Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala

This week, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is delivering on an election promise and spending a few days in North East Arnhem Land living and working alongside the Yolngu indigenous people. He will be spending a lot of the week in Yirrkala, one of Australia’s most remote communities and a stronghold of aboriginal culture. (Text and images by Hamish Simpson and Juliet Perry)

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Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala

The Methodist Church of Australasia established a mission in Yirrkala in 1935. Over the decades that followed members of the 13 clans that owned land in the surrounding area were gradually drawn into the mission. Currently Christianity has a strong presence in the community. Church turnouts are high and a Christian belief system is common currency.

Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala

The striking coastline is completely undeveloped, partially due to the dangers that lurk beneath.

Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala

Yirrkala and its surrounding communities are situated in the north-east of the Northern Territory on the Gove Peninsula. They benefit from a spectacular natural setting, a year-round tropical climate and a wealth of flora and fauna.