The magic of Mt. Borradaile was one of the main reasons I wanted to travel to  Australia.   Upon seeing a few pictures of the rock art there, I was hooked.  When I read the story of how Charlie Mangulda (the traditional aboriginal owner of Mt. Borradaile) first met the legendary buffalo hunter Max Davidson at Yellow Water, and how hunting trips for buffalo in the region turned into a recognition that the cultural resources they found there were astonishing and priceless, I was really hooked.  I was enthralled by their story of a deep friendship, and a shared commitment to the history and culture that was, and is, Mt. Borradaile.  When I say that Max Davidson is legendary, I am not joking.  In 2015, he was named one of Australia’s top 20 Legends by Outback Magazine.  He is no longer alive, having passed away at age 86 in 2017, but the fruits of his long friendship with Charlie are still in evidence at the Davidson Arnhemland Safari, now run by his daughters.  Arnhemland remains the most untouched of the Australian outback, seen by few other than the aboriginal inhabitants.  Arnhemland was named after the Dutch Ship “The Arnhem” which was blown off course in the area in 1623.  Indeed, not much has changed in Arnhemland these last 400 years, and I wanted to experience as much of it as I could.  This post is my attempt to convey the magic of Mt. Borradaile…

When I first contacted Davidson’s, they recommended that I fly in to the lodge.  When I said I was really hoping to drive in, they said (after questioning me about what kind of vehicle I would be driving and my offroad driving experience)  “Okay, we will send you a Mud Map, but be sure to follow the directions and instructions on it.  Don’t stop, don’t deviate, and, don’t try to bring any alcohol in, understand?”.   So, at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, I left Jabiru bound for Mt. Borradaile.  I arrived at Cahill’s crossing about a quarter to six, parked, and walked to to the viewing platform above the crossing to make sure the tide was low enough to cross.  Using my little spotlight, I confirmed the water was low, but I also saw many, many, sets of crocodile eyes in the water around the crossing.  You wanted adventure, Tom McCoppin, here it is!  I crossed the East Alligator River in the dark, and headed to Mount Borradaile.  The drive was an adventure in and of itself, as I had a few navigation problems, saw lots of wildlife, and several burns along the route.  I arrived safe and sound a little after 8 a.m., having traveled a little over 60 kilometers since crossing the river, all on backcountry roads.  I was quite proud of myself!

Right before I reached Davidson’s Lodge, I passed the airstrip, where a number of guests were loading up to fly out.  The Lodge is completely offgrid, completely functional, and completely magical!  There is a main building that houses the kitchen, the dining area, a lounge area and library, and just outside, a small pool.  Surrounding the Lodge are stand alone cabins.  Upon arrival, I was assigned Cabin 21, and had just enough time to check it out and unload some of my belongings before meeting my guide and setting off for my first rock art adventure at Mt. Borradaile.

After parking at my assigned cabin, unloading a few things and preparing my camera and daypack, I walked back to the Lodge to meet my guide for the next four days, Lachlan Harrison, affectionately known as “Locky” at Davidson’s.  Locky has been a guide there for seven years.  I found Locky to be kind, considerate, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic in a laid back way.  I liked him immediately, and was excited to spend the next few days with him as my guide.  He explained that most mornings we would meet after breakfast (shortly after 8 a.m.) and head out for a morning hike, returning around 1 p.m. for lunch at the Lodge.  After lunch, we would relax for a while and meet up a little after 3:00 p.m. for our afternoon hike.   That first day, I was the only guest at the Lodge, so Locky and I were on our own.  That morning, we drove to a trailhead, then hiked to our first site, which they call “Artefact Cave”.  What a wonderful rock art site!  It is so named because a cache of artefacts was found in a niche of the cave.  Nearby, we explored an area they call “The Catacombs”, which is home to a number of aboriginal burials.  We then hiked over to a magnificent site known as “Major Art”.  What a morning!  These first five photos are from Artefact Cave….

Near Artefact Cave is a network of caves known as “The Catacombs”.  We saw a number of burials in this area.  Out of respect, I took no photos of the burials and the remains.  I did note, however, that high status individuals had their remains (bones) painted red.  The burials were in small niches and many contained multiple sets of remains.  There was also some rock art scattered around this area.

