Tiwi By Design Day Tour
Overview
Available languages
9 hours
Mobile ticket
Visit a traditional Aboriginal community on the Tiwi Islands, off the coast of Darwin. Accompanied by a local Tiwi guide, you'll learn about local history and Tiwi rituals by visiting all the places of interest. Share a traditional morning tea with Tiwi Islanders before taking an art workshop taught by Aboriginal artists. Tourism is limited on the island, making this a rare chance to visit this Aboriginal community that holds on tightly to its traditions.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
This is a walking tour, an easy stroll over short distances between the ferry landing, art centre and mission precinct. **Please note that the Bathurst Island Museum is closed until 2022, and is no longer included in this tour**
Covid Procedures: We have always had stringent and rigorous hygiene standards, cleaning procedures and health and safety practices. During this time, we have stepped our practices and procedures up even further. Where possible we have made additional hand sanitisers and cleaning stations available to our customers and employees to exercise good hand/hygiene practices. We have also placed hygiene communications in our vessels, vehicles, accommodation, food venues, shop fronts/counters/terminals from the relevant health authorities.
Dietary requirements: Please advise of any dietary requirements at the time of booking
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Local guide
WiFi on board
Lunch
Restroom on board
Food and drinks, unless specified
Hotel pickup and drop-off
What To Expect
SeaLink Northern Territory
Servicing the Top end since 2013, SeaLink Northern Territory provides a safe, comfortable and reliable ferry service with state-of-the-art high-speed catamarans and friendly qualified crew. Built especially for remote locations, the SeaLink NT ferries are capable of beach landings, carrying large numbers of passengers in comfort, and are all equipped with kiosks, men, women and disabled toilets, air-conditioned cabins, and spacious outdoor decking.
Tiwi Design
After a rest and lunch in the shade, it’s time to re-visit Tiwi Design and participate in an exclusive ‘behind-the-scenes’ screen printing workshop. Choose from contemporary or traditional Tiwi design to print onto a take-home t-shirt, tea towel or fabric – a wonderful souvenir of your Tiwi visit.
Options
SeaLink Tiwi Islands
Ferry
Reviews
160 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Art and culture knowledge gain
Gemma W,
Aug 18, 2025
- Viator
5.00A truly wonderful day with soooo much learning. Thanks Tiwi Designs! I will cherish my tea towel and hopefully come back to see more of the beautiful islands
A Truly Genuine Welcome to Country.
Kelly M,
Aug 16, 2025
- Viator
5.00Until very recently the Tiwi Islands were not even on my radar, but once I saw this tour advertised I discovered that, largely thanks to the movie, Top End Wedding, I was in the minority. I was slightly trepidatious about the tour, as I feared that it might feel intrusive and somewhat cringe worthy to go traipsing into people’s culture and heritage as a tourist. Thankfully it was absolutely not at all like that. From the moment I stepped onto the ferry I felt welcomed and relaxed. By some great good fortune, I happened to be going on a very busy weekend for the island, and members of the community were heading home for a weekend of AFL, which, it rapidly transpired, is the “second religion,” of the islands. Our Welcome to Country on arrival began with a good natured quizzing on which teams we all supported. - The nonagenarian nun’s team is unashamedly the Sydney Swans - and with that we were warmly welcomed by Elders and Aunties with a Smoking Ceremony and dances before being split into two groups to create screen printed artwork at the art gallery, or to take a walking tour of the island to the delightful and extremely interesting little museum and the heritage church made famous in the movie my friends had told me to watch. (If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you do.) My group did the tour first, then came back to the art gallery for lunch and a chance to create our own screen prints, while the other group did their museum tour. It was a fabulous day of good natured banter, as well as being extremely informative, and I got to bring home my own screen printed memento, as well as a beautiful carved bird that I absolutely couldn’t resist buying from the gallery shop. My only regret? I wish I had known about the weekend of football and had somehow been able to stay for the whole thing - and the kicker there? I don’t really care about AFL, at all.
Be prepared for a truely...
Kathleen T,
Aug 15, 2025
- Viator
5.00Be prepared for a truely educational experience, wear comfortable clothing and embrace the culture with genuine enthusiasm.
Tiwi art and history
John M,
Aug 15, 2025
- Viator
4.00This is an authentic interaction with the essence of local artistic and historical aspects. It was not a drive around in a bus experience rather an experience to get the feel of this community.
Take some seasick tablets...
Tim M,
Jun 2, 2025
- Viator
5.00Take some seasick tablets with you for the trip over and back if you get motion sickness. Wear a hat and comfortable shoes, there's a little bit of walking to do.
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Operated by SeaLink Northern Territory