3 NIGHTS

Our wonderful 17-day Top End Adventure begins as we fly into Cairns. We check into our hotel and enjoy our first Group Dinner and the opportunity to get to know our fellow travellers.

Overnight: Cairns

Cairns is a vibrant yet laid-back tropical city, a really lovely place to spend a Sunday. This morning, we will attend St John’s Anglican for a worship service which is often accompanied by the glorious singing of local Torres Strait Islanders. Enjoy fellowship before a tour of the Botanic Gardens, followed by lunch in these beautiful surrounds.

This afternoon is yours to spend as you wish – explore Cairns, eat at one of the many cafes or relax at our Esplanade resort and maybe jump in one of the 3 swimming pools it offers.

Overnight: Cairns

The World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest is the oldest continually surviving rainforest on earth. Explore its natural beauty and experience the rich culture of the Kuku Yalanji people when we visit Mossman Gorge. Enjoy a guided Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk and visit the Cultural Centre to learn more about local indigenous art and culture. Having worked up an appetite it’s time for a bush tucker infused lunch at the Mayi Café.

We head north on one of the great ocean drives of Australia, cross the Daintree River and travel all the way up to Cape Tribulation. This point is where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, making it the only place on earth where two natural World Heritage listed sites are located side by side.

It’s time to return to Cairns but not before a mandatory stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. This tourism icon is connected to a tropical fruit farm so offers ice cream flavours that you will have never seen before. Yum!

Overnight: Cairns

2 NIGHTS

Enjoy a morning at leisure before our afternoon flight to Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula in the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land. The vast wilderness area of Arnhem Land is one of the Top End’s most spectacular natural destinations, a protected region that requires entry permits so we are blessed to number amongst the visitors allowed. Roughly the size of Iceland (over twice the size of Switzerland) its total population is approximately 16,000 people, of which 12,000 are the indigenous Yolngu people.

We land at Gove Airport to be greeted by our friendly and professional tour director; the airport was originally constructed as a RAAF base due to Arnhem Land’s strategic importance during WWII. Matthew Flinders mapped this coastline in 1803, but it was with the discovery of bauxite in the 1960’s that today’s frontier town was created. Nhulunbuy is the Territory’s 6th largest town but with its next closest main town being Katherine (729 km away) it is also one of the most isolated towns in the world!

Visit the Roy (Malpi) Marika Lookout for incredible views of the Gayngaru Wetlands, Gove Harbour and the coast before settling in for a two-night stay at the Walkabout Lodge.

Overnight: Gove

The Gove Peninsula has been home to Yolngu people for over 60,000 years and is one of the most culturally significant regions in Australia. Here in Arnhem Land the Yolngu have been able to maintain their traditional culture of hunting, crafting, painting to live a way of life that is very similar to that of their ancestors.

You’ll get a true sense of this with a special ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony at Wirrwawuy Beach, where we’ll learn about Yolngu culture and kinship firsthand. We’ll also visit the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka art centre, which boasts many renowned Aboriginal artists whose work (particularly those painted on bark) can be found in galleries all over the world. Yirrkala is also where the Aboriginal Land Rights movement started, when the ‘bark petition’ was sent to Federal Parliament in 1963.

Enjoy lunch at Shady Beach followed by a special Bush Medicine and Women’s Healing demonstration; experience traditional healing ways and hear stories of how Yolngu live and heal on their land.

Overnight: Gove

2 NIGHTS

We journey into the heart of Arnhem Land as we follow the Central Arnhem Road southwest to the Goyder River, the main tributary flowing into the massive Arafura Swamp.

Enjoy a picnic lunch before taking a track to the north, which follows an escarpment before descending on to the Arafura floodplains. This area, known as ‘Murwangi’, is the site of our exclusive safari camp and home for the next two nights. Check in to your deluxe safari suite before dinner in the lodge dining room.

Overnight: Murwangi Safari Camp

The Arafura Swamp is one of the largest wooded swamps in Australia and covers approximately 1,300 square kilometres. This incredibly diverse wetland can support up to 300,000 waterbirds at any one time, including Magpie Geese, Egrets, Black-necked Stork and Brolgas. The swamp is of great cultural significance to the Yolngu People and was also the location for the 2006 film ‘Ten Canoes’. A tranquil cruise on the main lagoon and a 4WD adventure around the edge of the swamp with indigenous guides who’ll explain why this spectacular area is so significant to them.

