Travel to Arnhem Land

In the far north of Australia, in the unincorporated Northern Territory, is a highly sacred region to Aboriginal people called Arnhem Land. Here on the “Top End” of the continent resides the last remaining true dreamtime Aboriginals. It is also the first place the Aboriginal people settled, with some artifacts dating 40,000 years or older. Spectacular scenery, wildlife and Aboriginal art make Arnhem Land one of the most extensive wilderness areas on the continent.

Although Aboriginal rock art is found in most parts of Australia, Arnhem Land is the best-known rock art province. In western Arnhem Land are the famous “X-ray” fish painted in rock shelters. They combine a naturalistic profile and visible external features of fish incorporated with a complex infill including bones and intestines. Also found are an older tradition of Mimi figures, which depict detailed scenes of prehistoric life. Hand stencils are common all over Australia and some can be dated to 50,000 years old. Aboriginal rock art continues to be produced in Arnhem Land, making it the world’s longest lasting artistic tradition.


Near the confluence of the Rose and Roper Rivers in the Brimmy Valley just south of Arnhem Land is a lost city associated with the Egyptians. Australian explorers named it the “ruined City of the Moon,” or “Moon City.” The early explorers recorded similarities between Aboriginal depictions and those of the Masons or the Egyptians. The Aboriginals call the place “Burrangie,” the legendary home of giant people who live in the realm of dreamtime. Moon City is considered an ultra-sacred Aboriginal site and is strictly off-limits to outsiders.

The European invasion meant the destruction of Aboriginal society, and most natives have now assimilated into the white man’s world. Few Aboriginals completely live their hunter-and-gatherer way of life anymore in Australia. Some of the Aboriginal population living within Arnhem Land are among the last to truly retain their language, culture, and religion of pre-contact times. Their nomadic way of life is reflected in their religious beliefs. In Aboriginal cosmology, the manifested world has its origin in, and continues to be dependent upon, the collective dreaming of the group, known as dreamtime. Aboriginal myth originated with their concept of dreamtime, in which ancestral beings roamed the earth, creating the traditional paths the Aborigines followed and the shapes of the earth itself. While only a few tribes of outback Australian Aboriginals remain in the golden age of dreamtime, most will profess a primordial oneness with the earth. The core of Aboriginal culture and dance rituals is a perceived direct relationship with the rocks, minerals, plants, insects, and animals. Their songs and stories celebrate a strong relationship with their beloved land upon which they exist.

Getting to Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is strictly an Aboriginal Reserve and travel to outside persons is restricted. As with other Aboriginal Reserves, visitors must obtain an entry permit.
No paved roads exist in Arnhem Land and getting around is very difficult. Swampy marshes, unmarked trails, and estuary crocodiles — some growing to 26 feet (8 m) — make overland travel a hazardous proposition. Most travelers opt to visit only neighboring Kakadu National Park, which is far more accessible, open to tourism, and just outside the city of Darwin.