Lets have a Captain Cook at 1770!

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Six ks', east of Agnes Waters is the historic town of 1770. We only dropped in for the arvo and didn't do the historic little town justice, but we will definitely have a better Captain Cook, next time we travel north for our winter sojourn. High up on the ocean side cliffs, its pretty amazing to see one of the very few sunsets over the ocean on the east coast of Oz, this is because the land juts out, and faces west over the historic bay inlet, sadly for us the day we were there, clouds gathered at sunset and so we didn't get the spekky views we had heard so much about, "better luck next time ole chap!".

There is a rock cairn marking the landing site, where Cooky and his fellow invaders made landfall in 1770, it is incredibly eerie to stand on the same little beach centuries later, trying to visualize and get a sense of the occasion. 18th century explorers far from home, nervously making landfall on alien terra firma, with astonished indigenous people, incredulously observing the strange new comers in their tall ships and landing craft. Although history tells us that the French, Dutch and Portugese explorers, had made similar voyages some time earlier, but this must have been an incredible encounter for everyone. I couldn't help thinking what it would be like to make a fresh start to colonisation, after all the English had eighteen years grace to get it right, before the real invasion. But I feel it all went so incredibly wrong, and could have and should have been done so much better, bloody pommy's. It took big Kev Rudd, in 2007 to at least apologize on our behalf for all the sorry business of the past.

I get a great sense of closure and yet more to be done when I hear the indigenous with a beautiful tear filled voice say, "I FORGIVE YOU", responding to the white sorry business. I would love to see some expansion on true conciliation with now the apology and the unfolding forgiveness, cemented in history. Eventually, and it will take an event of some great magnitude, to see some beautiful progress of togetherness, respect and kindness extended to the first Australians and to all people, yes they are people, who come to our shores. In the words of INXS, dream on black girl, dream on white boy and wake up to a brand new day, but I am one and hopefully one of many, who long to see this in our lifetime, here's hoping, share the love people!

After our too little, too late, stay at 1770, we are now heading south for the summer, it is with a little sadness that we have to turn the Freedom machine around and head south after our northern winter sojourn. But like the captain, we are along way from home, and so it is time for us to find our way back to northern New South Wales, for our summer camp. Along the way we will revisit a few favorite as we retrace the many white lines to homeland. So after this all too brief blog, fare you all well and may the spring sun warm your days from old man winters grip, although this winter has hardly been winter, has it!, "don't get me started on climate change,"

Hooro and love to all from Morningbird and Littleflower.

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Photos

Cooks landing beach 1770
check out the indigenous face lower centre right

Not longer boats, coming to win us!
Cat Stevens, sung longer boats, here are the Cats of 1770