The Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree

The sounds of the outback engulfed me, the Kookaburra’s unmistakable laugh and the irritating hum of bush crickets. We got into the ancient jeep and made our way down the rough, potholed filled road towards Hope Vale, one of the last remaining Aboriginal communities. Climbing out of the mercifully air conditioned truck we were met by a solid wall of humidity and the most non stereotypical aborigine I have ever seen. He was not emaciated, standing one legged in a loin cloth leaning on a stick covered in ochre and white paint, but was a heavy man with brilliantly wrinkled, chocolate coloured skin wearing a battered cap, but his most defining feature was his cheeky smile and twinkling eyes that exuded wisdom but also a mischievous youthfulness; the only stereotype that remained was the walking stick in his hand. I felt an instant connection with Willie as aborigines believe that the Earth is not a platform for human life but is a living being in its own right. Humans are a part of it and therefore the health of the earth is intrinsically linked to our own. We covered a variety of terrain on our way to the ancestral site: coastal mangroves where the Great Barrier Reef met land, lush rainforest where the foliage was every shade of green and air so moist you could swim in it and hilltop savannah, plains of black rock with patches of scrub grass and dead trees. Turquoise water cascaded over a one hundred foot drop into a crystal clear pool surrounded by a breath-taking oasis. Willie took us behind the flowing water to a cave and following the burgundy curves of the 1000 year old drawing with his fingertips he explained how the Rainbow Serpent is the aboriginal creator of the world. Aboriginals from Willie’s tribe had been giving birth in the cave for centuries; including his father and grandfather. The paintings depicted women giving birth alongside actual ancient handprints. Placing my hand onto the palm print was like a mirror into the past. Behind the spectacular, diverse landscapes, the bizarre nature, the beer and the surfboards Australia hides a dark secret. We stepped into a clearing which looked like a normal stretch of land in the Australian outback; however Willie explained that English settlers had massacred a community of 100 aborigines there in 1849; even the crimson soil spoke of spilt blood. Willie highlighted the importance of practicing compassion and kindness irrespective of your background or race; after all we all bleed the same colour.