Topical Concurrent Session 2E
Date: Thursday 1 September 2016
Time: 1.30pm – 5.00pm
Cost: $90.00 per person (afternoon tea and bus transfers included in cost)
Maximum: 30 attendees (don't forget to book when registering to secure your place as spaces are limited)
Take a half-day trip to Honeymoon Gap, an area near Simpsons Gap - one of the most prominent gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Located 18 kilometres from Alice Springs, Simpsons Gap features the towering cliffs of Simpsons Range, a permanent waterhole, and opportunities to spot resident wildlife and ancient ghost gums. The area is an important spiritual site to the Arrarnta Aboriginal people, where several dreaming trails and stories cross.
This half-day ‘Cultural Fire’ activity will be led by an indigenous lecturer and is a perfect opportunity for delegates to immerse themselves in the hidden beauties of Australia and indigenous cultural practices. Your experience will include making damper, cooking kangaroo tails and boiling billies of tea by campfire and making ‘bush balm’. At the end of the trip you will walk a way with a jar of bush medicine you have personally made and a great cultural experience.
Note: this is an outdoor cultural experience in a remote location which may have some rocky, uneven ground. Please also be aware that no manmade shelters or amenities will be available during the activity.
Sensible clothing and sunscreen should be worn. We suggest sneakers or closed toe shoes and practical, sturdy clothing including a hat.
For more information on Simpsons Gap and the West Macdonnell Ranges, please click here.
Topical Concurrent Session 5E
Date: Friday 2 September 2016
Time: 1.30pm - 3.30pm
Cost: $55.00 per person (afternoon tea and bus transfers included in cost)
Maximum: 25 attendees (don't forget to book when registering to secure your place as spaces are limited)
In the Heart of Central Australia lives the Purple House; a home away from home for many indigenous dialysis patients and their families who have been forced to leave their communities to access dialysis treatment in Alice Springs for end stage renal failure. The Wellbeing Program began out of the need for patients to have access to their traditional healing practices whilst living in town. Today, the Wellbeing Program supports the making and selling of 'bush balm' products and has expanded to include a catering service and cultural workshops in bush balm production. Attending the workshop is a great way for delegates to talk, learn and share ideas of both modern and traditional healing practices.
The Workshop/Tour will consist of an introduction to the Purple House followed by a demonstration and presentation of bush balm products and medicinal plants. There will also be a tour of the premises ending with a traditional afternoon tea of damper and kangaroo tail (subject to availability), or wattle seed scones, cheese and fruits.
For more information on the Purple House, please click here.