Tiwi Islands
The tiwi islands’ passion for aussie rules, and its unique mix of sporting and traditional culture, makes it a must for travellers every March.
You might think that the likes of Hawthorn or anywhere in Adelaide might have the highest concentration of Aussie Rules obsessives, but on a per capita basis you’d have to head to the other extreme of Australia, in the far north, to find the real beating heart of the game. In fact a couple of islands off the Darwin coast have the most footy players per head around 900 people out of a predominantly Indigenous population of 2500 on the Tiwi Islands of Melville and Bathurst take part in the sport.
And people across the islands have been running with the Aussie Rules ball (and bouncing every 15 metres) ever since it was introduced by two missionaries here in 1941. And since 1969 the islands have been battling it out for footy supremacy every March on Grand Final day, which more than doubles the Tiwis’ population.
Visitors come for the unique sporting occasion and to peruse traditional paintings, prints, weaving and pukumani (exquisitely carved and painted burial poles) at the accompanying Tiwi Islands’ Art Sale. It’s a showcase for an Indigenous culture that’s perhaps fared better than those on the mainland, with European settlement abandoned in 1829 after just five years of occupation, in part due to fierce resistance from the Indigenous islanders.
Such is the passion for the game here that it has produced a host of notable stars, with three winners of the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground in the AFL Grand Final only 40 have ever won it! Plus there’s been a Tiwi Islander in five of the past six Grand Final winning teams an astounding achievement for such a tiny place.
For such a high scoring game as Australian Rule drawn matches are somewhat rare, the only one having occurred on the Tiwi Grand Final day in 1986, between the Imalu Tigers and the Tapalinga Hawks (now the Superstars). Footy fan John Menzies was in attendance. “Each team ran onto the ground, not through a banner but accompanied by a swarm of supporters,” recalls Menzies. “It was all very informal and somehow out of the general chaos order was restored and the game commenced.
“Some of the players wore no boots but this was no disadvantage it seemed. I was in awe of the leaping ability and speed the players displayed with both teams almost scoring at will. This was the first time that a Grand Final had resulted in a draw and the players and supporters were devastated and obviously disappointed, not knowing what to do,” remembers Menzies. “I thought perhaps extra time would be played however, because this was a first, probably no policy had been put in place. Subsequently a replay was held that I did not see unfortunately, and in that Tapalinga won.”
So footy fan or not, head to the Tiwis on its famous Grand Final day to embrace its ancient traditions and more recent sporting addition to the fabric of life on these isolated islands in our far north.