CAPE YORK PENINSULA

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 August 1933, Page 8

CAPE YORK PENINSULA

MR lON IDRIESS’S ADDRESS. SYDNEY, July 28. “I have been wandering for 23 years in the north of Australia, but I have never known of a single' shooting or poisoning of a native by a white man,” declared the author, Mr lon Idriess, in an address to the annual conference of the Agricultural Bureau at Uawkesbury College last K night. L This remark was prompted by one J- of many questions asked Mr Idriess *• after he had given an interesting lecture on general conditions and life in Cape York Peninsula. He said that , development of the peninsula was still ’ in the pioneering stages, and with few exceptions, the living quarters on cattle stations consisted of bark humpies. The country was very fertile in parts, and could support a big _ population. Land was cheap, the . Government offering areas of up to 500 square miles at a rental of only 2/- a square mile. The main trouble was that of marketing. The stock had to be driven hundreds of miles. This arduous trip might be undertaken, only to find, on arrival at Cairns, that the meat works had < closed down. An industry of some importance, said Mr Idriess, was that of sandalwood. This was cut and stacked by the natives, and exchanged with the traders for tobacco, stores, and tomahawks. The wood was then sold to the Chinese, who made ornaments out of it, and extracted valuable oils from it. Dingoes were plentiful in' this area, and it was the only plac© he knew where they hunted in packs. The natives had grown tobacto over a very long period. The tobacco was placed in a long bamboo cane, which was handed round to each member of the tribe for a “pull.” Th© smoke must not be wasted, so it was puffed back into the pipe. Mr Idriess gave a thrilling account of the activities of the pearl divers, who were, he declared, the best in.the world. They had many adventures with sharks. When attacked, the native did not make for the surface, but clung tightly to the coral. Tfcis prevented the shark from turning him over. The shark would then circle the diver, who would bide his time and make a dash for safety.