Land of Mystery
Arnhem Land (Miwatj) is a place that continually draws people to its ancient land. Discover six reasons why.
WORDS Natasha Dragun
Known to be a place that is wild, spiritual and diverse, Arnhem Land (Miwatj) is the kind of place you go to experience the staggering vastness of a landscape. Perhaps it’s the wild and unpopulated expanse covering close to 100,000 square kilometres; this is a place where nature rules and more than 60,000 years of Indigenous heritage can be tracked across ancient rock art galleries and sacred sites.
From its abundant wildlife to its unspoilt rainforests and coastlines, here are six reasons to take a deep dive into this beautiful part of Australia.
APPRECIATE THE LAY OF THE LAND
Curious travellers who visit Arnhem Land leave with an understanding of why postcards were invented. The landscape sears into your memory; the pindan soil vibrant against the opaline colours of the Top End ocean. It’s steeped in legend, such as Garig Gunak Barlu National Park at the top of the Northern Territory that protects a series of peninsulas where, according to Aboriginal legend, the Earth takes its first breath as the sun rises each morning.
Consisting of sandy beaches, dunes, mangroves and rainforest, it’s easy to identify the park’s physical appeal, but there’s one thing that’s less easy to quantify: its mystical allure. You’ll feel it when you first lay eyes on the coastline as the sun dips below the horizon, and you find yourself enveloped by tranquility.
BE AN EYE-WITNESS TO EXTRAORDINARY WILDLIFE
If you feel you’re being watched when you visit Arnhem Land, that’s because you are. Saltwater crocodiles – thousands of them – call the region’s gorges, rivers and coastline home.
These majestic beasts – known as ‘baru’ to the Yolŋu Traditional Owners – are a protected species in the Northern Territory, having roamed the earth for more than 200 million years. The ‘saltie’ is the world’s largest reptile, and it keeps good company – in fact, 40 per cent of Australia’s reptiles call this part of the Northern Territory home.
They share the space with a cornucopia of wildlife, including dolphins, dugongs, turtles and all manner of fish, including crowd-favourite barramundi and Spanish mackerel, which you’ll spot diving through the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and the monsoonal wetlands that envelop the Gulf of Carpentaria.
And then there are the birds – more than 460 species of them. The diverse ecosystems in this pocket of the country are a magnet for migratory birds. Pull out your binoculars to spot everything from the northern fantail and blue-faced honeyeater to white-bellied cuckoo-shrike and the brown falcon. Indigenous rangers and ecologists have also spotted the endemic, endangered and extremely elusive white-throated grasswren. Ornithologists, prepare to get excited.
Explore sacred sites for a worthy education in Indigenous culture and ecological significance.
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN CULTURE
If wildlife animates the Arnhem Land outback, it’s the Northern Territory’s Indigenous population that gives it soul. For thousands of generations, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities lived within the cavernous clefts of Arnhem Land’s outcrops. Today, stunning iterations of rock art – some believed to be more than 60,000 years old – immortalise the knowledge and beliefs of the world’s oldest living culture.
At Mount Borradaile (Awunbarna), a sacred Aboriginal site that preserves Indigenous art in caves and shelters, Indigenous history is vividly revealed through intricate ochre paintings of hunting figures with spears and boomerangs. The setting is just as magical as the art, surrounded by lily-covered billabongs and waterways alive with birds (look out for the wading jabiru storks), crocs and barramundi.
Bula’bula Arts is a special gallery in the remote community of Ramingining. This Yolŋu-owned not-for-profit creative hub represents more than 150 local artists, also providing mentoring, business support and employment opportunities to ensure the Indigenous culture of East Arnhem Land is preserved for future generations.
EXPLORE THE SPECTACULAR ARAFURA SWAMP
Wildlife also abounds at Arafura Swamp (Gurruwiling), the largest freshwater ecosystem and wetlands in Arnhem Land. This is a place where nature humbles, where paperbark forest clings to sandstone ridges, where springs meander through sedgeland plains. It’s a breeding ground for dozens of bird species, and is also home to rare plants and animals.
Take it all in from Murwangi Safari Camp, overlooking the banks of the wetlands. It was established with the permission of Traditional Owners, and offers a front-row seat to Arnhem Land’s Indigenous culture.
“Nature in all its forms is the prime reason to visit Arnhem Land. But there is also an overwhelming sense of spiritual calm.”
CHECK IN, AND KICK BACK
Nature in all its forms is the prime reason to visit Arnhem Land. But there is also an overwhelming sense of spiritual calm. Any semblance of city life is more than 500 kilometres away when you check in at Seven Spirit Bay, a barefoot luxe retreat lodge that sits on the Cobourg Peninsula. There are no televisions, and your mobile phone won’t ring – and that’s all part of the appeal. The outside world doesn’t matter when you are here. The only things you need to worry about are dinner time in the breezy restaurant overlooking Coral Bay, and your next day’s adventure. It all seems a bit too good to be true, really.
Also in Arnhem Land, Barramundi Lodge sits on the edge of the Tomkinson River floodplains, with 12 premium safari tents. There’s nothing like reclining on your private balcony watching the day disappear, before indulging in cuisine featuring native produce in the restaurant.
GO OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
You visit the Top End of Australia because it’s remote – for the ‘pinch me’ moments that can only be afforded by landscapes this unbelievable. But you should also visit with someone who knows how to navigate the terrain. These are some of Australia’s most legendary thoroughfares. Think Central Arnhem Road, connecting the Stuart Highway to the town of Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula and communities across the East Arnhem region; Black Point Road, cutting through Garig Gunak Barlu National Park; the track from Ramingining to Maningrida, spanning 100 kilometres but taking three hours to navigate; and the Gunbalanya to Maningrida access road, which covers just 200 kilometres – over six hours.
This is a part of the country that few get to see. And the ideal way to see it is with someone who knows how to explore safely, and in comfort.
Explore the beaches at Seven Spirit Bay; for more of the terrain, go with an experienced driver on a 4WD adventure; then ease worked muscles in the comfort of your Murwangi Safari Camp space.
Get Spirited Away
Outback Spirit will take you further to go deeper on an all-inclusive 4WD adventure. Explore the unique wilderness of Arnhem Land in 2024 with the 13-day Arnhem Land Wilderness Adventure package starting from $14,495 pp. Book before 30 September, 2023, and receive an early bird offer discount of $3,000 pp.