Is it time we promoted Aztlan, a significant part of Ballina’s history?
While the Big Prawn saga continues, what could be Ballina’s most famous tourist drawcard continues to be ignored.
We’re talking about the Aztlan, which took part in the epic Las Balsas raft expedition of 1973 in which three balsa rafts and their crew crossed the Pacific Ocean from South America, making landfall at Ballina.
The raft is now on display at the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum, but despite the best efforts of the volunteers at the museum, its existence is somewhat of a secret.
Ballina Info received these comments this week from Sue Haynes in response to a report we published last year to mark the expedition’s 35th anniversary. In the report, Gabriel Salas, a crew member on the expedition, reminisced about the historic journey.
Sue wrote: “The neighbours have just been tripping around Queensland and NSW and mentioned La Balsa at Ballina.
“I vaguely thought they were referring to one of Thor Heyerdahl’s crafts, and couldn’t believe or understand that this La Balsa made it to Australia.
“I am 50, not incredibly ignorant, and have been hugely interested in many sea craft, and yet honestly I had never heard of this journey.
“It is very exciting, and pretty unbelievable that it is not being exploited to attract tourists.
“In fact, in all the promotional literature the neighbours brought back, we could find no mention of the raft.
“I had to Google it to find out more.
“The council must be mad. If that council are not interested in promoting this phenomenal story, perhaps another council would like to house the raft and do its journey justice, not to mention bringing some cash into their community.”
When he visited last year, Gabriel Salas also was disappointed that the raft’s presence in Ballina was not better publicised.
“Although Ballina Council did a wonderful job protecting and presenting the raft, only a few people in Australia know of her existence,” he said.
“These days a few retired and very kind pensioners take care of the museum. Entrance is by voluntary donations.
“In contrast, the museum in Oslo where the Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki raft is kept receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
“They come from over 160 countries in the world. The entrance fees – of approximately $A13 per person – take care of the maintenance costs of the museum and also finance the activities of archaeological and anthropological research organisations operating all over the world.
“Why does the Kon-Tiki Museum receive so many visitors and the Ballina museum hardly any?
“I believe the main problem is lack of publicity. The Ballina museum has not even a sign in the highway letting travellers know of its existence.
“Even Dubbo City Council has done a better job of advertising the presence of the Zoo in its vicinity.
“It is true that the Kon-Tiki was the first raft to plough the Pacific Ocean waves, but it sank half-way.
“In contrast, the Aztlán is a raft that fully crossed the Pacific Ocean. She is the only survivor of the known fleet of rafts that sailed from South America to Australia.
“Our story – the story of the people who sailed on her – is also a long story of survival and adaptation to the sea.
“On the other hand, Ballina is not Oslo. But Ballina has grown immensely since the raft arrived 35 years ago and so has the tourist industry, not only in Ballina but also in nearby Byron Bay.
“With a slight increase of publicity and some change of council’s policies towards its Maritime Museum, wouldn’t the Aztlán help to augment the tourist industry in both towns? I think the answer is definitively ‘yes’.”
Ballina Info has no objection to a replacement Big Prawn being built when the new bypass is completed.
But aren’t we missing out on a massive tourist drawcard by not putting at least a sign on the north and south entrances to the town telling travellers that the town is home to the historic Aztlan?
Read Gabriel Salas’ reminiscence of the Las Balsas journey.
PICTURE: Gabriel Salas (right) at the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum last year.
November 26th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I have often thought this La Balsa raft is one of Ballina’s most interesting historical assets as well as one of it’s most under utilised tourism resources.
The museum needs it’s profile to be raised and the building could also do with a face lift.