Mount Borradaile 1

We started early on Wednesday morning from Barramundi Lodge - driving for almost 6 hours on more bumpy, dirt tracks with only 2 short breaks - before arriving at Davidson's Safari Lodge in Central Arnhem Land in time for another beautifully prepared sit down lunch - a welcome relief after the long, bone-rattling ride.

More cabin accommodation here, so well suited to these remote conditions .........

The lodge is in Central Arnhem Land "Stone (sandstone) Country" and in an area that contains some of the most spectacular Aboriginal rock art in the country. Mount Borradaile, known to the Amurdak traditional owners as Awunbarna, is a key feature on the 7,500 sq klm property about 20 klm north of Kakadu NP. 

Charlie Manguida, the last remaining Amurdak custodian, is 92 years old. After Charlie there will be no remaining Amurdak custodians on this land, a very sobering thought.

In the 1980s with the blessing of Charlie, Max and Phillipa Davidson set up the safari camp and airstrip, restricting access to the unique Mt Borradaile rock art "galleries" to carefully controlled pre-booked groups. The emphasis is on conservation of the culture and natural environment. We feel very privileged to be here to have this experience.

On our first afternoon our guides led us (safari style) to the first series of rock art and habitation caves nearest to the lodge - culminating in the amazing Rainbow Serpent "gallery".

Another variety of pandanus growing in this stone country.......

We saw work spanning 50,000 years! - paintings from different eras, paintings over-painted, now extinct animals, different styles over the millenia, paintings on every surface ......

This was our first glimpse of the amazing Rainbow Serpent gallery............

..... walking around to get a better view .......

"Aburga" is over 6metres long and over a metre wide at those toothy jaws ..... quite a sight to behold on the roof of this elevated cave.

The female form with enlarged genitals, in various styles, is a recurring image throughout the cave galleries here.......

These caves would have made ideal shelters ....

There were many hand prints throughout the caves .......

This chain of handprints all had a chopped off index finger ......

The female three fingered spirit figures were also a recurring theme.

A very sheltered habitation cave, with charcoal, paintings and grinding stones and other artefacts still in place. ......

The sandstone cave area beautifully lit at sunset .......

The fruit from the pandanus gets part eaten by the local wallaby population and so its seed gets spread  all over the country ........

Another beautiful ArnhemLand sunset on the track driving back to the lodge .......