Why I am completely taken by Arnhem Land and why I am doing everything in my power to get back there....

So today Oprah, I am going to go tell you about a  place is special not only to myself but to many Australians. I am going to tell you about Arnhem land. I know you may be questioning where this place and is and why it is special, and I am going to tell you why.

Arnhem Land is in the top most part of the Northern Territory band is Aboriginal owned land. It is vast in its landscapes and deep in history. More than 16000 aboriginal people live in the land and live their lives as close to the land as they can.

In case you are a visual person, here are some maps to give you an idea of the magnitude of this place.

Why do I think it’s special?

I was lucky enough to have a taste of Arnhem Land last year and it has been on my mind since, particularly in the “how do I convince my boss that I need to go back” category. Not only is the natural beauty of this place astounding, but the history of the people is spellbinding.

I was taken there as a host on a famil trip (I was taking my best UK client around) and we visited Gunbalanya which is a small community not to far from the border of Kakadu (it listed in the map above). We stopped at the Injalak Arts & Crafts centre and I got meet some of the artists who were shielding from the harsh sun under the veranda. Now I have seen quite a lot of aboriginal art, but the piece I saw that day was the most impressive I have ever seen. It had a series of bats hanging upside down along a gum tree branch. The artist told be that he was painting the branch over there while pointing at a knobbly old gum tree not less than 20 metres away. The bats, he explained, “flocked there each night and make such a noise”. His hand was so steady as he drew intricate white lines impossibly thin on the black background. Between each bat he detailed twigs heavy with gum nuts. I was mesmerised but the beauty of this piece of art being created before my very eyes. He told me that a big gallery down south was paying him to create this piece. I stared intensely at this masterpiece knowing that I probably wouldn’t see anything like it again in my lifetime.

I was soon in the 4WD heading back out of town. We stopped at the base of a steep hill and was met my Wilfred, a traditional owner. On this very hot day we began our ascent up Injalak Hill. 

Now I have seen my fair share of rock art on my travels, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. The rock face was filled with clear intricate paintings - of turtles, barramundi & kangaroos! No matter where you looked on that sheer wall you found something new to engage you in wonder. I was completely spellbound. Wilfred explained "This was a place of learning. Where we would teach our children stories of the ancestors". This is just like a classroom, I thought to myself, and what a view!

In the distance I could see a plume of smoke from the edge of the billabong. I asked Wilfred what it was. "The women are hunting for turtles" he explained, "What they do is light a fire along the edge of the banks of the billabong. The turtles are buried deep in the mud and the fire fill their air holes. The turtles have no choice but to come to the surface for air where the women are waiting. They then spear them and take them home for dinner. The women all hunt together as they will feed the whole community". I asked "Do you eat the turtles? What are they like?" Wilfred replied "Turtle is my totem, I can't eat him". I found this intriguing that this was the case. Similar to the Native North Americans that they had a similar value system with totems to assist in sustainability of particular species.

We moved further into the hill to where Wilfred became quite sombre. "No photo's in the next place that I take you, it's a burial place". He took us to a dry cave where scattered on the ground was remnants from the burial ceremony. The body was wrapped up and placed deep into one of the crevices (you couldn't see it). Wilfred didn't know how long it had been there, before his lifetime though. He explained that the burial ceremonies were different in each region depending on the landscape. Some places where there were lots of tall trees, the people would place the bodies of the dead high up in the trees for the ancestors to welcome them. But in his country, where the landscape was littered with craggy hills, so this was the way for his people.

We moved on quietly. Soon we began to clamber over some rocks and around the other side of the hill to be met by Sab, our guide on our trek who had bought lunch with him (talk about luxury!! - Notice that you can see the plume of smoke from the turtle hunting in the background).

After lunch we ambled back down the hill before driving Wilfred back into town. We had to head back to Darwin that night so we turned back towards Kakadu to begin the drive back. Can you see now why I am desperate to get back there? I learnt so much about Aboriginal culture and history in that one day than what learnt at school! I keep seeing images of other places in Arnhem Land such as Mount Borradaile and Gove that look just as intriguing and beautiful. Some of my colleagues from work have been lucky enough to travel to these places and they have all come back with such praise and love for these destinations that I know, that I must get there too!
So Oprah, that is my story on Arnhem Land and why I have this compelling desire to get back there. The access to Aboriginal culture and history is a must do and probably Arnhem Land is one of the most authentic places in Australia to actually meet the people and hear what they have to say. So there you go, pop Arnhem Land on you list for "must do's" for your upcoming trip to Australia. Be sure to say "Hi" to Wilfred for me when you get there.