Celebration offers visitors a blaze of glory

WHAT a celebration, and how clever! Celebrating that which we northerners know as a part of life, but for travellers, it’s wonderfully unique. A cane burn.

For decades we’ve known how beautiful a cane burn is at night.

Now it’s an incredible event that begins the celebration of the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, and now and then at the same time, the Australian Toe Cutting championships.

This truly is what North Queensland is all about at this time of year during the World’s Best Weather ( WBW), having a great family fest for locals and visitors.

Not only was there an incredible event in the cane cut, but lots of family activities in these atmospheric old showgrounds.

It truly was that good – plenty of food, craft for the kids, old machinery, cane truck rides, music, boomerang throwing and making by our first Australian Elder Russel Butler, whip cracking, and our mate, Eddie from GudJuda Turtle Rescue Tours. The lads had a huge turtle that they used to show the kids how they tagged them.

Tell me just where else in the world you could see that, and done by a traditional owner right in front of you. That turtle was huge, in fact, I’m not sure if it was a turtle or a ferry. A great idea was that they invited Wendy, an event specialist from down south, to critique and help them improve – very professional.

By the way, the Water Festival and Harvest Fest still exist, again celebrating that which is local – Cane, Sugar, the Water.

Maybe we could have a No Water Festival, and I could have a No Hair To Cut Festival.

It’s that time of year I get into historical, and name calling trouble, and thanks to Mike Moloney of C and C Engineering in the Bohle for sticking up for me, and quoting Cook’s journals when he came this way in June 1770. That is Cook came past, not Mike.

Ol’ Jimmy called it Magnetical Isle or Head, as he wasn’t sure if it was joined to the mainland, so by his pen, it is Magnetical Isle. And it’s quoted on the plaque on Horseshoe Bay too.

Having said that, the real true name is Yunbenun by our Wulgurukaba mates. So as it’s the anniversary tomorrow of it being renamed Magnetical Isle, maybe we should also call it by its real name of Yunbenun. Either way, it truly is a local paradise.

And to think for over 10 years I would land on Magnetical dressed as the old Captain, and be a part of something I had the great privilege of creating all those years ago, the Rediscovery weekend fest. I sometimes wonder how we all survived so much fun and silliness.

I bet Cook wished he had actually landed, and stayed with us, they were somewhat naughty on Hawaii, and the barbecue for him on Kealakekua Bay, was certainly different to the big barbie we had for him on Horseshoe.

Happy Days!