Back of Beyond The NT: Western Arnhem Land

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The Western Arnhem Land Escarpment and associated river gorges and river catchment plains are extremely interesting to explore. While the northern tip borders the East Alligator River and is where the Bardedjilidji Sandstone Walk ois located the southern tip at Koolpin Gorge feeds Waterfall Creek which eventually meets the South Alligator River. Even though both are made up of sandstone they are quite different geologically. The Bardedjilidji sandstone is made up of Kombolgie Sandstone which was once underwater while the Koolpin Gorge sandstone is made up of the Koolpin Formation of the Mount Partidge Group of rocks approximately 70 million years older than the rock of the Bardedjilidji. Both areas are similar in that the sandstone outliers come right down to the water with small avenues of riverine forest along small feeder creeks or the narrower origins of much larger river systems. Therefore, water environments tend to get more and more restricted throughout the dry season with escarpment gorges and river feeder creeks and tributaries providing a water safe avenue for migrating birds into and then from the territory as they forage and seek more permanent water bodies. It is very difficult to earn a living in these conditions and as a visitor you have to spend a lot of time here and across several seasonal changes to be lucky enough to come across the local inhabitants. There is a high physical cost just to get here and logistically your stay has to be well managed. You can be unlucky and come after so called management burning has occurred and it becomes a fitness trip.
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Acacia conspersa on Kambolgie Sandstone Cliff
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