AustraliaQuest is an interactive expedition developed by Classroom Connect. For five weeks a team of scientists and explorers will examine the ancient culture of the Aborigines and attempt to determine how it affects their modern existence.

Team Update

A Quest for Aboriginal Wisdom

The Quest support vehicle has already suffered three blow outs -- and it's only Day 1!

By Dan Buettner

Sunday night, Olympic closing ceremonies ended the planet's biggest sporting event. Australians celebrated in the streets. In Sydney, they shot off one of history's greatest fireworks displays. Even here in the barren Outback, people partied. They came out of the bush, stamped the dust off their feet and gathered around the Prairie Hotel's veranda to watch Sydney pass the torch to Athens on Satellite TV.

Australia has much to celebrate: for a country with a paltry population of 18 million, their fourth place finish for most medals won was an impressive feat. Perhaps their biggest triumph, though, was Cathy Freeman's gold medal in the 400 meter run. For most Australians -- especially Cathy's 386,000 fellow Aboriginal Australians -- her win demonstrates that her people can accomplish anything when given the opportunity.

VIDEO Visit the daily movie feature from the AustaliaQuest team Play video     More on AustraliaQuest from Classroom Connect: Quest Critters Set the Course Mystery Photo Quest Map        MORE REPORTS COMING SOON Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21 Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25

For the next five weeks, we'll focus on the accomplishments of Aboriginal Peoples. Our Quest will take us from the southern coast to the very center of the continent, through the remote Outback. Along the way, we'll explore the flora and fauna, cultures, geography, climate and environmental issues. But our main goal is to glean modern lessons from ancient wisdom, and Aboriginal wisdom is the oldest in the world.

Our story begins 60,000 years ago when the world was a much colder place. Then, polar ice caps and glaciers held much more water than they do now and the ocean around Australia was 400-600 feet lower than it is today. Then, New Guinea and Tasmania were part of the greater Australian land mass. To the north, Java, Sumatra and Borneo were all part of the Asian mainland and under these circumstances it was possible for people to migrate to Australia from Southeast Asia by island hopping, never leaving sight of land.

Thirty thousand years ago the land was lusher, the climate cooler, and rain more plentiful. Marsupials the size of rhinoceroses grazed the grasslands, while 10-foot tall kangaroos bounced by. Then, about 8,000 years ago, the ice age warmed and the land dried up. Australia's heartland got dustier, desert-like in parts. But Aboriginal people didn't go away. They adapted, and did so brilliantly.

Working together with you, our goal is to identify Aboriginal wisdom in three areas: practical, environmental and social. How did they create a society that lasted 60,000 years? What sorts of practical knowledge can all those years of existence contribute to modern science? How were they able to make a living off of their land for all those centuries without destroying it?

The team cycles into Flinders Ranges to begin AustraliaQuest

In addition to the core team who you might have met on AmericaQuest or AsiaQuest, we've added two new teammates who make us the strongest team ever. Sherri Hitz, a brilliant and energetic scientist, will focus on the environmental questions, while writer Stephanie Gregory will focus her ample talents on interviewing and learning from Aboriginal people. John will home in on Aboriginal society, both ancient and modern, and I will explore practical knowledge and the lessons of a life lived simply. And this week, Aborigine Terry Coulthard will help guide us through the first leg of the Outback here in the Flinders Ranges.

At the end of AustraliaQuest, I'm going to invite you to help me write a document that lists all of our findings. Then, we'll share that information with scientists, the media and the Australian government. What starts out as one woman's win in a 400-meter sprint just may end up to be wisdom that helps us all in the long run.

Pedals Up!

Dan Buettner

AustraliaQuest
Classroom Connect