The last place Locky and I visited that first morning was a site they call “Major Art”.  It was a large alcove with high ceilings, open to two sides.  The focus of the main panel was handprints and decorated hands, but there are many, many other elments at this panel.  It is a stunning place, and a sacred place.  There is a large burial niche to the right of the main panel.  I was so grateful to experience this place!

After our morning hikes, we returned to the Lodge where I had an excellent lunch of fish, chips, and salad.  Before we parted for our afternoon quiet time, Locky asked if I would be interested in doing some exploring later that afternoon.  He said that even after seven years, there are still lots of areas he has never seen.  I, of course, said count me in!  Truth be known, a large amount of the time I spend in the backcountry of the American Southwest is spent exploring…looking for rock art that might not be well known.  Anyway, when Locky and I got back together for our afternoon session, we drove to a boat that was tied up on Left Billabong, and took it to an area that Locky had never explored before.  We spent about two and a half hours climbing, rock hopping, and searching.  We found a couple of nice panels of rock art, and a long wooden ceremonial spear.  Locky had heard of the spear, but had never located it before.  After our exploring, we hiked over to Middle Left Hand Cave and saw the rock art there.  The sun was setting as we returned to the Lodge after a wonderful afternoon!

Locky and I returned to the Lodge just before dark.  Since I was the only guest at the Lodge, Ray (normally the manager, but filling in for the cook, who had the day off) fixed me a special dinner featuring rack of lamb.  It was delicious!  After dinner, I joined Ray and the rest of the crew out by the pool, as they drank beer and told tall tales.  I only understood about half of what they said, but I enjoyed it immensely, and retired to Cabin 21 a tired and happy old man.

Thursday, September 12, 2019, promised to be an exiting day.  Locky and I were joined by Ericka and Tomaso, a young Italian couple from Vignole Borbera, Italy,  who were on their honeymoon.  They flew in early that morning from Darwin, and we set out from the Lodge on a clear and cool morning.  A twenty five minute drive put us at the trailhead and a short hike brought us to our first  site of the day, “Potbelly Man”.  This area consisted of a number of very old panels, mostly done in the naturalistic style of the Pre-Estuarine Period.  We also visited a habitation site, a shallow cave Locky referred to as “The Living Room”.

A short hike brought us to a beautiful area of rock formations where, when we looked up, we got our first view of “The Great Rainbow Serpent” site.  This site was discovered by Max Davidson, and played a large role in the development and purpose of Davidson’s Arnhemland Safari….

To reach the cave that contains this magnificent work of art, we had to hike around to the back side of the rock formation and climb up.  We spent quite a bit of time enjoying this special place, as well as a nearby ancillary ritual site that Locky called “The Waiting Room”.

After a nice lunch and a little time to relax, we headed out Thursday afternoon to the Main Billabong and the base of Mt. Borradaile.  As we approached our landing site in the shadow of Mt. Borradaile, Locky explained that most of the sites at Mt. Borradaile were off limits to all but aboriginal peoples who had Charlie’s permission to visit these places that had been sacred to his family and his ancestors for thousands of years.  Locky futher explained that Mt. Borradaile is a large rock formation that is actually horseshoe shaped, forming an amphitheater of sorts, and that these sacred sites are located in this interior area, some up very high.  The first site we visited that afternoon was Charlie’s “Family Site”.  Apparently, his father created some of the art at this site, but Charlie is intentionally vague about which parts of the panel his father painted, and what the figures represent.  It is a stunning site!

After spending time at the Family Site, we took a short walk to a nearby cave that Locky called the Midden Site.  There, we saw a few artefacts, a little rock art, and a burial.  We then took a little longer walk through a rocky area that had recently burned, and, in fact, was still smoldering.  Along the way, I saw my first rock wallaby.  In short order, we found ourselves at the Contact Site, which is best known for a pictograph of a ship at the Darwin dock.  The site had other interesting elements, and we spent about an hour there enjoying the rock art.  The late afternoon w est sun was not the best for photographing the site, but I did my best.

Our final stop Thursday afternoon was near the Contact Site at Mt. Borradaile and is called “Charlie’s Handprint”.   Here is a short video of Locky telling the story behind the handprint….

