Episode Two: WildSide Australia: Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park
We are permitted to visit Australia’s spiritually sensitive Arnhem Land. Here our guide Haimish introduces Nick to Wilfred, an indigenous tribal leader. We learn not only to speak slowly but to listen slowly as Wilfred and elder Jacob reveal how little we understand about this civilization—a civilization in a serious modern-day crisis involving cultural crossroads, crossroads where traditional burning now must be studied as rising temperatures can tip the balance with devastating consequences. Scientists point to what happened in another part of the continent in 2019.
Local legend, Sab Lord “appears” in the wilderness among the cliff drawings and expresses his powerful environmental philosophy. Sab, a buffalo hunter, rancher, and man of the earth “tough guy”, has given his family ranchland back to the aboriginal tribes and dedicates his life to assisting the native people who helped raise him.
More giant menacing crocodiles enter the story as we explore Kakadu National Park. Haimish explains intentionally set fires that plague the area, tells about a local fisherman who “lost his head” over giant crocs, and talks Nick into taking a swim where he himself wouldn’t think of jumping in.