Coedie McAvoy, son of cultural elder Adrian Burragubba, has made the following call for participants in this year's 'Tour de Carmichael', a five-day cultural tour on pushbikes through country impacted by Adani's destructive Carmichael coal project:
Waddamuli wanggarrayn! Hello everyone!
Ngadyu narri Coedie. My name is Coedie.
As a Wangan and Jagalingou man, I invite you to come to my Country.
I am writing to you from Waddananggu, where we have occupied Wangan and Jagalingou homelands for over six months now, opposite the Adani/Bravus Carmichael mine pit.
For over 200 days and 200 nights we have been re-occupying our land. Despite Adani’s attempts to remove and antagonise us, we have continued our cultural ceremony unhindered. And we have made history – our rights to practise our culture on a mining lease have now been recognised under Queensland human-rights laws.
Tour De Carmichael is not a protest but a guided cultural tour on pushbikes. Come and learn about the significant sites and how they relate to Wangan & Jagalingou people. We will be holding cultural workshops at different campsites at the end of each day.
Tour De Carmichael - Cycle for Country
WHAT: 5-day, 100-km guided cycle tour led by me, Coedie, son of Adrian Burragubba, to learn about Wangan and Jagalingou culture and see what’s at risk from Adani’s destructive mega coal mine. The tour is family friendly and is working with the Queensland Police Service to provide a safe environment. We will have support vehicles driving behind that can carry water, food and camping gear.
WHEN: Monday 23rd May – Friday 27th May 2022.
WHERE: Wangan and Jagalingou country in central Queensland. The bike ride begins at the corner of the Gregory Highway and Elgin Road, with the finish line being the Waddananggu ceremony in front of the Adani Carmichael mine pit. We will be stopping at different camps along the way to break up the Tour.
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For the folks that participated last year, TDC will run a bit differently this time. As we are still occupying land at Waddananggu, it makes sense to end the Tour here!
We'll have plenty of fun along the way, including optional bike races from camp to camp. If you're not up for racing, you can stay with the main pack, ride slow and have meaningful chats with people.
Everyone is more than welcome to come, even if you can't ride. There are plenty of volunteer support roles! Last year we had over 100 bike riders for the Tour de Carmichael 2021. Let's see if we can make it even bigger this year!
I hope to see you all soon on my homelands.
Waddamuli
Coedie McAvoy
P.S. Head to the website to learn more and secure your spot on the tour.
