Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/809226
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 APRIL 2017 41 and cause a massive bush fire, or it can rain so much that you will be stuck between two creeks for hours, worse even, days. Or as I learnt, just one hour of torrential rain can turn an unpaved road in- to a slush park. Getting bogged is not a pleasant thing out here and help is always hours away. This land can turn from un- pleasant, to breathtaking and back to unpleasant with just a half an hours' notice at the most. As long as you explore these ar- eas in the dry season, you should hardly have any trouble except maybe getting lost. It's hard to keep track of all the 4WD tracks that take you to places which are unique and magical but most of all, with very few other people around, if any at all. Areas such as East Kakadu, Nhunlunbuy, Cape Arnhem, Rainbow Cliff, Gunlom Falls, Willgi Station, Garig Gunak Barlu, Beswick and Birany Billa- bong are just a few to give you a good idea of what beauty Arnhem beholds. Nhunlunbuy would probably be Arnhem Land's capital town. It has one of the biggest communi- ties where both Australians and Aboriginal people live together and it probably has the only de- cent landing strip in all the land. This and the fact that an old Aluminum mining company has operated off the land for many years has made this quite a hot spot and a good base for those travelling around Australia. The coastal scenery from Cape Arn- hem all the way to Garig Gunak Barlu is probably some of the best coast that Australia has to offer, and funnily enough I would say that some parts of it really re- mind me of Malta's rocky coast and beautiful blue waters. The only difference is that most of the rock here is red clay and sand- stone rock mixed with sediments of granite. Do remember that to get access into Arnhem Land you require a permit, which you can get hold of from any of the Aboriginal com- munity offices in Darwin or Kath- erine. This permit is given out after all the Aboriginal elders in all the main communities within Arnhem Land have given their ap- proval of your being on their an- cestral land. Once this is granted you will have between 10 days to two months to explore their land. Make sure to always check into an Aboriginal community and get a bit familiar before you get back on your way. You never know, you might get lucky and an elder might take it upon himself to show you around and let you in a bit on their knowledge. Getting there Emirates offer regular flights between Malta and Darwin with a stopover in Dubai and Sydney. Flights departing from Malta on 19 April and returning on 4 May were priced at €1,430 including tax, at the time of going to print. Total flying time is approximately 40 hours. From Darwin you will be able to rent a car and drive into Arnhem Land. Travel The fairytale-like Schloss waterfalls, Rhine Falls.