Yuendumu is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It ranks as one of the larger remote communities in central Australia and has a thriving community of Aboriginal artists. Yuendumu lies 293 km northwest of Alice Springs on the Tanami Road, and is a community largely made up of the Warlpiri and AnmatyerrAboriginal people, with a population of 759 at the 2016 Australian census. Yuendumu is located within the Yuendumu Aboriginal Lands Trust area on traditional Anmatyerr land and includes numerous outstations. It was established in 1946 by the Native Affairs Branch of the Australian Government to deliver rations and welfare services; the first superintendent was Francis McGarry. In 1947 the Australian Baptist Home Mission was established there. By 1955 many of the Aboriginal people had settled in the town. Today, some of the services and facilities available in Yuendumu include three community stores, Yuendumu Mediation Centre, school, airstrip, swimming pool, the Warlukurlangu art centre, an Aboriginal media organisation, a church, an elderly people's program, women's centre and safe house. Yuendumu retains links with other communities within the region, including Yuelumu, Papunya, Lajamanu, Willowra and Nyirripi. Yuendumu hosts its annual sports weekend in the first week of August. The event includes football, basketball and softball competitions, attracting teams from other communities around the region. There is also a 'Battle of the Bands' night which showcases local bands.
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In the early 1980s the Yuendumu elders painted ceremonial designs on canvas, which begun the art movement at Yuendumu. The first painting there was on the door of the Yuendumu school, painted by P. Japaljarri Stewart and Kumanjayi Japaljarri Sims, who are some of the most well known artists at the community. In 1985 the Warlukurlangu Artists Association was founded at Yuendumu. Notable artists who have painted with Warlukurlangu include Kumanjayi Nelson Napaljarri, Norah Nelson Napaljarri, Sheila Brown Napaljarri, Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels and Judy Watson Napangardi. Contemporary Indigenous Australian artist Kumanjayi Napaljarri Kennedy was a senior woman at Yuendumu, a member of the community council, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994, for services to the Yuendumu community. Artist Maggie Napaljarri Ross has received the Order of Australia for her work in establishing the Yuendumu Night Patrol. Yuendumu elders founded the Mt Theo Program in 1993 which has become a model for substance misuse prevention and youth diversion/development in remote Australian communities. In 2007, Johnny Japangardi Miller 'Hooker Creek', Peggy Nampijimpa Brown and Andrew Stojanovski were awarded the Order of Australia Medal for their efforts in founding the program and 'for service to the community of Yuendumu and the surrounding region of the Northern Territory through programs addressing substance abuse among Indigenous youth'. Yuendumu leaders who were awarded the Centenary Medalin 2001, which commemorates 100 years of Federation and recognises "citizens and other people who made a contribution to Australian society or government" include Wendy Nungarrayi Brown and Rex Granites. Yuendumu is the home community of indigenous activist and former NT Government ministerBess Nungarrayi Price. For over 25 years the community has also been home to PAW Media, most famously producing Bush Mechanics, and Aboriginal Rules which explored the social meaning of football in remote communities. Yuendumu is home of the Yuendumu Magpies football team, who play in the Central Australian Football League . Yuendumu won the inaugural season of the new Alice Springs competition in 2008. Yuendumu player Liam Jurrah was drafted into the AFL soon after by the Melbourne Football Club.
