All across the land
As Australia’s internal borders begin to reopen, our sights are set on the vast expanses and revelatory cultural experiences of the Northern Territory.
In this remarkable, remote location, First Nations culture thrives
From the sun-baked monoliths of the Red Centre to the biodiverse floodplains of Kakadu National Park, the Northern Territory offers a vision of nature at its grandest. It’s also a place where First Nations culture is writ large and showcased: both in galleries, where some of the nation’s leading contemporary artists display their work, and on Country, where local guides reveal ancient rock paintings and tell Dreamtime tales. For an immersion in the modern Indigenous art scene, head first to Alice Springs, a low-slung outback town about 1500 kilometres south of Darwin. Here, you’ll find the Araluen Arts Centre (araluen artscentre.nt.gov.au), a bustling gallery featuring temporary exhibitions of work from around the country plus a permanent collection that includes esteemed watercolour artist Albert Namatjira. Nearby, along Todd Mall, a clutch of small galleries — including the internationally renowned Papunya Tula Artists (papunyatula.com.au) — offer fresh work for sale.
It’s an easy four-and-a-half hour drive from Alice Springs to the resplendent Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. At the request of the traditional owners of the land, the local Anangu people, climbing Uluru was stopped in 2019 but there are still several ways to view it up close, including the Uluru base walk (a three-and-a-half hour, 10-kilometre circuit largely free of crowds) and helicopter and light-plane rides. Visit just before dusk and you’ll see the rock transition from burnt orange to vermillion.
At the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, Maruku Arts (maruku.com.au) offers dot-painting workshops that explain local Anangu techniques and symbols. Maruku Arts, which also produces traditionally crafted punu (wooden carvings), shares the Cultural Centre with another Anangu-run corporation Walkatjara Art (walkatjara.com), where members from the Mutitjulu community create an array of paintings on site.
Some 30 kilometres across the desert plain sits Kata Tjuta, or ‘many heads’: three-dozen bulbous rock formations that collectively rival Uluru in terms of visual impact and spiritual significance. The site — formerly known as The Olgas — is sacred to Anangu men, and many of its stories are kept secret. The area also receives fewer visitors than Uluru, making a trip here feel particularly special. Time your visit carefully and you could have Kata Tjuta’s signature Valley of the Winds Walk all to yourself. But come prepared: the 7.4-kilometre circuit is a challenge and takes around four hours to complete.
From the Red Centre, make your way to Darwin in the Top End. The territory capital is busiest in August when the Darwin Festival takes over but it offers low-key delights all year round, from fresh mango juice and laksa at the open-air markets to shopping at several excellent galleries. It’s also a launchpad for excursions into the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, some 150 kilometres east of the city.
Kakadu is home to Ubirr, one of Australia’s most significant Aboriginal rock art galleries, which features depictions of the Dreamtime and native wildlife including the thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian tiger), which disappeared from the mainland 2000 years ago. Ubirr is also a magnificent vantage point from which to view the sunset over the floodplains.
Venture further into the park on a Guluyambi Cultural Cruise along the East Alligator River led by an Aboriginal guide, who can steer you clear of Kakadu’s fearsome reptiles (kakaduculturaltours.com.au). Or visit the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre near Cooinda, where you can view the immersive ‘Our Land is Our Life’ exhibition and watch the traditional Bininj landowners weave and paint (kakadutourism.com).
Those with a taste for adventure should continue east to pristine Arnhem Land, a region of rainforests and rugged beaches that the Yolngu people have inhabited for at least 60,000 years. At Gunbalanya in West Arnhem Land, Injalak Arts (injalak.com) showcases the work of more than 200 artists, including bark painters and basket weavers.
There’s also the heavyweight Maningrida Arts & Cultural Centre (maningrida.com) in the township of the same name, about 500 kilometres north-east of Darwin. Here, well-known practitioners such as John Mawurndjul, Owen Yalandja and Crusoe Kurddal share gallery space with early- and mid-career artists. At Maningrida’s Djómi Museum, work spanning seven decades traces the evolution of Aboriginal modern art. In this remarkable, remote location, First Nations culture thrives.
From the sun-baked monoliths of the Red Centre to the biodiverse floodplains of Kakadu National Park, the Northern Territory offers a vision of nature at its grandest