The SEARCH that nearly killed us | 40 000 years of human occupation in Australias wilderness

While there is proof all around the world of human occupation by ancient cultures who have long since been dispersed or wiped out, here in Australia Aboriginal culture has been ongoing for more than 70 000 years and there are artefacts, remains of ancient structures and cave paintings to validate the stories passed down through generations of aboriginal men and women.
Johnny has told me stories of Quinkan Mountain since I met him. A mystical mountain deep in the Australian Wilderness of Western Yalanji / kuku Possum Country. A mountain that has caves holding ancient paintings of the original dreamtime creatures called Quinkans. One good - Timara and one bad - Imjim. Creatures that will give you nightmares and have been talked about in aboriginal culture since the beginning of time. Thousands of years before pyramids were even an idea in someones mind.
This trip to catch up with johnny he didnt have to ask me twice and before I knew it we were off on an extremely dangerous hike to find these caves and learn a bit more about the history of this land we call home. I must admit it wasnt the taipans and brown snakes that had me concerned, although they were on my mind in the long dry grass, it was the heat that nearly killed us. We were so lucky to find fresh water streams every now and then to cool us down and relieve us from Northern Australias punishing heat in the build up to the summer storms.
I hope you all enjoy the episode. Comment below with any questions and ill try get answers for you all.
You too can visit sites in this area with Johnny as your private guide. www.jarramalirockarttours.com.au
Nath

[@craigmcdonald8348]

Your content goes from strength to strength Nate. A few channels I follow like YBS and B2B started off small and one day you blink and they have hundreds of thousands of subs. This will happen to Wild Reaches soon enough mate.👍stick with it as you have amazing content. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely fam.❤

[@WildReaches]

Thanks Craig. 💪🏼. Merry Chrissy to you too mate

[@joshuaharding6995]

Couldn’t have said it better mate🤟

[@Bill3396z]

Favourite episode so far, anything Quinkan, Turramulli, Yowie got me hooked 😁😁

[@WildReaches]

Good stuff mate, that could’ve been a hairy man track in that cave. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Bill3396z]

@@WildReaches that’s what I thought. I noticed lots of snapped branches, X marker trees and bent over trees, I reckon you’s were both being watched that day 😀

[@deedeelemons2035]

Awesome, Nathan, looking forward to 2024 hanging out with you on your amazing adventures ❤

[@WildReaches]

Its looking to be a good year!

[@micksoa.k.885]

That was amazing nate, thanks for taking us along to see this beautiful place, and the stories to go with it.. much appreciated Jonhy....

[@WildReaches]

Yes we’re all pretty lucky for Johnny to take us in there. Such an amazing experience

[@liarliar7491]

OMFG REAL CLOUDS!!! been a long time since ive seen them. Great video. Loved it

[@terryvogel5252]

Nate just told a friend of mine at work about your channel that we're into it big time. Best wishes from Illinois. 👍

[@WildReaches]

Thankyou Terry. I appreciate that!

[@kccox3446]

What a Gift to wake up to Nath, My Christmas wish come true❤ I haven't watched yet in a few got to get my coffee brewed and I will settle in. Just had to thank you and the Traditional owners first❤🙏

[@WildReaches]

Well you’re welcome and Merry Christmas. Hope you enjoy the ep and have a great Christmas

[@Puta77]

Epic vid again Nath, cool to see you out with the family as well. The exploring with Johnny was amazing, I’ve checked out his website and I’ll never be able to afford to stay there, luckily for me growing up in the NT I’ve had some pretty epic experiences already. I’m glad we’ve all moved past the recent political turmoil and we can get back to connecting with each other again. It’s content like this that builds the strength between white and black Australians not a vote. Seeing Johnny tell his story makes me proud to be part of this wonderful nation. Merry Xmas Nath, stay safe out there mate. Luke

[@WildReaches]

Thats true mate, the difference is going to come from on the ground, as individuals making good choices not from the government and legislation.

