Wednesday, September 17th, 2025 - A Day in a Very Special Place! Arnhem Land

 

Cahill's Crossing - The Western Border to Arnhem Land

I knew the name, but other than that, Arnhem Land was a mystery to me. It wasn't until I got here that I realized it was private land, requiring permits to enter. The owners are its traditional owners, primarily the Yolnu people, through the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust. The owners retain the right to grant or refuse permission for access and use of their ancestral country. According to Wikipedia, Arnhem Land is arguably one of the last areas in Australia that could be seen as a completely separate country. Humans have lived here for 60,000 years - believed to have left Africa 15,000 years prior. It is thought that the Aboriginal inhabitants represent the oldest living culture on earth.

In order to visit, one must have a permit, so Frances and I signed up for a day tour, which made that process much easier. We entered through Cahill's Crossing, across the East Alligator River, which we had seen infested with crocodiles the previous day. Here there can be a confluence of high tides and heavy rain that leads it to be a place where many vehicles end slipping off the road into the river. I wasn't sure which would be the worse fate - being eaten by a crocodile, or drowning! Supposedly, in spite of many vehicles ending up in the river (sometimes several cars a month), there have only been two reported fatalities related to crocodiles.

Red Lily Lookout

As soon as we crossed the river, the 'highway' became a dirt road, explaining why our vehicle was a four wheel drive 'truck', with a bus body plonked on the top of the bed. Not long after we crossed we stopped at a beautiful little waterhole with a rocky overlook, where we spent quite a bit of time feeling the peace and quiet, the green-ness and the bird life.

Ahh.....

The day was peaceful, with reflections that were mirror-like.

A Bird and a Dragonfly

There were many wading birds walking across the tops of the lilies. I don't know what this one was, but I share it so you can also check out the large dragonfly at the top left.

Jabiru? Jesus Bird? No, Ibis!

When we arrived at the lookout, we thought we could see a jabiru at the edge of the water. I was also hoping to se a Jesus bird, which my sister, Toni, had recommended that I look out for. When I saw the motion of a bird taking off, I turned my lens excitedly and was thrilled to get something in focus. Alas, it was neither of the ones I was looking for - it was an ibis. Oh well, enjoy it anyway.

However, I did learn from our guide that these 'bin chickens' have learned to eat the pesky and poisonous cane toads which are an invasive species. The toads were brought from Hawaii in the 1930's to control beetles that were damaging sugar cane crops. Unfortunately, the toads didn't eat the beetles and became a horrible pest which excrete a toxin that kills native predators. Ibis here have learned to pick up the toad and flick it around, causing it to excrete the poison. Then the bird washes it in water or on wet grass, before popping the whole pest into it's mouth! Way to go, ibis!

Another Good Place for Fish

Not long after we left the Red Lily Lookout, we stopped at a rock art site. I'm not sure exactly where it is. The tour company gave me the name of Mawurndaddja, but I couldn't find reference to the images we saw on the internet. Looking at the images above, is offered a great example of X-ray art. The whiskers suggest catfish again.

Lightning Man Again?

This image struck me as looking a lot like Lightning Man, similar to the one we saw at Ubirr, but this time he lacks the long tail that resembled a bolt of lightning.

Reckitts Blue Sailing Ship

The guide pointed out this sailing ship, which had been created using Reckitts Blue laundry whitener. This was introduced to the area through missionaries in the 1920's. The nuns in the missionaries used the 'bluing' powder for whitening their habits, and the new blue dye was used by Aboriginal artists in a number of sites throughout this part of the world. It offers a fairly precise way to date the paintings. 

It's a Long Way Up

Not long after leaving the rock art site, we came to this large overhang and were told to look up to the place where the two walls come together at the top.

Spears in the Rock Crevice - Look Carefully

This site was called the 'Seven Spears', because if you look carefully, you can see a number of spears stuck in the vertical crevice between the two rock faces. Spear throwing is an important part of initiation for young men, and this appears to have been a place where they were put to the test, before being taken on the hunt. I don't guarantee there are still seven spears here, but you can see at least four of them clearly. I do hope that more than seven boys were able to pass the test!

