ABC Wednesday, C for Caves in Tasmania, Australia

In 1894 William Woodhouse discovered the cave entrance when he noticed vapours rising from a hole in the ground, but he thought it too dangerous to explore. In 1906 the cave entrance was relocated by Bill while he was hunting possums by lamplight. A few days later Bill and a couple of farmers lowered themselves by ropes down the entrance of the cave. And their lamps revealed for the first time the magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations.

In1908 the local  Ulverstone  Tourist Association recognised the importance of the Gunns Plains Cave for tourism.


The first parties to visit the cave, entered it with candles and acetylene gaslamps. Later in 1928 an installation of an electricity generating plant was completed, which was a lot easier for seeing the rock formations. Our guide said: " Imagine that you went into the cave with only a candle and the draught blew the candle out, and you stood there in total darkness fumbling for matches, knowing that you couldn't move because it was so dangerous." At some places the cave is so deep that they really had to watch each step they did. Even now it is not easy to walk there, but thanks to the guide, who led us safely through the cave, we enjoyed doing this tour.  We didn't have to bundle up. There were footpaths and steps every where. Sometimes we had to duck for lowhanging rocks, but the guide warned us in time.

A beautiful sight were the glittering glow -worms. They sparkled like jewels on black velvet. We all sang:"Twinkle twinkle little star"....The children in our company were delighted and thought the tour highly interesting and enjoyable.

 We thank Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find  ten bloggers for each of the ABC Team members  to visit and to read their posts. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words    beginning with C, in our new round.

ABC Wednesday, C for Circassians

Background and history

The Circassians arrived in the Middle East after they were expelled from their homeland in the northern Caucasus. The Circassians, who fought during the long period (see the Russian-Circassian War) wherein the Russians captured the northern Caucasus, were massacred and expelled by Czarist Russia from the Caucasus. The Ottoman Empire, which saw the Circassians as experienced fighters, absorbed them in their territory and settled them in sparsely populated areas, including the Galilee.

The Circassians exiles established the village Rehaniya in 1873, and the village of Kfar Kama in 1876.

The Israeli Circassians, who are muslims, have had good relations with the Jewish community in Israel since the beginning of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, thanks to the common language they had with the First Aliyah immigrants from Russia who settled in the Galilee. The Circassian community in Israel helped the illegal immigration (Ha'apala) of Jews from Lebanon into Mandate Palestine and fought on the Israeli side of the War of Independence.

Nowadays, the Circassian community in Israel is well integrated into Israeli society, speak Adyghe and Russian (in addition to learning Hebrew, Arabic and English in elementary school), while cultivating their unique heritage and culture.

Our guide told us for instance that babies learned to walk with the means of a wooden  walking frame. As soon as they could walk by themselves, the older brothers and sisters were spreading the news in the village and treating every body to a sweet. The whole village was celebrating!

 Another thing, which I find even more important, is that men and women are considered to be equal!  Young women and men were free to choose their own partners. The parents do not arrange marriages. If parents did not agree with their child's choice, the man just abducted his bride-to-be and they married  anyway with or without their parents'consent.

Another tradition was that guests could always stay with a family, and that it was shown in a device which hung next to the door. It was a long double cord . The left side was (in this museum) solid pink, while the right side was striped. When the guest had stayed long enough according to the host, the latter turned the cord so that the striped side hung on the left side. This was a sign that  the guest had to leave.

A lot of thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and Roger ,who took over the  management from her .Click on the logo in the sidebar if you want to see the other posts. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

ABC Wednesday, C for Cat Lovers

From "CAT QUOTATIONS"

"I think one reason we admire cats,those of us who do,is their proficiency in one-upmanship. They always seem to come out on top, no matter what they are doing-or pretend to do. Rarely do you see a cat discomfited. They have no conscience, and they never regret. Maybe we secretly envy them."
( Barbara Webster, from "Creatures and Contentments")

"One"small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home." ( Pam Brown)

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

I also thank the photographers of these photos, many of them are found on this address:
http://letsbefriends.blogspot.com/












Cats are able to make friends with other animals, even if they normally hunt these animals and eat them.

that's My World, ABC Wednesday,C for Cook's Landing

Click to enlarge!

 
 
 

Click to enlarge.I took those photos in August 2007.