[@don7294]

Not giving the Aborgininals a voice in Australia's government is unconscionable and shows how terribly racist the majority of Australians are, even today. They proved the point with their VOTE! How nice that you could move on. I love indigenous peoples and have spent my life traveling the world and spending time with various indigenous cultures. We were the first White people to be invited to and participate in the shaman initiation ceremony of the Mapuche Indians in Chile. I spent two years with a Mandan Indian family learning bushcraft and everything I could from their vast knowledge. We have spent time with over a dozen indigenous groups and their plight is so similar. Take their land, kill them, destroy their culture, language, family structure, and take away their voice. Aboriginal Australians are the oldest known civilization on Earth, stretching back some 75,000 years and they don't even have a non-binding voice in Australia's government as of 2023. That is another gut punch to every real Australian. You tell them to get over it. Nath and his family understands and appreciate native people and the importance of the land they live on. That's why I so enjoy this channel and would love to go back to Australia again and spend time with the beautiful Australians that deserve so much more. Keep up the great job of educating the world about these wonderful people, Nath!!!

[@Puta77]

@@don7294 you’re not even Australian, stay in your lane.

[@billszegedi1202]

wow amazing stuff thanks for taking us along with you boys and luv the stories ...

[@WildReaches]

youre welcome

[@scottymackintosh]

Another awesome educational vid Nathan love watching your vids with my kids

[@WildReaches]

Great to hear that Scott 👌🏼

[@BassHuntersozstyle]

So beautiful mate. So breathtaking. Would of been so unreal to explore

[@WildReaches]

It certainly was, one of the best days iv had!

[@ZzzFreeZzz]

Brilliant work mate, follow all your content and your journey in country 🙏

[@fisher898]

Nathan, please convey my gratitude to the traditional owners for sharing with us. Education and knowledge is very important.

[@mistymorning]

Merry Xmas team wild reaches Aberiginal art is amazing so luck to have you guys sharing it with us.

[@user-xu7qi8vs6x]

Great job mate so good you have incorporated the family into the show keep up the great work ❤ merry Christmas and happy new year 😊

[@leesydneyharry7958]

Well done mate. I’ve started watching your channel again now you’ve got your family with you, so good. Lucky man!😊

[@WildReaches]

Welcome back!

[@amrinturley7735]

Awesome as always Nathan.Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[@WildReaches]

Thanks Amrin, merry Christmas to you too!

[@Beeroclock81]

Big and small foot history love it as usual thanks nath

[@WildReaches]

That’s what I was thinking mate. 🫣

[@kccox3446]

Merry Christmas Nath and family, yesthe ep was amazing as all ways i am Greatful to the traditional owners for letting us walk their lands with you, many blessings to you all❤️🙏 Im a Fan for Life❤

[@flathed100]

Absolute magic Nate , something the kids will remember for a long while. Merry Christmas to you all, and thanks Johnny for letting us into the spectacular area.

[@WildReaches]

They sure will mate. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@terrygrimshaw4669]

Wow watched you from day one but so good to see the whole family involved. Well done and keep teaching people of this country about traditional culture, should have been taught at school. I have country men I grew up with and we always call each other brothers no matter what.

[@WildReaches]

Thats good to hear Terry.

[@samdavis456]

Mate you’re killing it ❤

[@WildReaches]

Thanks Sam. Merry Christmas

[@HUNTINGNT375]

Good work, capturing history and culture. Good work bro

[@WildReaches]

thanks mate

[@Onsonggarage]

With the content you make, youll have a million subs in no time. Unreal content

[@WildReaches]

Thankyou, i hope so

[@don7294]

I grew up in the desert and learned early on to travel during the early morning or late afternoon or night time. You just can't carry enough water to keep yourself hydrated in the kind of heat you were hiking in. Well done. I suffered a heat stroke in Big Bend National Park in the US when I was too young to know better. Your body starts to cook. Very unpleasant. Without some help getting to the river I would have died. Fun times and learning the hard way. My life story. Stay safe out there.

[@Fitzy6722]

loving these eps mate🤙🏼

[@WildReaches]

Cheers Fitzy

[@cameroncunningham9033]

Please promise us that as you grow in size and subs, you won’t start doing janky survival challenges and other click bait content. Loving the series, but must admit, I also miss the boat trips with Dane as well. The work you do with the indigenous communities is developing a huge following, keep it up.

[@WildReaches]

I promise I’ll always do what authentically lights me up mate. I miss those trips too, I need to plan something like that. I’m heading out to the islands soon living off the ocean which will be epic.

[@stevepierce3509]

Bloody Champion Johnny. Your salt of the Earth shows outright to no end ay. On ya cuzzy Brother Johnny.

