advertising that’s necessary. The two generously shared their knowledge of their cherished sport, often relating the terms to the little they knew of American Baseball. Unlike baseball, in international competition, there are eleven players that play all five days. No substitution is allowed except in case of injury although the substituted player cannot bowl (pitch) or bat. Unlike baseball, the bowler (pitcher) can hit the batman (batter) without incurring a penalty and unlike baseball there are only two bases instead of four. Each time a batman reaches a base it counts as a point. Batmen can score points by running back and forth between the two bases. They can also hit in-park home runs (four points) or out-of-park home runs (six points). It’s not unusual for a team to score 400 points. Behind the batman is something called a wicket that looks like upright sticks. If the bowler hits the wicket the batman is out. A batman is also out if a fielder catches a ball or throws the batman out trying to reach base and here’s the craziest part of the game, there are not one but two batsmen at the same time. Each player bats until he’s out, which can be a very long time. Spectators sit in stands or stretch out on the lawns surrounding the oval field. The two Aussies were clearly delighted with what they were seeing. “Winning this is very important for Australia. In international competition we’re the newcomers. South Africa and India are the teams to beat.” But it must not have been all that exciting, as the two decided it was time to go home. The cricket match would go on for a few more hours, long after they were sound asleep.

That's a Strange Question

PORT DOUGLAS, AUSTRALIA: “How and when did the Aboriginal peoples arrive in Australia?” is a question that has been bothering me ever since I arrived in Australia. I have asked at least a dozen Australians and have gotten a range of answers, the most common has been, “That’s a strange question, why would you even want to know?” But some have had an opinion: “They came over from Indonesia on a land bridge when the sea was low.” “They came over on rafts.” Or my favorite, “They were always here — humankind originated in Australia.” The later was the expressed view of the two Aboriginal guides I had. With respect to when they came, the answers have also varied ranging from between 4,000 and 50,000 years ago. I put the question to my tour group at Daintree Rainforest near Port Douglas, which resulted in a lively debate. Most agreed that Australian’s wildlife is so different that there couldn’t possibly have been a land bridge of any kind otherwise other mammals would have made the migration as well.  I had to get to the bottom of this and so instead of going on another tour the next day, I went to the local library with its four shelves of books, about half the size of your typical bookmobile. It did have a librarian, however. Surprised at my question, she told me that no one had ever asked her that question before but that the library in Mossman might have something on it. Her online search, however, was in vain and so I left the library empty-handed. I turned then to a local bookstore and to my surprise found the answer in a book entitled First Footprints, by Scott Cane, published in 2013. In this well-researched book, the author persuasively argues that the original Aboriginal people came over by boat from Indonesia 70,000 years ago. As a point of reference, this was 40,000 years before the Neanderthal went extinct. At that time, due to the low sea levels, only 90 miles separated Australia from the Indonesian islands. Genetic research, the author reports, has shown that the initial group consisted of around 1,000 individuals. Pretty amazing stuff!