Northern Australia

It's been 220 years since the first European colonists arrived in Australia — and at least 40,000 years since the Aborigines arrived from Asia. While the Europeans tried to tame the land, the Aboriginal people adapted remarkbly well to their natural environment. In the wetlands of the country's Northern Territory, among the birds, snakes and crocodiles, we learn about a traditional culture that, despite ever-increasing modern influences, aims to maintain a strict balance with nature.

In his travel feature for the July 2008 issue of Spotlight magazine,
MIKE PILEWSKI shares his impressions of life and culture in northern Australia and explains how some Aboriginal people live today. Mike also created a multimedia Special Report, which we've made available here online.