[@niahvail8506]

Cheers Nathan beautiful country appreciate your hard efforts getting down there in the heat Merry Christmas to u and your family 🎄🎅🏻🥳🤙🙏🍻

[@casskintas1]

I had a chance to go and look at some of the artwork back in the 70s and missed out. we live in the only place that has the connection to country going back beyond any other. Malcolm Douglas had some aboriginal content in his films but I think what you bring is somewhat more connected in a way. Thank you.

[@WildReaches]

thats very inspiring to read. Thankyou. Glad youre getting something out of the content.

[@nb6175]

Somehow seems fitting you have to walk on the edge of heat stroke to get to a place like that. So so so lucky, it's one of those places you'll always wonder if you were really there or not and have to check the video just to confirm.

[@WildReaches]

I agree. Has to be a challenge. You just can’t show / portray on film just how in the middle of no where these places are. It’s extraordinary

[@maxinevanderzwet5346]

New to your. Channel love it!

[@brucesailor5999]

Grew up in Laura with my grandad Bruce Butler he was a ranger there in the 70s and early 80s...... lovely country heaps of good memories......Quinkin Country

[@WildReaches]

Wow you must’ve see some amazing sites growing up there Bruce.

[@brucesailor5999]

@@WildReaches ....... mushroom rock another good spot in Laura.......it was a privilege growing up with people and country

[@user-ly2pe3el6j]

What a great experience, what a way to learn more about your country .👌💪Merry Christmas ✌️

[@eugenematthews1981]

Heat exhaustion/stroke is real, and I feel you guys got lucky in this episode.

[@Cruzinaussies]

Watched an old vlog today of yours just to let you know NPC uses exceedy clutch. They make a small adjustment for lighter pedal feel and box it in npc box. Because you said you replaced a exceedy with a npc. Npc uses the exceedy clutch. Just let people know to upgrade to a 1300 nm clutch. Love you content mate keep it up.

[@WildReaches]

Cool, thanks!

[@nevanalthaus2387]

Great episode mate. What an amazing part of the country amazing sites. And hope you and the family have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.👍👍

[@WildReaches]

Thanks Nevan. I really enjoyed this one. Merry Christmas to you too mate

[@terryharwood1969]

Awesome video m8

[@jeffpapalia4463]

G'day Nate I gotta ask ever have any run ins with yowies out there mate?

[@activateadventures6222]

Thank you. Time and weather has done some damage. No one to do touch ups. But now we have it on film.

[@alimitchell5346]

Another amazing and interesting video....btw, it's 0° here and snow....🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Would trade places anyday!!

[@WildReaches]

That sounds fun. Snow fights and fireplaces

[@alimitchell5346]

@@WildReaches no decking way...I like heat!

[@alimitchell5346]

My daughter moved from Darwin (lovely heat) to Adelaide in February...I prefer the tropics...I really don't fancy Adelaide..been spoiled in Darwin...

[@samdavis456]

We have quinkin tall man and short man stories up here and rock paintings up near Davies Creek

[@WildReaches]

I have heard of artwork through there but not Quinkans. Ill have to check it out

[@donnaoshea6607]

One of ur best mate bloody brilliant 🙏

[@WildReaches]

Thankyou!

[@kymmarshall1116]

A long hike in Nathan but worth the effort to be standing in front of that rock art…….WOW

[@kymmarshall1116]

Question mate, have you heard any stories about the hairy man ?

[@WildReaches]

Yeah lots of stories Kym.

[@JillyBean70]

Amazing Nate....any info on the portable kitchen set up ?....that looked awesome......Marry Christmas t you and your Family ♥♥

[@WildReaches]

That’s a prototype called “Huske”very cool. Merry Christmas Jill!

[@SebastianChua]

Epic!

[@mikek2258]

Doolaga or (douligah, hairy man )and junjadee (brown jack, little hairy man)

[@WildReaches]

Which dialect is that Mike?

[@mikek2258]

@WildReaches ive heard the terms around my area the dahrug,eora nsw

[@PhilipBurton-dn3ce]

Finally, a truer estimation of how long Homo Sapien has been in Australia

[@nautichunt84]

You showed a huge cliff covered in super old art that the locals were translating a while ago, is there any updates on that?

[@WildReaches]

There have been a few mate, was it western Yalanji where this episode was filmed?

