Davidson's Arnhemland Safari Lodge — Hotel in West Arnhem

I spent three nights at Davidson’s Arnhemland, flying in from Jabiru.||The resort consists of 20 permanent cabins with a capacity of 40 people. The cabins are raised off the ground, are solidly constructed of metal and are very well appointed with bathrooms, hot water, fans and electricity. The key features are that fly screens replace windows and there are no curtains so one is with nature. The clever positioning of the cabins means one has excellent privacy. There is a lovely newly constructed resort pool and shaded social area.||The set menu meals were good with lunch and dinner being better than breakfast, the former being a bit basic. Everything is flown in which restricts the choice but there were too many packets and cartons at breakfast for my taste. Dietary requirements are respected.||My experience of the guests was about 75% Outback Spirit tours with an almost exclusively retired / pensioner demographic, a typical age of 65-70 and varying degrees of mobility. The remainder were fully independent travellers. The two are separate but large groups impact the atmosphere significantly in the social areas. ||Our guide, Zoe, was brilliant. One could not wish for a kinder, more entertaining and informative person to show us everything that the Arnhemland has to offer. She was the highlight of my stay. Thank you!||Importantly the resort is leased by the non-resident daughters of the founder (Max Davidson) from the Traditional Owners (TOs) represented by Charlie Mangulda with all the legal and implied covenants. This is absolutely central to the ethos of the resort and defines everything “in Country”. The focus is very much on indigenous rock art which attracts academics and enthusiasts from far and wide. In my experience this created a subtle left-leaning atmosphere, overly respectful of the TOs and very supportive of the anti-colonial notion. That said, I did not see any indigenous people during my stay - neither staff nor guests! Do bear in mind therefore that if Aboriginal rock art is not your thing the alternative activity options are a...

As a group of three adults and two active grandchildren, aged 11 and 13, our four days at Davidsons will always be remembered as a fantastic part of a Northern Territory family holiday. For the children it was fun and educational. For them it was a special introduction to indigenous rock art and culture, wildlife, waterways, and a remote part of northern Australia. For the adults it was a wonderful experience. Some of our group have had the privilege of seeing a variety of rock art across the north of Australia and in Europe, and Davidson’s rock art quality is as good as any. It is accessible and potentially has a date range of 50,000 years for depictions of spears of grass and 200-500 years for “contact”art (Macassan boats, European people, guns and the Darwin wharf!) together with lots of animals, fish, spirit figures and art to decipher in between. There is even a thylacine high on an escarpment for those with modest climbing skills to see. We walked amongst many different panels and galleries and through a number of different ecosystems. We had the good fortune to have Lee Davidson as our guide, and that was special.||We saw bird life galore including jabiru, brolga, blue wing kookaburras, and rainbow bee eaters as well as insects, rock wallabies, crocodiles, buffalo, wallaroos and more. We dug for bush potatoes and roots for weaving dyes and were taught a lot about bush tucker. We boated on the waterways and there were large barramundi caught (and released). Lots of photos were taken. ||Given the logistics of finding staff-post Covid and bringing in food and supplies from Darwin, the meals and service were excellent. There is a small library of books about the Kakadu and Arnhemland area, a swimming pool and an adequate bar. The individual cabin accomodation is a great outback experience. For us it was a packed and interesting daily program, whilst relaxing at the same time. ||It was a privilege we will all...

We stayed at Mt Borrodaile for 3 nights. We were in a small group with 2 other couples. The 6 of us were taken on 2 ‘walks’ per day to see ancient rock art and/or go caving, climbing, fishing or bird watching. Breakfast,lunch and dinner were all superb which given the remoteness of the resort is incredible. ||The resort was a working outback station that is now a wilderness reserve and encompasses some of the most beautiful impressive scenery I have seen in the outback- or indeed anywhere in the world. It’s lagoons and rivers lie beside rugged limestone escarpments and teem with crocs, birds and fish. I even caught a 75 cm barramundi and I’ve never fished before! (After it was measured it was immediately released- it is an eco resort after all). ||For the 4 days we were there we had the same indigenous guide the whole time who was fantastic. Our guide did so much more than just show us stuff. He explained everything in a very knowledgeable yet easily understood (by us) way. Is there anything he didn’t know? His ability to see and identify birds at a distance was incredible. But most importantly in a low key good humoured way he conveyed the richness of indigenous art, life and spirituality. He taught us not only the tragedy of everything that has been lost but also respect for what the traditional owner (who also lives at the station) so generously allowed us to experience. ||Our guide and the beauty of Mt Borrodaile itself introduced us to a whole different way of seeing and experiencing the land - a truly incredible experience ||One note: because it is true rugged wilderness if you have mobility issues do give them the heads-up. I’m sure the sisters who run Mt Borrodaile will be able to accommodate you but would need notice to modify each...