First, some details: when Captain James Cook discovered Australia in 1770, the returning boomerang was used by some Aboriginal tribes for hunting, fighting and fishing, while many others used non-returning hunting sticks. Returning boomerangs are V-shaped and are 35cm to 55cm long. Non-returning hunting sticks (often referred to as non-returning boomerangs) usually have a slight curve, like a club, and are 57cm to 80cm long. They are made from Australian timber such as mulga, wattle or iron bark and decorated with animal drawings or symbols of Aboriginal clans.
Wedged between Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the cobblestoned alleys of the city's historic quarter, known as The Rocks, are among the best places to browse for that quintessential Australian souvenir. Specialising in Boomerangs has a stall in the Rocks Market (George Street,
In Kings Cross, Duncan McLennan's Boomerang School (224a William Street, tel: 61 2 9358 2370) ran boomerang-throwing classes until the cost of insurance became prohibitive. But it still carries unusual collectors' items dating from the 18th century. McLennan's antique boomerangs can cost as much as A$2,000; more realistically priced examples cost from A$9. (Incidentally, the nearby Australian Museum, on the edge of Hyde Park, is home to the boomerang Captain Cook took
back to England in 1770.)