The Arafura Track

If you arrive at Marrkalawa you’ve taken at least one wrong turn.

It required three generations of the one clan to secure our permits to traverse eastern Arnhem Land, a Northern Territory region so remote a wrong turn could land you in the camp of a bloke – carrying both a spear and a woomera – who would politely point out the deficiencies of SatNav and send you on your way. Such a confrontation only occurred the once, however once was enough to convince us to be better attuned to cultural sensitivities. It can take quite an effort to turn a fully laden KTM1190 around in deep sand – potentially far more time than the deployment of a woomera.

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