Forlorn Yarrabah

While climbing up the road to Yarrabah Aboriginal Reserve I began to realise I was going somewhere neglected. After driving on kilometres of flawless paved roads in the middle of nowhere that seemed to be enjoyed by far more kangaroos than vehicles, this one was bumpy, covered in gravel and mud from the rainforest no one had bothered to clear.
Half way through the drive, a large sign welcomed visitors to the reserve, but larger than the welcoming sentence was an explicit prohibition to bring in alcohol, under the threat of an exorbitant fine.
After sharp turns and abandoned construction work signs I entered the village. A street with ill-maintained single-family, single-storey houses, all looking the same and no cars anywhere. It had to be difficult to go to the city if there were only the few vehicles I could spot.
Aboriginals are the pebble in Australia’s shoe. Bound to the land, they lost their culture when the colonizers banished them and built their settlements. They were forced to adapt to lifestyles and values that were not theirs and this didn’t work very well. Substance abuse is frequent among the aboriginal population in cities and it is frequent to see them around Central Station in Sydney with a paper bag disclosing the tip of a bottleneck. Others don’t even have that and live in Yarrabah.
Heading to the beach, I crossed the whole village and stumbled upon a couple of dishevelled inhabitants in pyjamas.
I finally arrived at the local aboriginal museum. The sign at the door said it should have been open, but the door was closed, the lights inside were off and no one seemed to be around.
I lit a cigarette. The beach was beautiful, the day was sunny. But I felt uneasy. After a while, a young man in jeans and a brown shirt approached me.
- What do you want? – He said harshly.
- I wanted to visit the museum, but it’s closed.
- There is no electricity. It’s the third day we don’t have any light.
When I left the village I passed by what looked like a school due to the playground. It looked empty as well.
On my way to Cairns I stopped next to the road to view Cairns from a small cape. It was evening, the boardwalk and the buildings were all starting to light up. What have you done, Australia?