On a blanched sandy beach beside mangroves an old white washed walled mission dwelling houses Milingimbi Arts. Between thick walls and a low roof, spirited artworks robustly identify themselves with the wide outside world whilst being documented, prepared for exhibition or sold. Bark paintings, Mimih, maritime and other carved beings arrive along with intricate grass weavings with secret dye colourings of intense beauty. Bark painting alone is said to have a tradition stretching back thousands of years, long before the arrival of Europeans. Officially recorded by balanda (non-Yolngu) as being commissioned as early as 1912, they were collected during the 1920’s from the time the first Methodist missionaries arrived.

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