Heading north on Bruce highway out of Mackay in Queensland, Australia, you will pass by this tiny roadside hotel. If it wasn’t for the beer signs and the rather large sculpture of an aboriginal woman and child, you would probably pass by without noticing it much. But this place makes you take a closer look at history.
According to publocations.com.au, the legend goes as follows:
«(…) in 1867 settlers decided they’d had enough of local Aborigines spearing their cattle for food. One raid in particular caused so much consternation among the farmers that matters came to a head and police got involved. The troopers tracked the natives to the top of the mountain that looms where the hotel stands today. From high up near the clouds, a tribeswoman named Kowaha reportedly hurled herself from the sheer cliff face, rather than surrender to authorities. With her baby in her embrace, she leapt from Mt Mandarana and fell to her death far, far below. Incredible as it may seem, the baby girl survived her and was taken into care by the wife of a trooper. The Leap Baby, as she came to be known, remained in the district until her death in 1928.»
Size: 29 x 21 cm (8 x 11 inches). Materials: Pigment ink pen on acid free drawing paper. The image shows a high resolution scanned copy, true to original colors.