Australian Gourmet Traveller - (06)June 2019 (1)

Trip

notes

Three-dayoutbacktourswithSab
Lord’scompany, LordsKakadu&
ArnhemlandSafaris,costfrom$8519
twinshare.Thisincludesroadtransfers
fromDarwin,permitsforArnhemLand
andtwonightsatLord’sbushcampwith
mealsanddrinks.Longeritinerariescan
betailoredtoincludeovernightstaysat
thewildernesslodgeBamurruPlains.
lords-safaris.com, bamurruplains.com

Europeancountesseshavehappilyguzzledbottlesof

vintageChampagnehere,presumablygiddywiththe

foreignnessofsuchprosaicaccommodation.Moreover,

theprivilegescomeinunexpectedforms:whendingoes

strikeupa late-nightlamentsome 50 metresaway,

thehauntingsoundis as thrillingas it is chilling.

Thehighlightofthetripis a visittoGunlomFalls.

It takesus 15 minutestoclamberupa steeprocky

staircasetothetopofthefalls,anoasisofpoolsand

eucalyptssuspended 100 metresovertheplains.The

watersarecoolandlituponbydragonflies.Wepeer

overtheledge,watchingtheblackwatersshatterinto

whitedaggersinthehotTerritoryair.

Thefeelingofremovalfromrealityis extraordinary,

mademoresobyLord’sstories.Theyincreasingly

feellikeanAustralianformofmagicalrealism,spun

byGabrielGarcíaMárquezina batteredAkubra.

“Whenwewerelittlekids,”hesays,“Darwinwas

a bushtownof15,000.Togettherefromthestation

tookusa dayanda half.Onetime,Mumtookme

andmybrothertovisitthedentist.Shesentusinside

but we came out screaming – ‘arrrrghhhhh!’ – and

sheasked,‘What’sthematter,what’sthe matter?’

Wesaid:‘Badspirits!Badspirits!’”

Weblinkinexpectation.

“Itwastheair-conditioning,”hesays.“We’dnever

experiencedcoldbefore.”

Goodguidesoffera windowthroughwhich

travellerscanadmireplaceandappreciatethe

connectionsofnature,cultureandhistory.Lord

offersthesame,onlyhiswindowopensfully,soHarry

andI cansmellthesweatandfeelthesacrifice,the

veryothernessoflifeinAustralia’snorthernfrontiers.

Afterwefinishsoakinginthepool,Lordhas

toclamberbackdowntherockypathtothevalley

floor.“I’vegottogopreparesomelunch,”hesays,

“soyoublokesmightaswellstayupherea bitlonger.

Harry,youreckonyoucanfind the track and lead

thewaybackdown?”

“I can,Sab,”saysHarry.

Thebushmanisn’tpatronisingwhenheasks

thequestion,andnodswhenhehearstheanswer.

“Goodlad,”hesays.It’simportantfora young

man to find his way on less familiar paths.●

Above:Gunlom

Falls.Opposite,

fromtop:Lord

andguest

HarryAnderson

inspecta termite

mound;breakfast

campfire;cruising

the wetlands.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 141