The Tiwi Islands, as Melville and Bathurst Islands are collectively known, are dense rainforest islands, fringed with sandy beaches, located 50 miles north of Darwin, and are home to the Tiwi Aboriginal people, who are renowned for producing some very distinctive and colourful artwork.

Those wishing to visit the island should be advised that a permit is necessary, and therefore it is much easier to travel as part of an organised tour rather than attempt to do it independently.

The islands are accessed by a 20 minute light aircraft flight or a two hour ferry crossing across the Timor Sea from Darwin Harbour to Bathurst Island. Both day and overnight tours are available, run and operated by the Tiwi people themselves, and tours typically include a visit to Nguiu, the main settlement on the islands, located in the south east of Bathurst Island, as well as transport, meals and the required permits. Nguiu was founded in 1911 as a Catholic mission, which has exercised a huge influence over the people of the islands.

Melville Island is actually Australia’s second largest island after Tasmania, and the combined area of Melville and Bathurst Islands is around 500 square miles. The islands have been inhabited by the Tiwi people for thousands of years, and a tour to the islands gives visitors a fascinating insight into one of the world’s oldest surviving cultures.

Visitors are warmly welcomed here, and the Tiwi guides will share stories about their culture through story telling, dancing and most importantly their artwork, including pottery, sculptures and wooden carvings, all of which are on display at a gallery on Bathurst Island.