That's my World is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia - a Team of experienced bloggers, whom we thank for this wonderful meme. You can see more of the world of other bloggers by clicking on the logo in the side bar or on that's My World

We often had lunch at Cook's Landing's Kiosk. I love the iced coffee they make there, and the fish and chips. But most of all I like the casual way they have in approaching their customers. "Hello, how are you today?" "Oh, I am ok and how are you?" " I am fine! What can I do for you?" " I'd like to have an iced coffee and a fish and chips, please!" "Okay, and what is your first name?" " It's Wil" "Well Wil I'll call you when it's ready!" "Thank you!"

Cook's Landing is the exact place where Captain Cook landed in June 1770, when his ship "The Endeavour" got stuck in the reef and needed to be repaired. That's why the river near the landing's place is called the Endeavour River. The town is called Cooktown, but the Aboriginal name is Gungar. There are many stories in and around Cooktown, many of them are very sad.

Wikipedia says:"Cook's Arrival

The site of modern Cooktown was the meeting place of two vastly different cultures when, in June 1770, the local Aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr tribe cautiously watched the crippled sailing ship – His Majesty's Bark Endeavour – limp up the coast seeking a safe harbour after sustaining serious damage to its wooden hull on the Endeavour Reef, south of Cooktown. The Guugu Yimithirr people saw the Endeavour beach in the calm waters near the mouth of their river, which they called "Wahalumbaal".

Endeavour replica sailing into Cooktown's harbour near the mouth of the Endeavour River where the original Endeavour was beached for 7 weeks in 1770.

The British crew spent seven weeks on the site of present-day Cooktown, repairing their ship, replenishing food and water supplies, and caring for their sick. The extraordinary scientist, Joseph Banks, and Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander, who accompanied Cook on the expedition, collected, preserved and documented over 200 new species of plants. The young artist Sydney Parkinson illustrating the specimens and he was the first British artist to portray Aboriginal people from direct observation.

After some weeks, Joseph Banks met and spoke with the local people, recording about 50 Guugu Yimithirr words, including the name of the intriguing animal the natives called gangurru (which he transcribed as "Kangaru"). Cook recorded the local name as "Kangooroo, or Kanguru".

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or

Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

ABC Wednesday, C of Cockatoo and Cape York

Cockatoo: My Life in Cape York by Roy McIvor.
Magabala Books.
My daughter in Australia wrote this book together with a friend of hers. They went several times a week to Roy McIver, who is an uncle of my daughter's first husband, and recorded his stories on an audio cassette. Back at home she put these stories on the computer and printed them. It took her and her friend two years to finish the book in Roy McIver's own words. The cockatoos are the tribal animals of two tribes in Cape York. They are also symbolic for the reconcilliation of the white Australian people and the Aborigines.

The exile of the Indigenous population of Hope Valley — in the coastal region of Cape York in far north Queensland — during World War II is a shameful yet seldom-told chapter in Indigenous Australian history. Roy McIvor was just 10 when he, his family and his community were rounded up by the military and shipped 1500 km south to Woorabinda because of allegations that his people were collaborating with the Japanese under the guidance of German Lutheran Missionary George Heinrich Schwarz. Roy’s community was deserted by the authorities and more than a third of them perished during their seven-year exile. They were decimated by disease amid rumours of deaths by lethal injections and medical experimentation. Cockatoo: My Life in Cape York is an inspirational story of how Roy and his people triumphed over the hardships to which they were subjected, and their eventual return to their country now known as Hope Vale. Throughout his life, art has been a guiding light. Today Roy is recognised as one of Cape York’s leading Indigenous artists and Cockatoo: My Life in Cape York features full-colour reproductions of his work.

Vicki Lane wrote about this book last year some months ago now.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started a new round of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

ABC Wednesday,C for Culture

Please click to see more details.
Greek: 1100BC,
Viking:1000AD,
Aboriginal:50,000BC,
Egyptian:2000BC

Not so long ago a friend of mine rang me up and we started a conversation about culture. Where does the culture of people start? Does it start when a group of people is going to use written language and write books? We came to the conclusion that culture starts with the prehistoric storytellers, who laid the foundations for religion, philosophy and all kind of art forms, related first to legends, religions and daily life. The Celts and the Vikings had hardly any written literature, but that doesn't mean that they had no culture. They had a highly developed way of expressing themselves in paintings, woodcarving, jewelry, music, dance...The Australian Aborigines had no written proof of their culture either, but they had their storytellers. They created images in words, and in cave drawings each with a very important message. Their rituals are incomprehensible to Europeans, unless one of their elders explains them to us. The sound of clapsticks, bullroarer and digeridoo is unknown to many Europeans and Americans.
I believe that culture also depends on the living conditions of people. People who live in deserts live in tents, they are often nomads. Their food consists of what they find in the desert.
In the arctic regions, where there are no woods, people build their houses of ice. They eat fish and seals. Their clothes are made of skins or testines of fish.