[@nautichunt84]

@@WildReaches I honestly can't remember, I have gone back through your videos looking for it again but gave up. There was a lady there when you filmed if that helps. Huge collection they think tells their hole story from the "beginning"

[@CooeeAdventures]

Awesome

[@stephenmann1715]

Must be good to have the family on one of your adventures

[@WildReaches]

Certainly is mate

[@user-ht6yh9ln2r]

hey mate what drone do you use ?

[@WildReaches]

Mavic 3 mate, its epic

[@troyhudson7066]

Awesome episode except you said you felt disrespectful. This is our land. Everyone owns the land.

[@roypowell3450]

Loved this one Nate, nice to see you still have the family with you. We will email you over Christmas and catch up. In the meantime we will share a couple experiences with you whilst in Oz. We were traveling the Wheatbelt and stopped at a small town feeling peckish Cheryl said what would Nathan do🤔. We found a river with water lilies so Cheryl ever eager jumped in for a root to try as you have said its good bush tucker! Well I don't know whats wrong with your police and when we mentioned you it made things wosre😮. Another time we saw IGA building thinking it was something to do with Indienous people with murals on it, only to hear the owner tell us this is a bloody supermaket, and some bloody moron has sprayed graffite on it overnight you stupid pair of Poms...well suprising how you get things wrong!! Anyway you all have a great Christmas and hello Mel. The Wild Screechers,🤠

[@dylancarter1531]

How do you go about getting permission off the elders to vistit these places do you have to be part aboriginal

[@stephenjeacocke1530]

7 hrs and 5000 views. You know your doing something right when the numbers are raceing in views

[@WildReaches]

I hope so mate. Im happy to see people are enjoying it

[@ulrikezachmann7596]

These are obviously awesome places many of us would like to experience but cannot. You do need 4wd and a generous host like this family did. Just some thoughts about the real world. At best most of us get to use the national parks and appreciate them respect them and leave them as they found them. Many do not. I have seen tourists litter the side of hills with take away containers and disposable coffee cups and when you do make the effort at remote camping there are often yahoos that turn up with off-road bikes, alcohol and guns trashing the place. I would like to see better access for people who don’t have cars and more education and fines for trashing the environment if we want these places preserved. Our Governments need to employ more park rangers and spend a bit more maintaining these precious areas for the future. Sometimes you don’t know what you had until it is gone.

[@moe2470]

400000 yrs?

[@andredefranceschi4183]

Direct descendent not likely he doesn't even look aboriginal

[@jarramali]

Tell me…how do we deal with this narrow mindedness?

[@TessTickles00]

Is your channel specifically made to tell us white fellas that we aren't allowed to go where you can? It seems that way, with all your double secret locations that you get special permission to go to. It's a bit sickly to watch your special "privilege" mate, all smugly carried out as though Australia is a no go area for us white fellas. Have you ever heard of the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, the strongest surviving? If so, then realise that Aboriginal Australians don't own Australia.

[@johnnymurison4393]

Aboriginal people do own areas of country, this is recognised through the Native Title Act. Therefore Nathan's access has been granted because he wants to learn, and experience country through the eyes of Indigenous people. For that he is to be commended. Nathan always comes to us on country with an attitude of humility and the willingness to learn. He gets access to some of the most remote areas because he has made friends with the Traditional Owners of a particular area and is invited.

[@Yeahman4547Yeahman]

Without out guns you guys would of been fucked

[@TessTickles00]

@@Yeahman4547Yeahman Yeah, but we did have guns, invented by smart white fellas, and ships to get there, also invented by smart white fellas. Remind me, what did you have, bent sticks and hollowed out logs, invented by stone age people. Incidentally Mr Einstein, it's "would have been" not "would of been" 😊

[@Yeahman4547Yeahman]

@@TessTickles00 gun powder from Asians mate get your facts right

[@Yeahman4547Yeahman]

@@TessTickles00 Yea well mate we had plenty of stuff even hunting dogs. lot of names of animals and places were stolen. like the name kangaroo and the list goes on💯. i wonder why they have bad bushfires down south.🤔 Silly white fellas no one to blame but yourselves

[@fisher898]

Wow,wow,wow. Had goose bumps the hole video. Amazing! You are writing history brother. PS. Will swap you two lounges and two air conditioners for for 5 min in that magic place. Merry Christmas to you, your family and our indigenous brothers.