Gunbalanya

We were headed for Gunbalanya, which was our turning point for this excursion. The community is on land that has been occupied well before the arrival of  Europeans and is now home to about 1,500 people who speak the Kunwinjku language.  The people refer to themselves as Birriwinjku, which means 'freshwater people'. The first European to settle here was Paddy Cahill who established a homestead here in 1906. He mispronounced the Aboriginal name (Uwunbarlany) of the area, calling it Oenpelli, but the name was changed to Gunbalanya in 2001, to match the name of the lagoon nearby. 

Injalak Arts

The tradition of art has continued, but new media has become available, allowing artists weavers and craftspeople to receive compensation for their efforts. The Injalak Art Centre is a destination for visitors interested in contemporary arts and crafts - both following tradition or developing new styles of expression. The art center was established in 1989 and is an Aboriginal owned organization. Many of the 200 active members  artists continue to create traditional canvases and items that are inspired by connection to culture country and people.

It's Not Rock - But Won't Fit in a Suitcase!

I liked seeing that many parts of the building were painted as if it were rock art. Inside one could purchase acrylic on canvas pieces, woven baskets, fabric, carvings etc. It was a nice collection. I was both pleased and disappointed to see that pricing was very 'first world'. The artists are not just giving their work away, with prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. It tells me they value their time and skill, which is good. Unfortunately, I'm always looking for a 'deal', so this was not where I shopped.

Old and New Housing

The town was somewhat rambling, but the housing appeared to be of good quality.

Lots of New Houses Going Up

There were many new houses being built, apparently paid for by the Northern Territory Government. Most of the ones we saw had solar panels and looked solid.

Indication that All is not Well in the State of Gunbulanya

I probably comes as no surprise that there are problems to be solved when modern culture and a 60,000 year old culture intersect. I saw this graffiti as we were driving out of town. It appears to be authored by someone young. Searching headlines on Google reveals headlines like 'Community leaders in Gunbalanya have called on the parents of 'out of control' teenagers to reign them in after a spate of youth crime in the region' (April 2021) and 'Northern Territory Government Under Fire over harmful youth justice policies' (July 2025). I suspect the author of this sign is not feeling the benefit of the 'free' world. I would have loved to learn more deeply how issues are being addressed within communities such as this one.

Australian Pelican in flight at Gunbalanya Lagoon

Beside the community was a beautiful and very active lake, the Gunbalanya Lagoon, which is part of the floodplains of the East Alligator River. We ate lunch here and I loved watching the pelicans and other birds swimming and soaring.

Whistling Kite in Flight

I was really pleased to be able to follow this kite as it soared over the lake. One could hear its whistle in the distance. The birds are raptors - both  hunter and scavenger. We were told that they are very intelligent and have learned to pick up burning sticks and drop them into an unburnt area in order to flush out prey like rodents, insects and reptiles. They then swoop down to catch them more easily. Thus, they have earned the nickname 'firehawk'. Kites have also learned to eat cane toads by flipping them on their back and eating the non-poisonous parts of the toad - either the tongue or through the belly.

....And the Crocodile Lurks....

There was lots of jollity on the lake - Australian pelicans and their offspring, cormorants and varieties of ducks or grebes. Lurking amongst all the action we saw the tell tale sign of crocodiles. You can see the shady horizontal line in the middle of the photo above, showing the croc just sitting at the surface. The lagoon is freshwater, so these are not the salties, but I imagine they have easy pickings when they are hungry.

Safety in Numbers?

Perhaps this is why the pelicans would periodically launch into flight and hang out a while on this little rocky promontory nearby.

Pelicans and Their Chicks

It had been a true delight watching all the bird life in this lush setting, while enjoying our own lunch. It had been a very peaceful interlude in our day and a continual source of entertainment.

Rock Art Shelter, Location Unknown

On our way back to Kakadu, we stopped at this overhang. The tour company told me it is connected to a place called Mawurndaddja, but I could find no online reference to it. It is not far from the Red Lily Lookout.

'Contact' Art

It was well worth stopping here to see this recent illustration demonstrating 'contact' with Europeans. The beautiful rendition of the sailing ship and the ladies gloves dates this as having been painted anywhere within the past 400 years. Hang on, you might say, Captain Cook didn't 'discover' Australia until 1770, which is 250 years ago, so it can't be 400 years old. The first European to visit here was a Dutch sailor, Jan Carstenszoon, whose ship, the Arnhem, explored the Gulf of Carpentaria and sighted this area in 1623. While the ship could be 400 years old, the women's lace gloves are likely from a later time. The area was named after the ship Arnhem.

