Arnhem Land Wilderness Adventure 2024

Please check your required arrival time with the office before booking your flights.

After meeting your group at Cairns Airport and travelling to Gove Airport with Airnorth, you will be greeted by our friendly and professional tour director. This afternoon we’ll explore this frontier village, created in the 1960’s after the discovery of Bauxite on the Gove Peninsula. Visit the Roy (Malpi) Marika Lookout for incredible views towards the coast, Gayngaru Wetlands and Gove Harbour before settling in for a two night stay at the Walkabout Lodge. Meal (D)

Note: Passengers flying into Darwin will be met at the baggage reclaim area of the airport and transferred to the Walkabout Lodge.

Today our journey into the heart of Arnhem Land begins. Departing Nhulunbuy we follow the Central Arnhem road south west to the Goyder River, the main tributary flowing into the massive Arafura Swamp. Enjoy a picnic lunch before taking a track to the north, which follows an escarpment before descending on to the Arafura floodplains. This area, known as ‘Murwangi’, is the site of our exclusive safari camp where we’ll be staying for the next two nights. Check in to your deluxe safari suite before dinner in the lodge dining room. Meals (B.L.D)

This morning we head into Ramingining for a visit to Bula’bula Art Centre. Chat to local artists and watch them paint right in front of you. You can also purchase artwork if so desired.

After morning tea at the centre we head further west towards Maningrida. To get there we’ll cross the Blyth and Cadell Rivers, arriving at the Barramundi Lodge early this afternoon. Acquired by Outback Spirit in 2015, the lodge is one of the most recognised fishing destinations in Australia. With special permission from traditional owners, the lodge enjoys exclusive fishing licenses for numerous remote waterways, including the Tomkinson and Liverpool Rivers. The lodge was fully redeveloped in early 2016 and now features 12 beautiful safari suites and a restaurant overlooking the floodplains below.

After lunch on the front deck, we’ll enjoy a familiarisation talk from the lodge’s managers. You’re then free to settle in to your safari suite, with the remainder of the afternoon yours to relax, catch up on some washing or simply soak up the stunning view of the floodplains. We spend the next two nights here to explore the local area. Meals (B.L.D)

Departing Maningrida after breakfast, our travels take us through the stone country of west Arnhem Land. Cross the Goomadeer and Liverpool Rivers before arriving at the turnoff to Davidson’s Arnhem Land Safaris, Mount Borradaile. From here we travel along a 40km bush track into the safari lodge, arriving in time for lunch. We’ll then check-in to our cabins, our home for the next two nights.

This afternoon the highly trained staff at Mount Borradaile will take you through 40,000 years of Aboriginal culture in a truly awe-inspiring landscape. The area contains some of the most stunning rock art galleries in the world, and in terms of artistic quality, quantity, colourfulness and state of preservation, it is virtually unrivalled. The walls of the many rock shelters are decorated with innumerable pictures documenting traditional Aboriginal life over many thousands of years. Subjects range from now extinct animals to twentieth century sailing ships and the iconic Rainbow Serpent.

This afternoon we return to the lodge for dinner. Meals (B.L.D)

Departing Mount Borradaile early, we head north and venture into the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park on the Cobourg Peninsula. Travel up the eastern side of Port Essington to Black Point where we'll meet the marine crew from Seven Spirit Bay and board the lodge’s custom-made adventure craft for the short transfer across Port Essington. Upon arriving at the lodge, you’ll be allocated your room for the next three nights, a unique and luxurious ‘habitat' villa. We meet again later this evening for dinner in the lodge restaurant. Meals (B.L.D)

The Cobourg Marine Park is teeming with fish. After breakfast, we board the lodge's state-of-the-art fishing vessels for an exclusive half-day fishing adventure in Port Essington. Featuring an onboard restroom, shade canopy and comfortable seating, each boat takes only six people so everyone will have the chance to reel something in!

Seven Spirit Bay's fishing guides are true professionals with intimate knowledge of the marine park. They'll take you to the best fishing spots and share their marine sanctuary expertise while enjoying some of the most spectacular coastline to be found in northern Australia. Our expert guides fish these waters regularly and will have up-to-date knowledge of the many potential sites that are producing fish and that will give you the best chance of success.

A mix of small meandering creeks, mangrove-lined bays, rocky outcrops and deeper water “bommies” mean that there will nearly always be something to be found somewhere. Once we’ve tested our luck, we’ll make our way to a sheltered beach landing at Low Point where we disembark and rendezvous with the lodge's chef for a delicious BBQ bush lunch under a shady tree.

After lunch we enjoy a 4WD safari to appreciate the wonders of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. First up is a visit to the stunning Nypa Palm gallery (Nypa Fruticans), one of only three locations in Australia where they can be found (the others are Melville Island and the Wenlock River). A short drive further brings us to the upper reaches of Trepang Creek, one of many creek systems that are a mix of spring-fed and tidally influenced systems that help provide nourishment to the rich marine life of the park.

Next, we'll explore the savannah woodlands of the park, potentially spotting Banteng and Buffalo and gaining some insight into the interesting and varied coastal habitats, before a visit to Gunners Quoin lookout. We return to the lodge late afternoon for our third and final evening at Seven Spirit Bay. Meals: B.L.D

Note: The timings for the Port Essington fishing adventure are dependent upon tidal movements. As such, lunch arrangements are subject to change to suit the itinerary set by the Seven Spirit Bay marine managers.

Note: Today the tour splits into two groups for activities. Group 1 will follow the itinerary shown above, while Group 2 will do the activities in reverse.

Enjoy a relaxing morning before your transfer to the airport, or to your accommodation if staying on in Darwin. Time to say goodbye, until we meet again for your next outback adventure. Meals: B