Voice 1
Hello, and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Today's Spotlight tells about a long walk through Australia. Here are Marina Santee and Adam Navis to tell more.
Voice 2
More and more people are following a little black snake through Western Australia. It is part of a special walking experience which people from all parts of the world are enjoying. The snake, or serpent, is called Waugal. It is the name of something which the first people of Western Australia, the Aborigines, believed in from early in their history.
Voice 3
In the past, the Aborigines all over Australia told stories about something they called the Rainbow Serpent. They believed it was a kind of spirit which created the universe and all people. The Aborigines in Western Australia are called the Bibbulmun people. The Bibbulmun people gave the spirit the name Waugal, which means "soul, spirit, or breath." They said it guarded all lakes and rivers.
Voice 2
Today, not many people believe in the Rainbow Serpent, but pictures of the Waugal are used as signs on a one thousand [1,000] kilometer walking path, or track, south of Perth. Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. The track starts at Kalamunda in the hills near Perth. And it leads all the way to Albany, on the south coast. The picture on the signs looks like a black snake painted on a little yellow triangle. The signs are fixed on trees next to the path. By following the Waugal signs, walkers are protected from becoming lost in the Australian bush country.
Voice 3
The walking path is called the Bibbulmun Track to remember those first people to live in that part of Australia. They travelled all across the land for a very long time before white people came to live there. When they travelled, they always walked.
Voice 2
Now people of all ages are discovering something special on this walking track. Young people like the physical test of many hills and mountains. Very few people can go "end to end" in less than one month. They all like the idea of exercise to keep strong and healthy in such a beautiful place. Most other ways of keeping good health cost a lot of money, but no one has to pay anything to use the walking track.
Voice 3
Many schools in Western Australia today are taking groups of boys and girls walking on this famous track. They do this to teach the young people how to keep healthy and have fun at the same time. Most times, they go for one or two days along one part of the track. The next time, they will choose to walk on another part.
Voice 2
Many older people enjoy walking on The Bibbulmun. Sometimes they go together in small groups. Husbands and wives like to walk together - just the two of them. Other people like to walk alone, especially older men. When they are alone, they can walk as fast as they want, or as slow as they want. They have plenty of time to think when they walk by themselves. For some walkers, The Bibbulmun is a place to escape from problems or from people who give them trouble. They can hide among the trees on the walking track and leave their troubles behind.
Voice 3
Old people usually do not have jobs they have to go to. So they spend many weeks at a time walking on the track. They have plenty of time and do not have to hurry. Many of them complete walking the whole of The Bibbulmun at their own slow speed. When they have eaten all their food, they buy what they need in small towns near the track and then continue to walk.
Voice 2
One thing that all people enjoy on The Bibbulmun is walking through the different kinds of natural environment in Western Australia. Near Perth there is a line of hills and valleys. In the past, Aborigines said it was like the body of the Waugal spirit. South of Perth there are tall mountains. People who climb to the top of the mountains enjoy looking far across the land. This was very useful for Aborigines. They did not have airplanes, cars or telephones.
Voice 3
For hundreds of kilometers the walking track passes through thick forests. Many of the huge trees in those ancient forests grow only in Western Australia. The karri, jarrah and mari trees are famous because of the quality of their wood.
Voice 2
Along the south coast the Bibbulmun Track and the Waugal take walkers close to the Great Southern Ocean. On their way to the town of Albany they can swim in beautiful blue water next to white sand. Albany is a beautiful place next to King George Sound, a natural sea port that is bigger than Sydney Harbour.
Voice 3
On the way through all these places of beauty, walkers on the Bibbulmun Track also see plants, animals and birds which are not seen anywhere else in the world. The wild flowers during the spring season are famous. Walkers can enjoy watching Australian animals in their wild environment, such as kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots and possums. They can see Australia's huge birds - the emus.
Voice 2
One thing all walkers on The Bibbulmun like is the good condition of the track and of its camping places. Each camp has a building made of wood which gives walkers a good place to shelter from all kinds of weather. Each camp also has a rain water tank, a clean toilet and a place to light a camp fire. State government workers make sure that each camping place has firewood, and that the toilet is kept clean. A big team of unpaid workers look after the walking track all the time.
Voice 3
Walkers of all ages agree that following the Waugal in the peaceful beauty of the Bibbulmun Track is a positive experience. People with religious faith believe the natural environment has power to heal the human heart because God created it for us to live in.
Voice 2
Aboriginal stories about a kind of "spirit" or "breath" that created all things and guards the lakes and rivers, is a little like some teaching in the Christian holy book, the Bible. The Bible says that the Spirit, or Breath, of God made the world, the stars and all creatures, including humans. It says he made the natural environment especially for all creatures, including humans, to live in. The Bible also says that the Spirit of God is still with us and has power to heal. A modern Christian song says Australia is "the land of the Holy Spirit." This song celebrates the beautiful land that God made and the life that is in it.
|