Hand and Foot

In addition to the ship and glove, there was a hand print alongside a foot print. The hand print is unusual in that it is outlined, rather than being 'spray painted', with ochre sprayed from the mouth. The footprint is a more unusual motif, but shows the common spray paint technique.

Perched up High

Of course, when I saw there were other paintings up high, I had to scramble up to see. This shows you just how high above the others I had to get, to see the images.

Long and Skinny - Mimih Spirits

Now that you know about them, it shouldn't have taken you too much to guess that they were Mimih sprits up there. Although I was on eye level with them after my rock scramble, I would have needed a very long brush to have painted them.

Sandy Beach

We ended our day visiting this sand beach, along a bumpy track not far from Cahill's Crossing. For some reason, it was less active with bird life and had much more sand than the other billabongs we had visited. Overall it had been a magical day.

Burning

As we left this special part of Australia it seemed fitting to see the evidence of a burn taking place. I had wondered about the climate impact of this practice, wondering if it releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the air, which possibly increases the speed of climate change. I have to admit, I was surprised to discover that it is actually beneficial - by preventing hot burning fires that emit great amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In addition cool burning sequesters more carbon in the earth and the practice is used to gain carbon credits. So when I buy my carbon offsets for my travel (I always do, when it's offered) I might be benefiting indigenous people in this 'cool' burning practice! 

Addendum

Before we head back to Darwin to continue our travels, I want to share an object from the ancient history of our world - the pay phone! 

Blast From the Past!

Cell service was spotty up here, which might explain why we actually found good old-fashioned phone booths, with land lines still installed, in some places where we stopped. I have not seen anything like this in years. They always bring to mind stinky handsets, most often reeking of smoke. Yuk! We would stand there and pour coins into them like water, praying that the person was home at the other end, as there was no such thing as an answering machine.

Note the solar panels providing power. 

No Coins Needed Here

We were impressed to see that unless one was calling overseas, no coins were needed. Thank you Telstra!

 

Tuesday September 16th and Thursday, September 18th, 2025 - Kakadu, Northern Territory, The Top End

 

Sunset From Ubirr Rock

A four and a half hour plane ride from Sydney, found Frances and I picking up a car in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. After nearly three hours of driving east, we were in Jabiru, where we planned to stay for four nights. Jabiru is the only town built within a national park in Australia and was established in 1982. Its development followed the opening of the Ranger Uranium Mine not far away, which opened in 1980 and closed operations in 2021. (It might come as no surprise to know that the Aboriginal people here had identified the area as 'sickness country' - in addition to the uranium, there were high amounts of arsenic, mercury and lead.) 

Arnhem Highway (Photo by Frances Peters)

With the establishment of the mine, the previously dirt road was built into a highway, which led to easier access to this beautiful area and more tourism. To support both the mine and tourism, Jabiru was developed, for accommodation and a as a regional service center. There was a hotel, several resorts, caravan park, supermarket and gas station.

Notice - Bowali Visitor Centre

We can thank the Bininj (Bining) and Mungguy (Moong-gooy) people for creating art work and caring for the land here for millennia. Archeological research within Kakadu has uncovered artifacts dating back at least 65,000 years. These include stone tools, spear tips, ochres for rock paintings and food remnants. This has led to the area earning listings in two UNESCO World Heritage categories - one for its natural features of wetlands, rivers, and varied and dynamic landscapes. The other UNESCO category is for the cultural aspects of ancient Aboriginal heritage - such as rock art and archeological sites - and the living culture which maintains Aboriginal community and spiritual connection to the land which is a central tenet of indigenous life here.

'Cool' Burn - Photo By Frances Peters From the Car Window

Fire is a big part of caring for land here and has been for millennia. We drove through an number of areas that were still actively burning. It was a little tough to be certain it was safe, as in our part of the world and in other parts of the world, fire will burn out of control and cause great destruction. We also did not see any personnel monitoring the burn. The Aboriginal people carried firesticks in the past and when the time was right in the dry season and there was no wind, they set cool-burning fires. When the vegetation grew back, new game was attracted to the fresh growth and the environment was safer from the large raging fires that we fear in our world. The fires we drove through had been set by the park rangers. No one appeared concerned about them.

