In between the patches of forest, we floated through acres of lily-pads.
And we were lucky to see many waterlilies in bloom.
Being on the water, we could see the flowers up-close, and they were stunning.
But these waterlilies weren’t the only aquatic flowers we saw. Among them also grew the snowflake lily that only blooms in the Wet.
Up-close, they look a lot like snowflakes.
Our other adventures at Mt Borradaile involved cruising the various waterways in this flat-bottomed boat.
We discovered very quickly that there were many habitats in the wetlands, the first we passed through being the monsoon rainforest. These are tropical areas that are waterlogged during the Wet but are completely dry otherwise. For example, this ‘canal’ under the paperbark trees in the Dry season is a road!
Paperbarks weren’t the only type of forest we cruised through – there were patches of Livingstonia palms, straight out of the dinosaur era.
And water-loving Pandanus Aquaticus, which I’ve seen in many parts of Northern Australia that I’ve visited.
I loved how serene it all was, particularly when our guide cut the motor – beautiful reflections, and no sound bar the trickle of water and the twittering of birds.
There are also bigger creatures in Sandstone Country – but being marsupials and nocturnal, they were rather elusive. We did catch sight of these two though, with the help of our knowledgeable guide.
This rock wallaby made a brief appearance under a rock overhang.
And we caught a glimpse of a pair of possums in a rock crevice, out of the midday heat.
Apart from these two larger creatures, that’s all the larger animal action in Sandstone Country, and the end of our visit there – although there’s plenty more to see at Mt Borradaile. Next, we venture somewhere much more watery.
We had quite a few encounters with the wildlife in Sandstone Country. Being a place with many nooks and crannies, there were many places for creatures to hide.
The smallest first – these green tree ants were definitely the most ubiquitous. Their green bums have a lemon taste, and most tour guides in Northern Australia will coerce encourage you to taste it.
This little beetle (or is it a bug?) had an almost jewel-like shell.
These St Andrew’s Cross spiders were almost as ubiquitous as the green tree ants. Thankfully, they’re not poisonous.
But the most striking small creature was the Leichhardt Grasshopper, first recorded by explore Ludwig Leichhardt back in in his first expedition through the Top End. He lived to mount a second expedition, where he mysteriously disappeared!
Further down-stream, the creek pooled into a wonderful fresh-water pond, complete with waterlilies and a sandy bottom.
It was our swimming spot for the week – I was lucky to be able to swim there three times. By mid-afternoon the water temperature was close to 30C, though it was a tad cooler in the deeper parts. I was told that the pool’s depth decreases as the Dry goes on, so that by July it would only be waist deep.
The creeks of the area drain into the many channels of Cooper Creek, which we’ll explore later. This waterfall/rapids gives you an idea of how much water was draining away.
Being among rocks, we saw some interesting weathering effects. These little silt pagodas probably formed the creek bed at some point.
This giant, overturned slab had somersaulted away from the cliff face.
Water was never far away. And it was fresh water as we were up above the floodplain. We waded through this creek on our way to the top of escarpment.
Mount Borradaile is unique in that it is a small tourist venture on land that is leased from the Amarak people whose land lies just east of the East Alligator River. They no longer live in the area, but are involved with the camp – the traditional owners visit periodically and have input into the sites that are shown and the stories that are told. We’ll look at the indigenous side of things later on, but first I’d like to show you how things like in Sandstone Country after the Wet.
During the Dry, things are dusty, sandy, and frequently burnt.
However, after the Wet, things are rather green.
So green, in fact that there is a green tinge everywhere from herbs and various other ground covers.
And all the ground cover plants are blooming – the flowers are lovely and delicate.
Here are some native violets.
A kind of poppy.
And a type of heath flower.
All very beautiful to see. All unique to the Top End after the Wet season.
Soon we were away from all civilisation and flying over the wetlands of the Top End, crossing little rivers…
And much bigger ones further east that form part of Kakadu National Park.
It’s the end of a very good Wet season (the best in five years) so the rivers and creeks were still discharging water. This meant great conditions for barramundi fishing, and we saw quite a few boats from above.
I was also fascinated by the clouds and the patterns they formed down below.
After a bit over an hour, we descended into Arnhemland, and down to Mount Borradaile – a little bit of civilisation in the wilds.
Eight years ago I visited a place in the Northern Territory called Mount Borradaile. It’s a tourist camp (not a resort) within West Arnhemland that was full of all sorts of Top End wonders, both natural and indigenous. Even though I only stayed two nights, it made a deep impression, and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since.
I finally got the chance this year, this time with my mum, who is an avid amateur naturalist as well. It might be a strange time to go, in the Wet of late March, but having been up north in the Dry, we both wanted to see what the Wet brought.
The adventure started with an early morning flight in a six-seater plane from Darwin.
Luckily, the weather was calm in the morning, and we were soon flying amongst the clouds and looking down on the estuaries and wetlands that surround Darwin.
It’s definitely greener than in the Dry, isn’t it? Just compare it with a scene from my flight eight years ago, when I was flying through a smoky haze.
We’ll farewell the Top End with another stupendous sunset cruise on the Coopers River billabong.
It was a profound, emotional experience, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. The wildlife, scenery and rock art are amazing, but above all, the cultural things that I learned that typically only happens when I visit a completely foreign country. I admit that this all comes at a price, but if you have an opportunity to visit Mount Borradaile, jump at it. Magnificent sunsets like this one awaits you.
This isn’t the end of my Northern Territory journey, though. Next up, the Red Centre!
Static and Silence 