Tagesausflug zu den Tiwi-Inseln ab Darwin

Interacting with the local people. Seeing them dance and share their stories and sharing in craft work with them. I also chatted to another man who lives on Bathurst Island, fishing and catching sea creatures which he shares with his local community. It was a very meaningful time.

I enjoyed the screen printing, and the smoke ceremony , all staff were lovely I was dissapointed that there were no weavers or painters as this was among the main reason I went to the island . Lunch was great beyond expectations

I did the Tiwi by design tour on Monday 10th July and have to say that the tour was much less than what I expected considering how the tour was described and marketed and the price paid. The guides were friendly and welcoming and whilst the stories had potential to be interesting, they were delivered in a way that was difficult to follow, with other stories interspersed, stories cut short or mumbled and difficult to decipher. The welcome ceremony was underwhelming with the community members looking like they would rather be somewhere else. I had expected (from description) to experience a busy thriving indigenous arts community (talk to the locals, see the ladies weaving or community members doing carvings). The place was deserted. No locals to chat to, get a feel of the place or a sense of the culture. The museum was good but unfortunately the guide did not participate in this and I think we would have gotten so much more out of it with a guide. The church was lovely to visit. Lunch proved to be adequate, but for the price was also underwhelming. And then we just filled in time with nothing to do. A visit to the gallery where the artwork was great but hugely expensive and I felt no link to the experience. The biggest disappointment was the screen printing. This was the thing I was really looking forward to as I am a school art teacher. I had hoped to learn and then pass on to my students all that I learnt about indigenous art and design. I was so disappointed. No-one was organising. No-one to explain to the group what to do. All the guests were wandering around waiting for the local artists to return from lunch, waiting for someone to explain what to do or even just welcome us to the site. And only 3 staff to assist all the people who had no idea what this was all about. Then most people simply got to choose the colour and the screen and the local artist did the print. Hardly an 'art experience', not a 'create your own'. And certainly no link to developing a connection to the culture. One of the staff later mentioned that it was Naidoc week and one of the ladies on the ferry said she was going to Tiwi for Naidoc week activities. Was this the reason why the place was deserted? If so, the tours should not be planned for this week as they quite obviously cannot deliver what is described in the information. If this was not the case, then they need to seriously revisit how they describe and deliver the experience to their guests or heavily reduce the cost to truly reflect what is actually offered. Quote from the information supplied: "This is a leisurely day of absorbing the workings of a busy Indigenous art centre – you may see art pieces destined for international exhibitions, talk to artists who are carving or painting, and sometimes the ladies will be there weaving and chatting. It is always loud and busy with Tiwi people coming and going, Ngarukuruwala music playing on repeat. Take the time to connect, share where you’re from and which footy team you support, ask about the stories you see on the paintings, or ask the artists there to show you their work." This did not happen! The only correct thing in this description is "leisurely". I don't think I have ever written such a negative review and am hugely disappointed that I am. I went away with a very expensive tea towel. (I provided this feedback to Sealink but have not had a response)