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ARNHEM LAND ADVENTURE
Examples of what is thought to be the
country’s finest rock art, found in the vast
north-eastern stretch of the Northern
Territory that is Arnhem Land, have been
dated to some 20,000 years old. And so
isolated is the region, so hard to access, that
the Indigenous Yolngu people, who have
called its white beaches and rugged bush
home for as long as the art is old, have
succeeded in maintaining a traditional
lifestyle, their dance, music and art. It’s this
that makes travelling to Arnhem Land an
irresistible cultural adventure, to witness a
thriving Indigenous society and to be invited
in to take part and learn about its ancient
practices, hear its stories. You’ll need a permit
to enter Arnhem Land and a sturdy 4WD, so
travel with the likes of Venture North Safaris
who can show you the best of this remote
world, and more importantly, introduce you
to the Yolngu. Leave with a sense of optimism
about the future of this remarkable land and
the people that call it home.CELEBRATE OUR OFF-ROAD OBSESSION
A fully equipped 4WD is like a sturdy ship able to cover
every stretch of this wide, brown land of ours. And the
off-roading capital of Australia, if not the entire world, is
Alice Springs. It’s a national love affair celebrated every
year at the Tatts Finke Desert Race, from 7 to 10 June.
Over 600 competitors in everything from dune buggies,
rally cars, 4WDs and dirt bikes head out from Alice Springs,
taking two days to blast through 460 kilometres of red
desert to the Finke River (thought to be the oldest in the
world), in the Indigenous community Aputula. If you’re
not taking part, you can camp along the route; there’s
something uniquely Australian about seeing Mad Max
maderealashundredsofmaraudingvehicleskick up dust.82
T hrill seeking
YOUNG THINGS from all over the world flock to OUR SHORES
because of Australia’s UNPARALLELED opportunity for adventurous
pursuits; it’s HIGH TIME you journeyed into this WILD LAND and joined them.