Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

CAIRNS 269
Value Travel Tip
If you stay in Cairns, check out what there is to see and do in and around
Port Douglas (see “Port Douglas, Daintree & the Cape Tribulation Area”
later in this chapter). Many tour operators in Port Douglas offer free or
inexpensive transfers from Cairns.
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN & AROUND CAIRNS
Without a doubt, the top attraction in Cairns—apart from the Great Barrier
Reef—is the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park (see below) For details on visiting
the Reef from Cairns, see “Exploring the Great Barrier Reef,” earlier in this
chapter.
LEARNING ABOUT ABORIGINAL CULTURE
Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park Don’t miss this. Whether you
choose the day or night experience, the Tjapukai (pronounced Jab-oo-gai) cultural
park is one of the best chances you’ll have to discover the history and culture
of the Aborigines without going to Central Australia. American theater
director Don Freeman and his French-Canadian show-dancer wife, Judy,
founded the dance show in 1987, working with local Aborigines, including
acclaimed dancer and songwriter David Hudson. Today it is a sophisticated,
multi-award-winning cultural park with an international reputation. Don and
Judy are still heavily involved, but the park is 51% owned by the Aboriginals
who work in it.
Housed in a striking modern building that incorporates Aboriginal themes
and colors, the Tjapukai experience needs at least 2 to 3 hours. Start in the Creation
Theatre, where the latest in illusion, theatrics, and technology are used to
tell the story of the creation of the world according to the spiritual beliefs of
Tjapukai people. Actors work with spectacular special effects and holographic
images, sometimes up to 3m (9 3 ⁄4 ft.) high, to illustrate the legends. The production
is performed in the Tjapukai language, translated through headsets.
Move on through the Magic Space museum and gallery section of the complex
to the History Theatre, where a 20-minute film relates the history of the
Tjapukai people since the coming of white settlers in the 1880s.
Outside, a suspension bridge links the main building with a cultural village
where you can try boomerang and spear throwing, fire-making and didgeridoo
playing, and learn about bush foods and medicines. In the open-sided Dance
Theatre, Aboriginal men and women perform dances incorporating ancient and
modern steps. Shows and demonstrations are planned so visitors can move from
one to another easily, without missing anything. The complex also includes a
restaurant and coffee shop, and an arts-and-crafts gallery and shop is stocked
with the work of Aboriginal artists and crafts workers.
“Tjapukai by Night” tours operate on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, from 7:30
to 11pm, and include transfers to and from accommodations, interactive time
in the Magic Space artspace museum, a Creation Show performance, and an
outdoor Serpent Circle—a new, interactive show featuring tapsticks for each
guest, a join-in corroboree, and a dramatic ceremony involving fire and water. It
is followed by a buffet dinner and dance show, and the chance to meet the
Tjapukai dancers. The cost is A$92 (US$60) adults and A$46 (US$30) children
4 to 14.