Road to East Alligator River

One of the prominent features of this part of the world is numerous rocky outcrops, along with wetlands. Much like Florida, one can presume that any body of water is probably host to a rather unfriendly and dangerous inhabitant - the salt water crocodile. 

Salt Water Crocodile on East Alligator River

I did not expect to be impressed by these creatures, presuming that my exposure to similar animals in Florida and Georgia was sufficient for one lifetime. However, I must tell you that they were quite enormous! It is the largest reptile on the planet, reaching up to 23 feet and 2,200 pounds. On top of that, they are territorial and hence aggressive, resulting in several dozen attacks on people each year.

Strongest Bite in the Animal World

Referred to here as 'salties', they have up to 66 teeth that can be up to five inches long and have the greatest bite pressure of any animal in the world. 

Just Lying in Wait

Like the alligators in Florida, they sit at the surface of the water when they are not sunning at the banks of the river. With a superpower of being able to hold their breath for up to eight hours, they are the perfect predator. The only saving grace is that their food needs are light - averaging 50 full meals per year. Adults can go up to a year without feeding due to their slow metabolism and ability to store energy.

East Alligator River

In order to enjoy these views, we had signed up for a cruise along the East Alligator River, which now forms the border between Kakadu and Arnhem Land. Now you might ask, where are the alligators? Well, in fact, it is a misnomer. The English navigator who named the river in 1818, was unaware that these reptiles were crocodiles and not alligators, but the name has stuck all these years. It is possible that I might have made the same mistake had I discovered them here, but thanks to Google, I can tell you that the crocodile has a V- shaped jaw, compared to the alligator's 'U'. The crocodile also lets his teeth hang out for all to see and fear, while the alligator's teeth can't be seen when the mouth is closed. In addition, alligators are generally less aggressive and prefer fresh water to salt water.

Blue Water Lilies

In some places, the sides of the river were very pretty, with blue lilies. (And yes, that's actually its name - Nymphaea violacea.)

Rock Art

We had come to this part of the world in hope of seeing some Aboriginal rock art, and even from the middle of the river, we could clearly see the paintings on the wall of this overhang. Because the fish have whiskers, we were told it means that there is catfish here. On the very left of the picture, you can see a handprint. I will not claim that I have come to understand this art form at a very deep level, but it sems that much of what we saw was basically a menu, telling others what type of food can be found nearby. The handprint is the signature of the artist, from what I can gather.

Sandstone Oddities

The predominant rock in the area is a sandstone, which has weathered into quite interesting shapes in some places. I thought this formation looked rather like a cat!

Billabong

We stepped ashore for a moment to see a small billabong, or oxbow lake, not far off the eastern shore. You might be familiar with the famous song - Waltzing Matilda - about the swagman who was sitting by a billabong, This one was probably much more lush than the one in the song, as there was no sign of sheep here. The tree with the drooping leaves you see is a pandanus, who's leaves are used by Aboriginal women to weave baskets, dillybags and mats. It also can be used to make rope, and provides food and medicine. It was abundant anywhere near water.

Fishing With Spear and Woomera

Our guide was a gentle and soft spoken Aboriginal man who demonstrated the effectiveness of the woomera to help launch his spear. You can see it in his right hand - a second object, about a third of the spear in length. 

The Woomera

It is a woomera, which provides additional leverage. With it, the spear traveled an impressive distance. He said the spears he uses for fishing have three barbs at the end, which are made from anteater spines. When he retrieved the spears from the water (after we were back on the river) he joked about the nearby crocodile. His humor was quite consistent in suggesting that he keeps a very respectful distance from the salties. He said that only works half of the year, as he lives on a island that becomes marooned in the high waters of the wet. He certainly gave the impression that he is able to live without access to a grocery store - a skillset that I found quite enviable! (Although I don't aspire to try it!)

Following our cruise on the East Alligator River, we went on to nearby Ubirr, a site within Kakadu National Park that has extensive rock art and a beautiful view over the vast plains of Kakadu and into Arnhemland. The outcrop with the view is very popular at sunset.

