Arrive in Darwin on suggested Qantas flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private transfer to the hotel, a room category upgrade and pre-tour accommodation.

At 16:00 join your tour leader Djon Mundine OAM for a welcome briefing before attending the exclusive VIP-only opening ceremony and industry preview of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, which features art from more than 70 Indigenous-owned and -operated art centres across Australia.

Following a special preview of the fair, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant with Djon and fellow travellers.

(D)

In the morning, attend a special event at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (public program to be announced).

Enjoy the day exploring the fair at leisure and take time to discover Australia’s largest exhibition of Indigenous art, showcasing over 2,000 rising and established Indigenous artists from across the continent. Spend time conversing with artists, community-based art centre staff and collectors, and explore the distinctive styles and media of art from the Kimberley to Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands, from the Tiwi Islands to Arnhem Land, and of central, southern and western Australia.

Later, visit the Paul Johnstone Gallery, which exhibits works from community art centres across Northern and Central Australia by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.

In the evening, attend the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards gala event at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), celebrating the very best in traditional and contemporary Indigenous art in Australia.

(BD)

Enjoy the morning at leisure to attend talks in the gardens or to explore Darwin at your own pace.

In the afternoon, visit Outstation Gallery. View collections of contemporary Indigenous art from both established and emerging artists working in traditional and modern media, including the solo exhibition of Binygurr Wirrpanda, Chair of Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre and a senior ceremonial leader in his community. Wirrpanda’s art includes ironwood sculptures and distinctive renditions of Dhuḏi Djapu law on bark and metal.

Then, enjoy a picturesque dinner cruise in Darwin Harbour, surrounded by the city’s famed sunset.

(BD)

This morning, return to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) for a private tour focusing on the special exhibition of the finalists and winners of the Indigenous Art Awards.

Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant before visiting the Northern Centre of Contemporary Art. The gallery was founded in an old petrol station in 1989, giving rise to its original name “24HR Art”.

In the evening, browse the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, Darwin’s largest market showcasing the multicultural nature of the city with a large variety of food, art and crafts stalls running along the foreshore.

(BL)

In the morning, transfer to Darwin airport for a flight to the Gove Peninsula on the west coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Arnhem Land (flight included in tour price). Nhulunbuy, meaning ‘honey man’ in Yolngu language, has been home to the Yolngu people for over 40,000 years and came to international attention in the early 1960s when part of the land was excised for a bauxite mine. The development was strongly opposed by the Yolngu people at Yirrkala and the bark petition signed by the Yolngu people was sent to the Australian House of Representatives. It now hangs in Canberra’s Parliament House.

Enjoy lunch at the hotel followed by a talk by Djon. Spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

(BLD)

Today, visit Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, the Indigenous community-controlled art centre in Yirrkala. Artist Narritjin Maymuru set up his own beachfront gallery in the 1960s where he sold the art that now graces many major museums and private collections. His vision of a Yolngu-owned business to sell Yolngu art that started with a shelter on a beach has now grown into a thriving business that exhibits and sells globally. The centre now consists of two divisions: the Yirrkala Art Centre, which represents Yolngu artists, and The Mulka Project, which acts as a digital production studio.

(BLD)

Check out of the hotel and transfer to Gove airport for a flight to Darwin (flight included in tour price).

Arrive in Darwin in the mid-afternoon and check in to the hotel. Afterwards, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a farewell dinner with Djon and fellow travellers in a local restaurant.

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (strongly advised).

(B)