Seven Spirit Bay on Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. Photo / Shaana McNaught
Seven Spirit Bay on Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. Photo / Shaana McNaught
Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory is home to some of the most remote wilderness retreats in Australia, writes Alka Prasad.
Belonging to the Yolngu people, Arnhem Land is 500km from Darwin and welcomes guests from around the world to experience the rich history of one of the world’s oldest living cultures.
Seven Spirit Bay
In just over an hour, a charter flight from Darwin and a safari van can get you to remote wilderness lodge Seven Spirit Bay on Coburg Peninsula, between the Timor and Arafura Seas.
We disembark our charter at Vashon Head airstrip in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. I panic for a second. We’re on a red dirt airstrip surrounded by Australian bush. Luckily, the Seven Spirit team is waiting for us. We jump into a safari van on the way to the Seven Spirit Bay.
The Seven Spirit Bay journey starts at Vashon Head airstrip.
We’re greeted by an amazing view of the Arafura Sea as soon as we get to the main lodge, and are welcomed with champagne before we get a rundown of the house rules. Home to crocodiles, the beach is out of bounds but guests still get a chance to swim. Hidden under lush foliage and towering palm trees you can find the Seven Spirit pool close enough to the sea to feel like you’re at the beach, and still close to the bar.
A view over Seven Spirit Bay lodge. Photo / Shaana McNaught
Habitats
Seven Spirit Bay houses 24 habitats with an ensuite bathroom, air conditioning, ceiling fans, and tea and coffee amenities. Being off the grid means phone reception is limited, but Wi-Fi is available at the main lodge.
Seven Spirit Bay habitats have an ensuite bathroom with a double vanity and walk-in shower. Photo / Shaana McNaught
A Seven Spirit Bay experience kicks off with dinner overlooking the Arafura Sea, with drinks starting at 6pm. We put off going to dinner until the last possible second to get enough shots of the sunset. Great for an Instagram story and a team photo.
The menu changes daily and tonight, we’re working our way through a “Progressive Canape Dinner”. The 10-course menu starts with garlic bread, followed by gyoza-style pastries, parmesan buns, a charcuterie board and other inventions. Dinner wraps with the dessert course, a mini chocolate mousse tart, and we’re on our way to bed. There’s a small display of torches at the door of the main lodge, which we were told earlier in the day to use at night time. Seven Spirit’s remote location means lighting outdoors is limited but pathways are clearly laid out.
Dinner overlooking the Arafura Sea at Seven Spirit Bay.
Every evening, the Seven Spirit team brief guests on the next day’s activities. Guests can choose from a fishing tour, a boat tour around Port Essington, exploring the area’s Victorian settlement, wilderness walks, and four-wheel-drive safari tours. It’s also an option to have a chill day by the pool. I choose a tour through the bush to see the Nypa palm, an Asian palm found in five spots around Australia, and a boat tour around the peninsula, but fishing and other historical tours are an option.
We pile into the Seven Spirit safari van for the bumpy bush ride. The first stop on tour is a spiral pandanus, a palm native to the NT and used extensively by Yolngu across the region. On the way to the Nypa palm site, we stop at a bowerbird nest made of long sticks pointing upwards. Its entrance is adorned with shells collected from around the bush. After a winding journey through paper bark, blood bark and iron bark trees, we end up at the far side of the bush. Nypa palms are found in five locations around Australia. They tower over us, obscuring the narrow creek they grow in. We’re warned not to get too close as the spot is a known crocodile haunt.
A bowerbird nest in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territory.
We head back to the lodge for lunch (prawn and crab fettucine) and get ready for our tour along the coast. We sail out across Coburg Peninsula to Port Essington, one of the spots marking a failed attempt by the British to occupy the region. Persistent waves have worn down Coburg’s ironside cliffs over time. Trees cling on to the cliff face, refusing to let the loss of soil break their roots. As we make it back to shore, we’re greeted by lemon sharks (small and harmless) looking for scraps from today’s catch.