Back at camp you have the afternoon to relax and reflect on God’s wonderous creation.

Overnight: Murwangi Safari Camp

2 NIGHTS

Chat to local artists, watch them paint and maybe even purchase some artwork at the Bula’bula Art Centre in Ramingining. After morning tea we head further west, crossing the Blyth and Cadell Rivers as we travel to Maningrida. This is a large Aboriginal Town where eleven indigenous languages are spoken, making it was the perfect place to locate a hub for Bible translation and Scripture education (the first of its kind in Arnhem Land). The Maningrida Bible Translation Centre was opened in September 2023 with support from the Kunibídji Traditional Owners and the Elders of the Maningrida and West Arnhem Land Uniting Church. This facility has provided a wider group of people access to God’s word, particularly those with family responsibilities for whom Darwin’s Nungalinya College is inaccessible. NOTE – whilst we are hoping to connect with local Christians in Maningrida this cannot be guaranteed.

We arrive at the Barramundi Lodge early this afternoon. Having obtained special permission from traditional owners, the lodge enjoys exclusive fishing licenses for numerous remote waterways, including the Tomkinson and Liverpool Rivers, and is considered one of the best fishing destinations in Australia.

The lodge features 12 beautiful safari suites and a restaurant overlooking the floodplains below. After lunch on the front deck the remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax or simply soak up the stunning views.

Overnight: Barramundi Lodge

For today’s Sunday service we can worship surrounded by God’s glorious Creation or will attend the local Maningrida church (if available).

We’re off to try our hand at catching the Top End’s most popular fish – barramundi. The pristine waterways of the Liverpool and Tomkinson Rivers are teeming with “barra” and expert fishing guides will take you to where the fish are biting! This is also a wilderness tour, so even if fishing isn’t your thing you’ll still enjoy the amazing scenery and informative commentary. Relax aboard sturdy Ocean Master vessels, the pinnacle for remote marine adventures, with an onboard rest room and shade canopy.

This afternoon we visit the Maningrida Arts and Cultural Centre and the Djomi Museum for an immersion in the culture and spiritual richness of the area.
We end our wonderful Sunday with a sunset drink on the deck, sharing fellowship and tales of the one that got away!

Overnight: Barramundi Lodge

2 NIGHTS

We depart Maningrida and travel through the stone country of west Arnhem Land. Our destination is Mount Borradaile and we will cross the Goomadeer and Liverpool Rivers and travel along a 40km bush track to get to our safari lodge.

Enjoy a guided tour which takes us through 40,000 years of Aboriginal culture in a truly awe-inspiring landscape. This area contains some of the most stunning rock art galleries in the world, and in terms of artistic quality, quantity, colourfulness and state of preservation, it is virtually unrivalled. The walls of the many rock shelters are decorated with innumerable pictures documenting traditional Aboriginal life over many thousands of years; subjects range from extinct animals to twentieth century sailing ships and the iconic Rainbow Serpent.

Overnight: Mount Borradaile

Today we continue exploring the wonderland that is Mount Borradaile, from its ancient sandstone ‘catacombs’ to its incredible wetlands. Visit a massive cave system, eroded by wind and water over 600 million years, full of incredible Aboriginal art made up of variety of styles. See various occupation sites to view a range of artefacts used by the Yolngu people.

At Cooper Creek we discover lagoons that seem more from a story book than from real life – admire the prolific birdlife and massive crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks.

Enjoy drinks and nibbles as we watch the sun set over the floodplain. Wow!

Overnight: Mount Borradaile

3 NIGHTS

We head north to and venture into the remote and rugged Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, located at the very top of the Northern Territory on the Cobourg Peninsula. This 4,500 square kilometre paradise includes the entire Peninsula, the surrounding waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Gulf, and some of the neighbouring islands. Rich in marine life the park is a mosaic of sandy beaches, mangroves, patches of rainforest, lagoons, coral reefs and sea grass meadows. Simply glorious!

