FROM A DISTANCE, Ngarrabullgan (Mt Mulligan) looms large, like a giant crouching on the grassy plain. The monolith is starting to glow golden as I floor the accelerator of my all-terrain Kubota, impatient to arrive at its southern end, known as The Branch, before dawn.
The land here in Djungan Country is thirsty and heavy rains have made the surface of the tabletop mountain appear slick and vibrant, as if it’s had a fresh coat of paint applied. I follow the lead of my American-born guide Hannah-Jo Rogers and screech to a halt beside a large rift in the earth, where the landscape grows steeper and wider over the Hodgkinson Valley. Hannah-Jo, who hails from Jackson, Tennessee, swings out of her vehicle and sweeps her arm skyward towards the magnificence of the monolith.
“As you can see, Ngarrabullgan is a very special place. The reason we’re here so early is to watch the sun beam light onto the mountain and see all the birds and animals waking up and the landscape come to life,” says Hannah-Jo, whom I dub Hoonah-Jo because of the