Culture is a combination of living conditions, depending on environment, intelligence,ingenuity and creativity. Survival is the main goal. Food, housing and clothing are the first necessities. Communication is becoming more and more important to fill all those needs. Sounds and gestures are not enough, therefore language comes into being and customs arise. Then when a community is getting well organized, creativity can be used to create art. Language is now also used to amuse and teach people. Music and language together are even better means to tell stories and help to remember facts and legends. Language is now written down; first in stone or clay tablets, later paper is used. Housing is now not only used for accomodation, but people like to build beautiful dwellings, and so architecture becomes a new art form. Clothes are going to be designed not only to keep one's body covered and warm, but to become more attractive and colourful.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started a new round of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

ABC Wednesday, C for Cairns.

Click on photos to see more details. One of the hotels on the Esplanade.

When I arrive in Australia to see my daughter, we often stay at the "Gray Whale", a motel in Cairns, because Cooktown, where my daughter lives, is 360kms from Cairns, and I always arrive early in the morning.She meets me at the airport, we have breakfast and go to the motel or hotel.We do the same when I leave. Sometimes, however, we stay at a holiday resort (see slide).The two bottom photos are from the Esplanade.

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The city itself was named after William Wellington Cairns (the then Governor of Queensland). It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold, metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region.

The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of 122,731 at the 2006 census.Tourism is the largest income producer for the region, followed closely by the sugar industry.

Cairns is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 130 km (81 mi) north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

The city has used its natural surroundings to its advantage, with the construction of several small theme parks for tourists. Among them are Rainforestation Nature Park, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which extends for 7.5 km (4.7 mi) over World Heritage rainforest.( see Wikipedia)

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

ABC Wednesday C for Cooktown, Queensland, Australia

Cooktown is the place where my daughter lives. I live in Holland.

Click on photos to enlarge to see more details.


1.Musical Boat, which contains musical instruments
2.Market on Saturdays

3.Milbi Wall= Wall of tales ( see my post of 14th October 2008 )
4.Cook's Landing ( here we often had a cup of coffee and a meal)

Cooktown is situated in the north-east of Australia in Queensland
The site of modern Cooktown was the meeting place of two vastly different cultures when, in June 1770, the local Aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr tribe cautiously watched the crippled sailing vessel – His Majesty's Bark Endeavour – limp up the coast of their territory seeking a safe harbour after sustaining serious damage to its wooden hull from running aground on Endeavour Reef south of Cooktown. The Guugu Yimithirr saw Endeavour beached in the calm waters near the mouth of their river, which they called "Wahalumbaal". James Cook wrote: “. . . it was happy for us that a place of refuge was at hand; for we soon found that the ship would not work, and it is remarkable that in the whole course of our voyage we had seen no place that our present circumstances could have afforded us the same relief".


The British crew spent seven weeks on the site of the present day Cooktown, repairing their ship, replenishing food and water supplies, and caring for their sick. While the wealthy scientist, Joseph Banks, and Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander, who accompanied Cook on the expedition, were collecting, preserving and documenting many new species of plants, the young artist Sydney Parkinson was illustrating them. He was the first English artist to portray Aboriginal people from direct observation.

After some weeks, Banks met and spoke with the local people, recording about 50 Guugu Yimithirr words, including the name of the intriguing animal the natives called gangurru (which he transcribed as “Kangaru”). The kangaroo was first seen by European settlers on Grassy Hill during this trip.


Cook named the river the “Endeavour”, after his ship, and, as they sailed north, he hoisted the flag known as the 'Queen Anne Jack' and claimed possession of the whole eastern coast of Australia for Britain. He named Cape York Peninsula after the then HRH the Duke of York ("The Grand Old Duke of York").





ABC is created by Denise Nesbitt. It has been an enormous success. See more lovely and interesting words.Click on the logo in the sidebar.