Sharks, snakes and a pet croc called Nike: Wallabies soak up Arnhem Land adventure
By Iain Payten
Twenty years after Lote Tuqiri famously got a little too close for comfort to an angry crocodile while visiting Arnhem Land, the Wallabies managed to avoid a similar scare when they retraced their steps on a visit to a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory at the weekend.
There was no shortage of giant crocs, mind you. Or sharks. Or giant snakes.
Eddie Jones took the Wallabies on a quick trip to Arnhem Land before jetting off to France for the Rugby World Cup.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia
“There were young kids running around with a python as a pet,” Wallabies lock Nick Frost said.
“They don’t have a care in the world because they grow up like that, that’s their culture and they love it. It was eye-opening, and it was a fantastic experience.”
Ahead of their departure for the Rugby World Cup in France on Thursday, the Wallabies were in Sydney on Tuesday after flying back from a four-day camp in the heat of the Northern Territory.
The Top End trip was designed by Eddie Jones to emulate a Wallabies camp before the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where a few days of sweltering training was followed by a few nights camping in Arnhem Land, to help players connect with, and understand, the country they represent on the field.
That trip is remembered for a croc almost chomping Tuqiri on a late night boat trip, and though the 2023 adventure was comparatively shorter, it was no less memorable for Jones’ young squad.
Having flown from Darwin to Nhulunbuy, on the east coast of East Arnhem Land, the Wallabies group drove 4WDs south for an hour to Bawaka country, where they were welcomed by the Yolngu people – when they eventually all got there. The weighed-down vehicle containing Taniela Tupou and Will Skelton was delayed after getting bogged on a sandy track.
Nike the crocodile comes ashore for some food.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia
Situated on a beautiful white sand beach on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Wallabies were greeted with a welcome ceremony but not before they laid eyes on the resident ‘pet’ crocodile, as it emerged out of the surf and up onto the beach to be fed.
The pet croc is named ‘Nike’, which came after a visit from Cathy Freeman. Locals spied her shoes when she went for a run and decided the swoosh looked like the tail of the then-young crocodile.
Players and staff participated in dancing and singing, and heard campfire stories, and Andrew Kellaway was the most successful of a group who went out fishing, bagging a barracuda.
Players slept in tents (all the snorers were put in together) and the next morning saw the squad rise at 5am for sunrise and more fishing at nearby Lonely Beach, where Jordan Petaia reeled in a medium-sized shark. A spear-fishing group had no such luck.
With a training drone sent aloft to keep an eye out for crocs, some players took a quick dip in the crystal clear water before departing for Nhulunbuy, where players met 300 people at a school football field for a kick and autographs, before flying out.
“It was an unreal experience in Arnhem land. We got to interact with the culture and learn a bit more about the area and the culture. It was an unreal experience,” Wallabies five-eighth Carter Gordon said.
“We popped into a school yesterday afternoon and connected with all the kids and it was unreal to connect with them, and learn about the area and the NT.”
Frost said it was an experience he’d remember forever.
Will Skelton and the team were welcomed.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia
“It was once in a lifetime. No-one else would probably get a chance to get up there, we were in a very remote area, very beautiful landscape. It was just eye-opening as well, just seeing how different cultures live and how remote they are as well. It was good to get off the grid for a couple of days,” Frost said.
“Naturally the deeper you go into a camp or a tournament, you do get tighter. But especially with an experience like that, you’re off the grid, we had no reception so it forced people to talk to each other.
A young boy shows off his pet python.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia
“We were doing activities and just experiencing something like that, we knew we’d be coming back with great memories, and the cultural appreciation was obviously huge.
“It is the cultural home of Australia, obviously from 65,000-70,000 years ago. And that’s a significant place for Aboriginal people, so to go there and experience that, they were very happy to share that with us.
“You always understand you are representing yourself, your family, your friends and your country. But it does sink in a bit more when you get to appreciate something like that. It is a deeper understanding for sure.”