The Nadab Floodplain will be your reward should you manage to reach the top of the walking route at Ubirr. Whilst photographs don’t do the Nadab Floodplain justice, I’ve plenty to share, including my first panoramic shot as a bonus.
Straight to the point: here is my first panoramic photo of the Nadab Floodplain. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t look rubbish!
Climbing at Ubirr to view the Nadab Floodplain
You’ll find the Nadab Floodplain situated at Ubirr, and to get to the viewpoint in the picture above you’ll need to do a bit of a climb to reach them. Nothing too taxing – you don’t need to scale any rock faces or anything like that. You could argue it isn’t strenuous enough to be called exercise. It’s more of a leisurely stroll, I’d say.
It looks much more daunting than it is. I’m sure the most difficult part is lifting a leg up a 1-foot-high step (12 inches/30centimetres depending on who asks). It’s quite a popular path and you’ll almost certainly encounter other travellers on the way. If you choose to explore on the way up, you can use the time you spend looking over aboriginal paintings and other rock art to have a quick rest.
Gorgeous views from atop Ubirr
Once you reach the top you’re greeted with an almost unobstructed 360-degree viewing platform to chill out on. There are a couple of cool things to note.
The first is these termite mounds. Keep in mind that I’m pretty high up here. For comparison, look at them compared to the height of the trees. I’d say they’re probably not as big as these gigantic magnetic termite mounds, but they’re certainly sizeable and form one part of the panorama.
When you’re looking out over the Nadab Floodplains, you’ll notice a body of water in the distance. This area is known to the indigenous people as the ‘Rainbow Serpent Gallery’, and features in dreaming stories.
This spot is traditionally for women only, and as this is a sacred spot for the locals, the rule still stands for the aboriginal men. Luckily for us, the rules are more relaxed for tourists, so we’re allowed to explore.
The rainbow serpent, Garranga’rreli, the same one from the story which resulted in the rainbow serpent’s eggs being laid at the Devil’s Marbles, passed by this spot on her route across northern Australia. It is said that she ‘sang’ this part of the northern territory into existence, the plants and animals, and the rocks and people.
It turns out Garranga’rreli did a fair old bit of travelling.
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