Planes land. Ferries Dock. People pass through police checks.
Welcome to the Tiwi Islands, where grand final day is the biggest tourism event of the year.
The crowd swelled to more than 3,000 on Saturday as locals and Darwin tourists gathered to cheer for their local Australian Rules football team.
The showpiece match this year was a contest between Imalu Tigers of Pirlangimpi and Muluwurri Magpies of Milikapiti.
Both teams travelled from Melville Island to Bathurst Island, which are separated only by the Apsley Strait — a narrow body of water that flows between the two main Tiwi islands.
The journey was longer for Darwin tourists, who took a 20-minute charter flight or a two-hour ferry ride to the island.
The event, which is usually held in March during the wet season, had been delayed after the league was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.
The crowd was heaving with anticipation.
Edward Puruntatameri, a Magpies fan, put it simply.
Willie Rioli Sr ran yesterday's match-day ceremony.
"It's not just about the football, we've got the arts as well," he said.
"Today has just been fantastic."
A regular Tiwi Grand Final attendee, he said he was surprised by how the event had continued to grow despite a global pandemic.
"People are getting more passionate, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year more or less," he said.
The noted style of free-flowing, high-pace Tiwi footy has produced legends in the AFL and several current players from the Riolis, Tipungwutis and the Longs.
Willie Sr is the proud father of Willie Rioli Junior, who has won a premiership with the West Coast Eagles AFL club.
The island's propensity to produce so many professional footballers from a population of about 2,500 is a hot topic.
Willie Sr attributes it to the sport being part of every facet of life on the islands.
"Just getting a football and kicking it around with each other and just having a bit of fun, that's where it all starts," Willie Sr said.
Bigger than footy
To say the match is "more than just a game" would miss the point.
Not only is it a passion-fuelled contest seldom seen in amateur competitions, but it also provides an opportunity for artists to sell their works.
Art centres like Jilamara and Munupi, both on Melville Island, set up a temporary stall for visiting tourists.
The Tiwi Design Centre and Ngaruwanajirri (The Keeping Place) see the event as one of their biggest sale days.
Arthur Puruntatameri carves a range of Tiwi birds.
On grand final day, it's big business.
He's an artist at Ngaruwanajirri. His works were snapped up quickly on Saturday but he wasn't the only one who enjoyed the spoils of the island's surging population for a day.
"We all make a bit of profit … always a busy day," he said with a smile.
This year's grand final was special for Arthur for other reasons too — his older brother Manuel had been living in Darwin during the peak of the Territory's COVID-19 outbreak.
During the spike, the Tiwi Land Council heavily restricted movement on and off the islands in an effort to protect vulnerable locals.
"He just came back two weeks ago. He's been away more than a month," he said.
A family affair
After a stirring ceremony, both sides had one final huddle.
Muluwurri captain Paddy Heenan had sage advice for his fellow Magpies.
"Aye and another thing. No family. White-line fever. We cross this line (the boundary separating field and fans), no family. Leave it until after the game," he said.
Many Tigers and Magpies fans were enemies for the match, but were also bonded through family.
Some players had played for both clubs. Others were related to the players they had to tackle and mark throughout the four quarters.
Aileen Puruntatameri, a traditional owner from Milikapiti, is a lifelong Muluwurri fan.
This year, the 75-year-old had to navigate the tension between family ties and footy.
"We saw some families from Tigerland and we just told them, '[May the] best team win,'" she said.
"We shake hands with all the other family."
The match was a tightly contested encounter.
Magpies scored the first goal, sending their fans into a screaming frenzy.
'Pies are hot'
The Imalu Tigers, which finished the season top of the ladder, regained control and by three-quarter time, were just two points in front.
The final match came down to the final quarter, where one player took centre stage – Stanley Tipiloura.
The Magpies forward slotted goal after goal, finishing the match with six to his name.
The final siren rang out at Muluwurri 82, Imalu 54.
The Magpies were champions for the fourth time in the club's history.
Cue pandemonium.
Tigers fans wept.
Players from both sides embraced, with some offering words of consolation to the Tigers, who have lost the grand final two years in a row.
Edward Puruntatameri was in tears, unable to speak.
He held up four fingers – one for each premiership.
He nodded as he wiped away tears, surrounded by celebrating Magpies fans.
The hardest season finished with the sweetest victory.
Football is a religion on the Tiwis and this is its holiest day.
