Visited Jervis Bay and the surrounding area in New South Wales. Beautiful place. The water here is very clear. Nothing like the sediment water we have on our beaches. You can see the bottom way out into the water. I think the difference is our waves cause the water to churn up the sand so it is harder to see. But Jervis is a Bay with smaller waves.

What I am about to write is based on ignorance. I just had no idea. I came here thinking, “I cannot wait to see Aborigines. Seeing them would be amazing.” In my mind, Aboriginal peoples were still living in the bush cooking over a fire. I was ignorant to all they have endured. I believe I should recognize my ignorance and work to educate myself. I did not know Aboriginal peoples identify as black people. I thought they were aborigines, which is not an accepted name. Accepted terms/names are changing. If you read this and do not agree with the term I used, please message me. I am always learning.

I watched this movie. Richard Bell is a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities. He is an activist and artist. His work challenges the white colonialist views of Aboriginal art. I saw the picture on the right at the Art Gallery New South Wales in Sydney. I had no idea it was there, but recognized it immediately as his work. I saw the movie first.

We visited the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum. Very glad we did. I learned about the possum coat. You can read about them in the last photo. Extremely interesting. This is the short version. When a child is born a possum skin coat is made for them to wear. As they age, the coat grows with them–more skins added. Inside the coat, there may be elaborate designs that tell a story. The coat is the first thing a baby touches and the last thing touched after death. Most people are buried in their possum coat. There are only 2 original coats still in existence. The one you see stretched out was made by locals as an example. The ducks represent the 13 tribes of the South. The one you see behind glass is a full coat but not old. You cannot imagine how beautiful they are. If you are interested in more information, see this website Museums Victoria. This seems like something we would do in the south (USA).

My next story is a great example of going with your prior knowledge. John talked about these great pies in Berry (very small town in New South Wales near the coast). He said they were the BEST pies and we had to get one. We did the last day we were there. As lunch time approached, we headed to the Berry Bakery. I thought we were picking up a pie to take home. They said, “No. We are eating pies.” The idea of eating a sweet pie for lunch did not turn me on. I wondered what I would eat while they ate pie. I did not want to be rude so I decided I would just eat pie like everyone else in the group. They are supposed to be the BEST after all. I was thinking berry or fruit pie. Nope! Meat pies. We would call them pot pies. They were so good. The crust is flaky and the filling is tasty. My Dad would like them. They handed me my pie and I immediately looked for napkins and a fork. Nope! You eat them with your hands and NO napkins. Seems there is an art to eating them without getting them all over the place. I passed the eating test by eating it without the pie falling apart, but I am a napkin girl. Mine: chicken and curry. Elaine: minced meat.