Miyamiya Warning

This painting showing the swollen joints and bones of a condition called miyamiya was accompanied by a sign explaining that the illness is due to a spiritual sickness that can be contracted if one disturbs the stones of sacred sites. There were a few places where signs requested that we not take photos and with the prospect that one could get muyamiya, I found it easy to oblige. 

The Rainbow Serpent

As you might imagine, it is much like visiting an art gallery with many paintings depicting a great variety of things, I'm not able to explain everything I saw. Some of the paintings have been dated back to 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, while others are more recent. The medium used, is ochre, which was ground into a powder and mixed with water, some type of animal fat and sometimes even blood. Because the substrate is sandstone, the 'paint' penetrates into the pores of the rock, accounting for its durability. The painting also are often placed in caves and overhangs where they are protected from rain and wind. 

The Rainbow Serpent, shown above, is an important creation being, Garranga'relli, who painted the landscape and all it contains. She painted this rock to remind people of her visit. The painting was also accompanied by a story telling about a time when the usually peaceful being became upset to hear the ongoing crying of a child coming from an Ulbu camp. The Rainbow Serpent  rushed into the camp after the night of continual crying and trapped the child and all the people in its huge circled body and swallowed the child and most of the people! The side note to this terrifying story was that it is unusual to hear Aboriginal children crying without being comforted.

X-Ray Painting

There were excellent examples of a style of art called X-Ray art, where the painting shows the internal structure of the animal's bones. Generally speaking, the predominant colors were red, yellow and white. To some extend, one can see that the red is the paint that lasts the longest. The white disappears first, and the yellow is somewhere between. This one is mostly red and has a little yellow still.

White Man

It would be no surprise then, to suggest that this one, in white ochre, is quite modern. The man is dressed, with hands in his pockets and large boots. Clearly this painting is only several centuries old and would have been a means of recording contact with white people - whether it was drawn to warn or educate is unknown. The sign next to it said the arrival of Europeans would have been a major event! No doubt!

Mimih Spirits

If you remember back to the lane in Sydney, with the angelic looking figures handing above it, this image, on the roof of a high overhang, is an authentic representation of this type of spirit, called mimih. They are believed to be the spirits that taught the people how to hunt and survive in the bush, along with the skill of painting. They also have special abilities that the people don't, as their images are always found in very high places, which are out of the reach of regular humans. It is believed that they are very tall and thin, or that they simply pull the rocks down, paint on them and then put them back up in place. The mimih are extremely shy and timid, inhabit rocky escarpments and and only emerge on days with no wind, as they are very fragile and a stiff breeze could be fatal for them. They are invisible to most people.

No Photography, Please

Every now and then, an area would be signposted to let us know it as not available for photography. While there is no monitoring, I always respected these requests. Even if there is no one to hold me to account, I can't deny to myself that I've 'broken trust' and wonder how that might manifest in my life. There are mysteries surrounding Aboriginal spiritual powers that lead me to be cautious! (I will share stories about this when we get to Uluru.)

Mimih Home?

There were many excellent examples of rock art in addition to the ones I've shared, but the sunset was calling us and we headed to the escarpment where many others were gathering in the golden glow.

A Great Vantage Point for Sunset

Fran and I were very pleased that we were able to scramble up to this point of the Ubirr sunset viewing area. We did not climb the final rise, as it was crowded and we could see ourselves being overwhelmed by the numerous and much younger and able-bodies souls when the beautiful display came to an end. You can see in the first photo of this blog the beautiful and lush landscape that stretched out before us.

Looking Toward Arnhem Land

The light really was vibrant. This is my favorite photo capturing the golden light of this fabulous time of day.

Toilets at Anbangbang (Nourlangie)

The following day, Wednesday, we went on a day tour to Arnhemland. I will tell you about that in a separate post, so now we'll move onto our second Kakadu adventure further south of Jabiru, to a rock called Nourlangie and later, Cooinda. I have no idea why I'm giving you a photo of the bathroom, except that it shows that things were pretty decent here. There were flushing toilets, clean, with toilet paper and most had hand soap. Things were well developed for tourists.

