The Meriam Elders in the eastern Torres Strait have long known that the stars twinkle because of strong, high winds, and used these dancing stars to predict the coming of the wet season. The Gumbaynggir people would treat wounds with the sap of the bloodwood tree, which crystallised over the cut to stop bleeding and acted as an antiseptic. The Gunditjmara people invented a net to catch eels made of grasses woven into a tube-like shape. Eels would be drawn to the cosy nook, slither in and get stuck - just like a finger trap.