We travel up the eastern side of Port Essington to Black Point to meet the marine crew from Seven Spirit Bay and board the lodge’s custom-made adventure craft for the short transfer across Port Essington.
Our home for the next three nights will be a unique and luxurious ‘habitat’ villa at this very special Wilderness Lodge.

Overnight: Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge

Enjoy a wonderful marine adventure as we retrace the course of the early mariner’s square riggers, passing landmarks like Gunners Quoin, Low Point, Turtle Rock, Observation Cliff and Record Point as we cruise to the historic Victoria Settlement. Surveyed in 1838, Victoria Settlement was the third attempt by the British at a northern settlement, after Fort Dundas on Melville Island and Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay. Conceived to facilitate trade with Asia, the settlement consisted of 24 houses and a hospital, but poor living conditions and rampant disease led to it being abandoned in 1849.

Learn more about life in the early British settlement with a fascinating tour of the old buildings, many of which are now ruins. If you wish you can opt to walk a little further into the forest to pay your respects at lonely gravestones almost forgotten by history.
Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach before a leisurely cruise back to Seven Spirit Bay – keep your eyes out for dolphins, dugong, manta rays and crocodiles.

We have the remainder of our afternoon at leisure to relax, reflect and connect.

Overnight: Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge

The Cobourg Marine Park is teeming with life and today we are off to explore this pristine marine sanctuary and experience some of Australia’s most spectacular coastline.
We will venture into small meandering creeks and mangrove-lined bays before a delicious BBQ bush lunch on the sheltered beach at Low Point.
After lunch a 4WD safari takes us to some of the best parts of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. We visit the stunning Nypa Palm gallery (Nypa Fruticans), one of only three locations in Australia where they can be found (the others are Melville Island and the Wenlock River).

A short drive further brings us to the upper reaches of Trepang Creek, one of many creek systems that are a mix of spring-fed and tidally influenced systems that help provide nourishment to the rich marine life of the park.
Explore the savannah woodlands and learn about the varied coastal habitats of the park as we keep our eyes peeled for Banteng and Buffalo. We visit Gunners Quoin lookout before returning to the lodge late afternoon for our third and final evening at Seven Spirit Bay.

Overnight: Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge

2 NIGHTS

We farewell Arnhem Land this morning and take a 45-minute scenic flight across Van Diemen Gulf to Darwin, Australia’s only tropical capital city. Darwin has a dramatic history, from its bombing by the Japanese during WWII to the devastation of Cyclone Tracy in 1974, yet today it is a relaxed, modern city celebrating its cosmopolitan mix of over 50 nationalities.

Enjoy this easy going “Darwin vibe” on a Dinner Cruise watching the sun set over the Timor Sea.

Overnight: Darwin

Christ Church Cathedral stands as testimony to the resilience of Darwin and its locals. Having been restored after WWII bombing the Cathedral was reduced to rubble in 1974 by Cyclone Tracy, barely an hour after the conclusion of the Christmas Eve Midnight service. The original porch, the only part of the building left standing, was incorporated into the new cathedral, consecrated in March 1977.

We join the locals for Sunday worship and share fellowship before a sightseeing tour with a difference. On the Darwin History & Wartime Experience Tour we journey back through time in a genuine WW2 army truck to relive Darwin’s exciting and historic past.

We celebrate our final night by sharing a meal and fellowship with local Christians from Bush Church Aid (BCA), inspirational people who really “go the distance for God”.

CFT has fostered strong links with the BCA Ministry team in Darwin over many years, including those who work at Nungalinya Indigenous Christian College, and past passengers have found it so nice to be able to connect with locals rather than just be a “tourist” in town.

Overnight: Darwin

This morning, we visit Nungalinya, the BCA supported Bible Training College empowering Indigenous Christians to share God’s Word throughout the Northern Territory. Tour the campus and learn more about the important role that Nungalinya fulfills.

We fly home from Darwin with full hearts and wonderful memories. We feel blessed to have shared this truly unique holiday, one filled with incredible scenery, amazing experiences and fellowship with new friends.