Nourlangie -  Burrunggui

The area referred to as Nourlangie was Warramal clan land, but they are no longer here, so it is being looked after by members of neighboring clans, in adherence to traditional law. The name Nourlangie, which identifies it on road maps and signage is actually incorrect: a misunderstanding by the Non-Aboriginal people who came. The top of the rock is called Burrunggui (Boo-rong-goy), while the base is called Anbangbang (Arn-barng barng).

Signage at Anbangbang

I was struck by this sign from the caretakers of this site (they are the Djok, Mirrarr and Murrumburr). Not only are they caring for the land of their deceased neighbors, but they respectfully share it with us, although they live elsewhere. To me it seemed very thoughtful - allowing us a window into this world of the past, but not wanting their own lives to be interrupted, or claiming ownership of this abandoned land for themselves. This national park is one that is jointly managed by indigenous communities and government personnel.

Kangaroo or Wallaby is on the Menu Now

Further north, in Ubirr, we had seen frequent references to fish on the walls. This southern area was not so close to the water, so images of kangaroos were more common. Here you see the hunter using his spear and woomera to hunt a kangaroo for his family's dinner. We were disappointed that we didn't see kangaroos. There were a couple of much smaller wallabies that had been hit by cars on the side of the road.

Namarrkon, the Lightning Man

The artwork in the shelters at Angbangbang was exceptional. One of my favorites was the Lightning Man - Namarrkon, who is an ancestral being associated with the power of thunderstorms - using thunder to communicate. His wife, Barginj, and he are parents to the Leichhardt's grasshopper, which appears when the first storms of the wet season break. To me, he looks like a grasshopper with a bolt of lightning around his head.

On the Way to Ceremony

One of the other reasons I liked this site, is that it also showed the people going about their life. Here, the sign told us, was a family group of men and women on their way to ceremony. The sign also told us that the women with the markings on their breasts, were breastfeeding. I liked the shape of their hairdos. The white figure above them, is the wife of Lightning Man - Barginj. She also looks like a grasshopper.

Anbangbang Shelter

The temperatures here are, surprisingly, not too extreme - ranging between the 80's and 100's Fahrenheit. It is likely that the proximity to the ocean moderates them from being too extreme. However, they do have an annual rainfall of 95 inches, so one can appreciate that shelters like this one, under big rocks, must have been an enormous blessing in the wet season. In the large, flat rock on the lower right of the photo, one can see holes where the women would grind seeds for making 'flour' cakes. From artifacts found here, anthropologists estimate that this shelter has been used for 20,000 years. 

Lookout to the East

We did not climb to the top of this magnificent escarpment, but there was a lower lookout that gave a view across to the east. I was drawn to the beauty of the trees as you see here. There is nothing quite like the smooth trunk of a eucalypt glimmering in the sunshine. 

Timor Imperial Pigeon

After spending time at Anbangbang, we sought our own 21st Century shelter, with lunch and a swim at a fancy resort, Cooinda. It was delightful watching this little Timor Imperial pigeon enjoying his own lunch of fruit from a palm tree near the pool in Cooinda.

Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. 

We ended the day with a visit to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. This was also a place where they requested no photography. While it had a great deal of information, I regret that my brain was already pretty full, so I can't tell you much about it!

'Sorry Business' in Jabiru

Before we leave this area to go back to Darwin, I want to share with you a few images from Jabiru. The first one is to illustrate an observation of grieving - the red line that we saw, smeared at shoulder height, around many of the public buildings here. Fran and I were puzzled - it was systematic and extensive - far too ubiquitous to just be careless graffiti. Googling for an answer revealed that it is a mark of mourning for a young woman who was killed in a car accident. The note I found said she faced a promising future, as one who 'walked a path between modern ways and traditional living'. Here's a link for more images if you're interested. https://andrearowe.com.au/sorry-business-in-kakadu/

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos Settling Down For the Night

Finally, I share a photo of cockatoos settling into a tree for the night. It was quite dark, so the photo from my phone is not great, but we were very amused to hear the squawking and seeming cries of distress as they jostled for position in the tree. It seemed about as crazy as watching the egrets settle in Simmons Lake in Amelia Park - birds that insist on being at the top of the tree, perching on branches that seem way too small for them. It must be a case of safety in numbers!

Next blog will share from our day in Arnhem Land.