What are the Tiwi Islands?
The Tiwi Islands are two main islands, Melville and Bathurst, about 80 kilometres north of Darwin. They are home to the Tiwi people, whose culture developed separately from mainland Aboriginal groups.
Melville Island is the second-largest island in Australia after Tasmania. The islands have a tropical climate, with forests, mangroves and beaches. About 2,500 people live there, mostly in communities such as Wurrumiyanga, Milikapiti and Pirlangimpi.
Tiwi culture is known for distinctive art, including carved and painted pukumani burial poles, bold geometric designs and printed fabrics. Art centres sell work around the world.
Football fever
Australian rules football is hugely popular on the Tiwi Islands. The Tiwi Islands Football League Grand Final draws big crowds, and many Tiwi players have reached the AFL, including Maurice Rioli and Michael Long.
The Tiwi Islands are owned by the Tiwi people under Aboriginal land rights law.
Visitors need permits from the Tiwi Land Council to visit most areas, although day tours from Darwin by ferry or plane visit Wurrumiyanga to see art centres and learn about Tiwi culture. The Tiwi language is still spoken widely, and a modern form mixing English and traditional Tiwi is used by younger people. Fishing lodges on the islands attract anglers chasing barramundi.
Did You Know?
The British built Fort Dundas on Melville Island in 1824, one of the first European settlements in northern Australia, but abandoned it in 1829.