Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris

The heart of Arnhem Land, Mt Borradaile is a registered Aboriginal sacred site in a remote 700 square kilometre, exclusively leased area nestled against the Arnhem Land escarpment. This is a landscape of rugged ranges fringed by idyllic billabongs, flood plains, paperbark swamps and monsoonal rainforests, an amazingly beautiful wilderness.

Mt Borradaile is owned and managed by its traditional custodians the Amurdak people whose habitation of the area dates back for 50,000 years. Visitors of all ages have the opportunity to access this very special, protected and highly restricted region via the honorary custodian status conferred on Max Davidson and his staff by the traditional landowners. Today the story of their ancestry is evident in the many tools, ceremonial grounds and rock art paintings - still being uncovered today.

In 1986, Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris began leasing a private swathe of jaw-droppingly beautiful Aboriginal land east of Darwin, a 700 square kilometre profusion of rugged ranges, idyllic billabongs and monsoonal rainforests. Based at Mount Borradaile, this now iconic eco lodge and its accompanying suite of activities is sanctioned by the area’s Traditional Owners, whose link to Arnhem Land dates back 50,000 years. Their vision for the land includes visits to this magical site by small groups under the stewardship of the Davidson’s team. One of the most special aspects of this partnership is access to a myriad of sacred rock art displays, which regularly wow guests with their spiritual potency. A 50 minute flight from Darwin, the lodge, decorated in a litany of eco-tourism awards, serves fine-dining fare in a relaxed communal space fringed by a serene pool. Simultaneously, tailored tours capitalise on the immense splendour and tranquillity of this pocket of Arnhem Land, especially its water-filled features such as the billabong beneath Mount Borradaile and nearby wetlands alive with crocodiles and long-legged water birds.