IMAGES: GETTY; JUSTIN MENEGUZZI; WALKABOUT CULTURAL ADVENTURES


AUSTRALIA


“Some of the old ways aren’t done anymore because


there are other ways that are more convenient, like a fi shing rod,” explains Bart as we approach an isolated rocky outcrop jutting out of the fl ats. He pauses, then plunges his hook deep into the mud and pulls. It’s not clear what he’s done at fi rst, but after a few seconds a large-clawed crab appears in the muck and tumbles belly-side-up onto the mud. Its claws scrabble furiously at the blue sky. “Alright mate, you’re bloody lucky,” says Bart, turning to me with a grin on his face. “It’s mud crab for morning tea.” Moving with an added pep in his step and a resigned-


looking mud crab dangling beside him, Bart explains how a small air bubble was all it took to betray the crab’s location. We take a wide loop through the mangroves, back to where we started. While the purpose of Bart’s tours is to explore the coast and learn about the area’s unique natural and cultural history, every experience is diff erent depending on the season and what he fi nds. It just so happens this tour is ending in a cook-up. Bart paces along the banks salvaging dry branches


and coconut husks to use as kindling, then starts to build a small fi re. The carapace chars and foams, the smoke sweetening the air with the promise of juicy crab meat. He expertly prepares our mid-morning snack and hands me a claw. We eat sitting cross-legged on ochre soil in the shade of a baobab tree, keeping one eye on the turquoise tide as it slowly sweeps back into the mangroves and submerges the fl ats once more.


HOW TO DO IT: Narlijia Experiences Broome’s guided mangrove walks start from A$100 (£51) for adults and A$65 (£33) for children aged five to 13. toursbroome.com.au


MEET JUAN WALKER


Juan is a Kuku Yalanji man and owner of Walkabout Cultural Adventures in northern Queensland


“For the Kuku Yalanji people, the trees of the rainforest, the rocks of the river beds and the fringing reefs of the sea were all formed by our Ancestors, who continue to live in the land, water and sky. The natural environment provides us with everything we need to survive and over thousands of generations our people have lived at one with it. We believe if you look after Country, it will look after you too. “I love my job because it allows me to be


out in Country every day. I think the only way visitors can get a true understanding of this part of the world is to come out and connect to the land — to feel the mud between your toes, the humidity between the trees. “One of the regular highlights for our


guests is practising how to use a spear or throw a boomerang. It doesn’t really matter if you’re any good at it or not. It’s more about connection and gaining a deeper appreciation of the land that you can take home.” walkaboutadventures.com.au


NOVEMBER 2024 85


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