ARNHEM LAND Part 3

The other aspect of indigenous life that we didn’t experience was life for young people. The petrol sniffing epidemic of the late 1990s and early 2000s has all but disappeared but from what we heard, there is still the challenge of trying to live in two worlds - to pursue education and employment opportunities which are usually somewhere else, out of community, and then how much time can be spent/does one wants to spend learning the land. There was a powerful statement about this in the 2026 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) exhibition on show in Darwin from women in the Ampilawatja community in the centre of the Northern Territory but I’m sure at applies north as well:

“We worry about the future of our Country and our culture. We are strong women who hold the knowledge and tradition of bush medicine and culture. We learnt from our mothers and grandmothers and grandmothers before, knowledge handed down to keep women’s knowledge strong. Our children don’t listen; they are on social media and technology, and they don’t want to come out bush to hunt for food and medicine. They no longer know where the medicine trees are, to watch the seasons to know when the fruit will grow and how to survive in our land. We painted the land; we paint the bush medicine plants so when our old ladies are not here their knowledge will continue on and keep our culture strong.”

An example of this was Mt Borradaile and its extensive collection of rock art. The traditional owner is a 95 year old, the last speaker of his language, with no direct descendants. He negotiated a lease with Max Davidson in 1986 to set up a tourism venture with rules around access and how the sacred rock art was to be treated. But he doesn’t live there anymore and his relatives only visit once a year for discussions about royalty payments. What happens when he passes? Will visitors still be able to see the art? Does it matter if the stories about the art are told by non-indigenous people? Challenges that we, as fleeting visitors, could only contemplate.

After driving from east to west, the plan was to catch a 14 seat Cessna to fly to Darwin so there were weight limits. We’d been asked for our weight before we departed plus given strict instructions on luggage limits. Luckily, they didn’t weigh us at the Seven Spirits Bay “International Airport” because for all our walks, we hadn’t done nearly enough exercise to justify the amount of food and wine we consumed on the trip. Normally, the thought of an “all-inclusive” tour turns me off because I want to be able to choose where and what to eat but that’s simply not possible in this world. Apart from the occasional dreary wrap (who decided they make an edible snack?), the meals were impressive. Crocodile Spring Rolls. The best lamb back strap ever (cooked with bush ingredients). A great array of freshly cooked fish such as barramundi, mackerel, golden snapper. Tender beef. Mind you, entrees were usually served at 6pm, dinner at 6.30pm and we were off in our cabins by 8.30pm. The most particular culinary experience was picking green ants off trees and murdering them for the sharp citrusy tang from their lime-coloured abdomens. Susan has since developed a taste for Green Ant Gin.

The accommodation was equally good. Barra and Murwangi were glamping tents with zip up covers. Davidson cabins were raised corrugated iron structures. And Seven Spirits Bay cabins were the most luxurious with double beds, the best shower I’ve had for a while, each surrounded by white shutters for the sea breeze to blow through. The latter cabins, with the exception of a couple damaged by falling trees, managed to stay upright during last November’s Cyclone Fina. It took weeks, apparently, to clear the fallen timber to get to the lodge from the harbour and all across the Cobourg Peninsula, you can see the impact with trees dropped across the landscape.

The other aspect of the landscape that’s worth noting is the mosaic burning which was happening on most days. Within a few minutes, one could see a woodland with spinifex grass covering the base making it hard to walk, or dark coloured cleared ground from a recent cool burn, or ground covered with brilliant green shoots from land burnt earlier. We sometimes drove past fires and sometimes just saw the smoke drifting along, creating brilliantly coloured sunsets as we sat on tinnies on Coopers Creek, drinking champagne and watching out for crocodiles.

As you can probably tell from the tone of this newsletter, I can highly recommend this tour and the company that runs it. Apart from my whinge about the occasional wrap, and the tedium of hours and hours bouncing around on rough roads, and the occasional use of lavor-trees, it was a wonderful way for two non-hiking, non-camping, non-bush bashing folk to explore this unique part of Australia.

We spent the final couple of days of our holiday lounging in Darwin. The highlights were sunsets from our comfortable apartment on the 16th floor looking out across the city to the Timor Sea, the impressive 2026 NATSIAA exhibition, and (sadly for my ever expanding waist line), three good meals: Greek, Spanish and South East Asian. I don’t think I’ve experienced that successful hit rate three nights in a row in Melbourne or Perth! Of course, I managed to squeeze in a few swims as well while poor Susan, with stitches still holding her shin together, had to sit and watch. I don’t know whether I could live in a town like Darwin but I certainly appreciated the balmy nights.

Back home now but there are some trips planned for the rest of the year - Melbourne, Albany, Rottnest, Adelaide - but none will be quite as special as Arnhem Land.

Postscript

A couple of films to watch if you’re interested in getting some insight into Arnhem Land:

·         Ten Canoes, directed by Rolf de Heer – available on SBS on Demand

·         Homeland Stories, directed by Glenda Hambly – available on Kanopy

 

Photos:

12.  12. Rainbow Serpent Rock Art, Mt Borradaile

13.   13. Rock Art, Mt Borradaile

14.   14. Seven Spirits Bay International Airport

15.   15. Green ant

16.   16. Mosaic burning, driving to Davidson Safari Camp

17.  17.   2026 NATSIAA exhibition