ESSENTIAL OUTBACK
All the inspiration you need for an adventure.
The Kimberley region of Western Australia is all but cemented at the top of most Australians’ travel bucket list. It’s an intoxicating ochre-tinged landscape of ranges, gorges, savannahs and dust that melts into the water along its edges; exploration in these parts is done on a grand scale. Epic overland journeys along the 660-kilometre Gibb River Road take in wondrous sights rendered by nature over millennia, and resound with tales of the Indigenous Australians who have respectfully dwelt here for tens of thousands of years. Navigating its coastline is an equally gargantuan task, if not a more luxurious one thanks to the exclusive collection of cruise companies that ply the waters here. There are roughly 1000 islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago alone, as well as the Horizontal Falls, King George Falls and Cape Leveque (pictured), where the red rocks of the outback meet the clear, cool waters of the Indian Ocean.
There are a staggering 100,000 known rock art sites across the country, some estimated to date back 40,000 years.
INDIGENOUS FESTIVALS
LAURA DANCE FESTIVAL, CAPE YORK This spectacular biennial, three-day festival draws the people of the Cape to the town of Laura to exchange and pass on history through song and dance. The next festival will take place from 3-5 July, 2020. anggnarra.org.au PARRTJIMA, ALICE SPRINGS Over 10 nights Alice Springs is illuminated with light installations designed by Aboriginal artists and projected against the imposing MacDonnell Ranges. The annual event takes place from 5-14 April in 2019. parrtjimaaustralia.com.au TJUNGU FESTIVAL, ULURU Meaning ‘meeting together’ in the Anangu language, this four-day festival, held in April at Ayers Rock Resort, features traditional and contemporary live music, an art market, bush tucker and more. Dates TBC; ayersrockresort.com.au DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR With over 70 Indigenous-owned community art centres in attendance, this annual event gives visitors the chance to purchase artwork directly from artists and their communities. There’s also traditional dance and music; from 9-11 August. darwinaboriginalartfair.com.au
ABORIGINAL ROCK ART
Australia’s Aboriginal rock art is some of the most stunning in the world, and it is in plentiful supply too. There are a staggering 100,000 known rock art sites across the country, some estimated to date back 40,000 years. In Kakadu National Park head to Nourlangie to see creation ancestors including Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, and to Ubirr to marvel at the depiction of a thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, which became extinct on the mainland 2000-3000 years ago. See x-ray art (paintings depicting the skeletal frames of animals and humans) in Nitmiluk National Park. In the Kimberley, find Wandjina, on of the most significant creation spirits, and the elongated Gwion Gwion figures at King Edward River Crossing. And head to the Queensland town of Laura to see Quinkan rock art on the sandstone escarpments there. For a true insight into the traditions and legends of rock art, book a tour with a local Indigenous tour operator whenever possible.
BURRINGURRAH (MOUNT AUGUSTUS)
Known as Burringurrah in the local Wajarri language, Mount Augustus, located in Western Australia’s Mount Augustus National Park, often plays second fiddle to that other hulking rock formation in the Northern Territory. But the mountain island is actually bigger than its neighbour Uluru. Made up of sand and gravel deposited by an ancient river system that drained the region some 1600 million years ago, its imposing form is surrounded by arid scrub. You can drive around it on a 49-kilometre loop to get a better idea of its breadth, or the climb to the summit takes up to eight hours and requires a high level of fitness. There are a range of shorter walks requiring moderate fitness, none of which compromise on spectacular scenery or the feeling of blissful remove from the modern world.
GORGEOUS GORGES
COBBOLD GORGE Located in the heart of Queensland’s Gulf Savannah region, Cobbold Gorge is something of a secret treasure. For the ultimate way to connect with the quiet beauty of the gorge and its surroundings try stand-up paddle boarding through it. NITMILUK [KATHERINE] GORGE Within Nitmiluk National Park in the Northern Territory, this is a series of 13 sandstone gorges that stretches along the Katherine River; cruise its waters and explore the park on one of its walking trails. CARNARVON GORGE Head to Queensland’s Carnarvon National Park to see the Art Gallery, a significant Indigenous art site, and walk the 87-kilometre Carnarvon Great Walk, taking in soaring cliffs and sandstone escarpments. ORMISTON GORGE West of Alice Springs in the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, Ormiston is resplendent with towering walls and abundant wildlife. Swim its cool waters or walk the Ormiston Pound Walk.
There are a range of shorter walks, none of which compromise on spectacular scenery or the feeling of blissful remove from the modern world.