Seven Spirit Bay is about an hour from Observation Cliff at Coburg Peninsula, Northern Territory.
Tonight’s menu is three courses, starting with Spanish mackerel ceviche - caught today by another guest, and a tortellini starter. A 20-pound barramundi caught by a mate earlier in the day ends up being our main. It’s served with seared scallops and onion puree, which is worth the trip just to try. After breakfast, the team give us a lift back to Vashon Head airstrip for our charter back to Darwin. It would feel like a crazier journey if the team didn’t make it look so easy.
The Seven Spirit safari van at Vashon Head airstrip.
Banubanu Beach Retreat
Banubanu Beach Retreat sits on the northern edge of Bremer Island in Arnhem Land. It’s home to around 30 people - 25 residents plus Banubanu staff. Our trip to the retreat starts in Gove near the mining town of Nhulunbuy, about an hour’s flight from Darwin. Owners Helen Martin and Trevor Hosie welcome us onto our ferry for a roughly 40-minute trip to Bremer Island.
I warn Helen I have a cold so she advises me to take a back seat to avoid whiplash from the wind. The ride is choppy but a relief from the heat.
Banubanu Beach Retreat is nestled in the sand dunes on the northern tip of Bremer Island. Photo / Tourism NT / James Fisher
Bremer Island
My sneakers sink deeper into Bremer Island’s white sand beach when we disembark, but the allure of Banubanu is undeniable. Breaking through our exhaustion, the gang and I rush up the sandy hill to the main lodge and restaurant.
We’re seated on the outdoor deck for lunch, looking at the sun lighting up the Arafura Sea. As I chow down on fish and chips from Banubanu’s Seabreeze Restaurant ($25), Helen and Trevor welcome guests from the mainland who have sailed in for lunch and a dip in the pool.
Habitats lining the Arafura Sea at Banubanu.
The Stay
Banubanu has six rooms on offer, five lining the beachfront and a penthouse room closer to the main lodge. On the beach stroll to our rooms, the gang and I notice names on the side of each room: 1) Seas the Day, 2) Seaclusion, 3) Sea La Vie …
At my own room (Sea-renity), I see a queen-sized bed, ensuite bathroom, and a deck looking on to the beach. There is phone reception but Wi-Fi isn’t available, which is an opportunity to disconnect.
I miss out on dinner and drinks with the gang as my cold worsens, but the Banubanu team bring their hospitality to me. Helen and her staff bring me soup with sourdough, which tastes just as good as a three-course meal on the main deck.
Banubanu is a great place to go fishing, kayaking, swimming, snorkelling and turtle-spotting. The availability of activities does depend on the tide, meaning a few water activities were off the menu during our stay. For me, this is a small relief. With a head battling a cold and a million thoughts, for me a quiet day on the beach feels like a beautiful remedy.
A view of the Arafura Sea from Banubanu.
Used to fighting a cold at home with blankets and tea, it was daunting to be on a remote beach. However, Banubanu proved that a quiet moment of peace and alignment would be a quicker relief. I listened to the land’s ancient sounds: birds are chattering in trees right next to my room, trees rustle, the wind whistles through them, travelling out to the sea where it pulls the roaring tides. As I travel through Arnhem Land, it’s clear the land has a will of its own and Yolngu have respected that truth for millennia. Relaxing into the peace at Banubanu is a rare reprieve amidst so much chaos.
I make it to our final dinner, where our hosts meet us for a three-course menu with a choice between two starters, mains and desserts. I go for goat cheese and crackers to start, a barramundi and pumpkin puree main, and caramelised peaches for dessert.
A sunset view from the main deck at Banubanu.
Overlooking the Arafura Sea, I’m back to our first few moments on the island, but this time with some sadness in saying goodbye. I struggle to put the visceral experience of Banubanu into words until Trevor tells us, “It’s a quiet corner in a world of noise.”
Fly from Auckland to Darwin International Airport with Air NZ, Qantas and Jetstar, with one stopover en route. See your travel agent for onward journeys to Arnhem Land.
