The Northern Territory’s identity is shaped as much by its remarkable characters as its wild landscapes. MAX ANDERSON explores the Top End with bushman guide Sab Lord.
“This gallery was about the teaching of laws, and the punishments exacted when they were broken.” Sab Lord points up at the rock face painted with elongated spirit figures. The warm air smells of vegetation and wood smoke, as it would have 50,000 years ago, when the powerful Mimi spirit figures were daubed using a mixture of fat, charcoal and red ochre.
Lord turns to the lad beside him: “How old are you, Harry?”
“Fourteen,” says Harry. “Fifteen soon.” “Well, unfortunately for you, you’re at the right age for ceremony. That’s when you’d be taken away and taught the lessons of life. The sap from the milkwood tree would be used to glue feathers onto your body and you’d be taught the songline until you were sick of hearing it. And let me tell you, I’ve had some ceremony” – he makes cutting motions in the air – “and parts of it are not pretty.”
I’m hoping our 24-hour safari with Lord will be a chance for my son to learn some life lessons of his own, far from the comfortable suburb he’s grown up in. The bushman was born in the Territory. He has a face best described as lived-in, and an impish sense of humour. His knuckles are swollen from youthful brawling. Thomas Sebastian Lord is also one of the most soughtafter and highly paid private guides in Australia.
Lord, 58, is of European descent, and his connections with Arnhem Land are like the tributaries of the East Alligator River: exotic and complex, deep in places, sometimes dark. He grew up on his father’s 1300-square-kilometre buffalo station. The local Bininj families who worked on the property became his extended Aboriginal kin, and he was more comfortable speaking Gagadju than English. So at 12, the barefoot Territory kid was shocked when his father packed him off to Scots College in Sydney, where he had to wear a boater and blazer.
Denne historien er fra June 2019-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2019-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From personal experience
Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.
Kimberley Moulton
Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.
Tom Wallace
We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.
Best in class
The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)
A taste of refuge
Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.
BE OUR GUEST
Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation
Barcelona BUZZ
A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.
HEATHCOTE BOUND
MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.
The art of...relishing restaurants
Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner
HEART AND SOUL
Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.