Locky further explained that the placing of a handprint by an aboriginal is not taken lightly, and is known as “connecting with your country”.  It is often part of a coming of age ritual for young men at places such as the Waiting Room site near the Great Serpent panel.  Apparently, Charlie had never “connected with his country” at Mt. Borradaile, and, once he had done so, did not want to do it again.  Max realized, on their walk, that placing a handprint on a small moveable rock (which is not “country” since it is not affixed to the earth), which Charlie called “a rubbish rock”, would not violate Charlie’s beliefs but would satisfy the CNN film crew, so problem solved!  A great story and an interesting place.  We headed back to our boat, and enjoyed the ride back to our vehicle, seeing lots of wildlife as we traversed the Main Billabong in the late afternoon.  A wonderful day!

On Friday morning (September 13, 2019), we took a boat to a landing area on Left Billabong, and, after a fairly short hike, found ourselves at the Left Hand Cave Complex.   It is a large cave, with a number of sites located at various parts of the cave.  Locky likes to refer to the site as The Penthouse Suite, because of its size and the unique geology of the area.  There was also a burial site in the middle of the cave.  Nearby we also explored an area that Locky called “The Spa Room”.  It was a series of deep holes, all in a line.  A short walk away was The Left Hand Cave Annex, which Locky likes to call Granny Flats.  This site has art, burials, and artefacts that Locky seems to think are befitting a grandmother.  It took us the entire morning to explore and experience this beautiful area.

The rock art at Left Hand Cave was plentiful and varied.  There was art on the walls, art on the ceiling, and, basically, art almost anywhere you looked within the cave.  It also had elements of many different ages and styles, from very old to contact art.  Here are a few samples of the art at Left Hand Cave.

Not far from the rear entrance to “The Penthouse Suite” (Left Hand Cave) was a geologic formation that Locky referred to as the “Spa Room”.  Check it out…

The Left Hand Cave Annex, aka “Granny Flats”, was a small but interesting site.  It had to be accessed from the top of the rock formation, by climbing down to a fairly small cave.  This cave had a wide opening but was not very deep.  Burials, rock art, and a cache of artefacts greeted us as we entered.

I must admit, I was a little disappointed that, on Friday afternoon, instead of hiking to rock art, I would be participating in a “Sunset Cruise” on Main Billabong, complete with wine and cheese.  But, I must also admit, I enjoyed it —  it was a beautiful evening, the wildlife and sunset were spectacular, and it was a nice break.  Locky, Erika, Tomaso, and I were joined by Paige, a student from Phoenix, Arizona, who was working at the Lodge this season.  We enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the billabong, anchoring to enjoy a beautiful sunset!  Locky brought along his 600 mm lens camera, and I enjoyed using it to get some great photos that evening…

As they say, all good things must come to an end.  Saturday morning, Locky and I said goodbye to Erika and Tomaso as they left the Lodge for an early morning flight back to Darwin.  I was all packed up and ready to go, but Locky and I had a few more special places to visit that morning!  We drove to a trailhead and hiked and explored for several hours, visiting The Bottom Gallery, Tazzy Cave, and Sugar Glider Cave.  I saw some magnificent rock art, tested my climbing and scrambling skills, and spent my final morning with my delightful friend Locky!

Locky and I returned to the Lodge and said our goodbyes.  I pulled out, headed back to Kakadu a little before 1:00 p.m.  The drive out was uneventful, and a lot more relaxing than the drive in, since I knew what to expect and was confident I would not get lost or stuck.  As I crossed the East Alligator River at Cahill’s Crossing, I had a crowd of onlookers, fishermen, and hungry crocodiles to cheer me on.  I can only imagine how exciting that place is closer to the wet season during a high tide!  After making the crossing, I was on sealed road all the way to Katherine, where I spent the night and prepared to journey to the Kimberly along the Victoria Highway the next day.

Words fail me when I try to convey the magic of Mt. Borradaile.  I will miss the magnificent landscapes, the plethora of sacred places, the stunning wildlife, the early morning solitude (when “you can hear the grass grow”), the hospitality of the Davidson’s staff, and the friendship and good cheer of my friend Locky.  I thank God for the good health and the resources that allowed me to spend four days in this paradise!