We were travelling between Port Douglas and Cairns when we spotted stacks and stacks of rock piles on the beach near the road.
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| Balancing rocks near Cairns (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
Needless to say, we were intrigued. We had not read anything about this unusual spot in our research of the area.
So on the last day of our stay in Port Douglas we made it a point to stop there. Parking was very very limited in the area as it was not an 'official' tourist stop nor lookout spot. It is only possible to stop here when you are travelling from Port Douglas to Cairns as there is only a very very narrow strip of 'parking' on the beach side that you can glide into. (Do not attempt to turn right into this space if you are travelling norhtwards towards Port Douglas - drive exactly 2 km down the road to Wangetti Beach where there is a parking area that you can turn around in.)
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| Looks sturdy enough (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
As I stood there watching those who had arrived earlier, I noticed that there was such an air of mischievous delight as old and young tried their hand at this simple act of stacking up stones in this public space. It felt like a stolen pleasure. It drew out the creative spark in people as they scrounged around looking for appropriate sized stones and rocks to create their 'sculpture' - their piece of art.
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| Concentrating and creating (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
It was as if we were saying with that simple act, "We were here". We had left our mark. Whether it lasted just a day or two, or weeks or months, it didn't matter. Our participation was contributing to the pleasure we were giving others as they too came to build their memorial. It was a kind of connection with nature and with those coming after us, and those before us.
It was collaboration at its best. It was community art. Each piece contributing to making a larger whole. It was very satisfying.
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| Communal effort (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
Everyone respected the other's 'master pieces' - no matter how sturdy or flimsy they were, we took care not to bump into them or topple them over.
The act of building the sculpture-memorial was, might I say, rather zen. It was a task that couldn't be hurried. It physically made me slow down as I looked around for my piece of rock that was the appropriate size for the task - first a stable base and then smaller ones on top.
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| Each one a work of art (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
I attempted a couple before we had to leave. I left rather reluctantly. This was the kind of thing I could easily have spent more time here - to create, to capture the moment digitally, and to connect.
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| A true balancing act. Does it look like a sea-lion? (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) |
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