Its ancient red dirt stretches towards an endless cobalt sky.

The horizon shimmers with heat, while spinifex-covered dunes rise between scattered termite mounds.

On the journey, cars zoom past road trains that stir up dust in their wake.

It’s a place where time seems to slow down and is instead measured by the rise and fall of the desert sun.

About 350 kilometres down the long stretch of highway from Alice Springs lies the heartland of the Warlpiri people.

This is the home of the Yuendumu Magpies.

When the Magpies run onto the red dirt oval, they become the Warlpiri warriors and carry the pride, history and spirit of their community.

Formed in 1959, it’s one of the most remote and iconic Australian Rules football clubs across the nation. They compete in the Central Australian Football League (CAFL) and hold a legendary place in footy lore.

Celebrated for their electrifying speed, instinctive flair and three consecutive premiership victories in the early 2000s, the club is famously chronicled in the acclaimed 2007 documentary Aboriginal Rules.

From Tennant Creek to Tanami

Although Yuendumu sits proudly within Melbourne Football Club’s Next Generation Academy region, football has a unique way of reaching communities beyond club boundaries and geographic borders.

For AFLW midfielder Brit Bonnici, the connection to remote Indigenous footy became deeply personal during Collingwood’s annual cultural immersion trip to the Barkly Region as part of the Club’s Community Foundation and Barrawarn program.


In Tennant Creek, Bonnici experienced firsthand what Australian Rules football truly represents in remote communities.

“I think when you get the chance to visit communities like in Tennant Creek, you remember why you started footy.”

“You remember being a kid, and how much it means to be able to bring people together and have fun with ball in hand.”  Bonnici said.

During her time on Country, the 2025 Club Best and Fairest winner formed a special friendship with artist Lucy Tanami of the Barkly Regional Arts Centre.

Tanami was commissioned to paint Bonnici’s Indigenous Round boots in 2025, an important relic that has since become one of her most sentimental possessions and memories in football.

“I think the coolest part about meeting Lucy was like, it wasn't scripted and it wasn't structured,” Bonnici said.

“It was just by chance that she (Tanami) came down to the community barbeque while we were visiting,”

“I think that's what makes it so special. Our relationship has probably had more of an impact on me than her!”

“I treasure it so much.” Bonnici said.

 



Stripes in the Dust

Through donations from the Collingwood Women’s program, jumpers and kit have made the long journey inland to support the local game and encourage women and girls to play football.

The warriors in Warlpiri sent back photos showing young local players proudly wearing the famous black and white stripes under the harsh sun of the Tanami.

As the AFLW celebrates Indigenous Round this week, the story of the Yuendumu Magpies is a tangible reminder of how football serves as a universal language.

“We work hard for a chance to wear these jumpers and to show up at Collingwood every day. Now these girls get the opportunity to feel connected to a club that's almost 3,000 kilometres away.”

“The stripes that bind our team together are the same stripes that bind them to each other.” Bonnici said.

“At the core of everything, we all just want to belong.”

BARRAWARN PROGRAM | For stories that should be heard.