A young man speared in the back. Dozens of people carrying bows and metal weapons. Cars set ablaze and a vehicle taken from an army base.
That was the reality in Wadeye over just 24 hours this month.
The remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory’s West Daly region, about 395km south-west of Darwin, has repeatedly drawn national attention over clan violence that has troubled the town for decades.
Sometimes described as the ‘Wild West’, Wadeye has seen rival groups clash after dark while carrying spears, machetes and metal bars. Homes and vehicles have been torched, and buildings looted during the unrest.
The violence reached a tragic peak in April 2022, when about 150 men and women gathered near the town’s main oval during a riot. A father of three died after being struck in the head with a metal weapon.
As the situation spiralled, hundreds of frightened residents fled into the surrounding bush.
Since then, community leaders and authorities have worked to help Wadeye move past the bloodshed and support residents worn down by recurring outbreaks of violence.
However, a new surge of unrest has once again placed the community under national scrutiny.
Earlier this month, police said as many as 100 people armed with bows and spears fought in the streets during a dispute involving two families.
Wadeye and nearby Peppimenarti, located further inland, are frequently described as lawless townships. Police are now stepping up their response after rioting groups damaged homes and vehicles
Groups of locals carrying axes, hammers and machetes have been reported roaming Wadeye’s streets in search of victims, while authorities struggle to contain the violence
A 22-year-old man suffered serious injuries after being struck in the back by a three-pronged spear. A car nearby was also set alight.
The injured man was taken to a nearby house before police transported him to the Wadeye Health Clinic for treatment.
The clash occurred only hours after a separate incident hundreds of kilometres away, in which a man allegedly entered RAAF Base Darwin without permission, assaulted a security officer and stole a security vehicle.
The vehicle was later connected to a series of alleged thefts across the region before making its way to Wadeye. Three men believed to have been travelling in it were arrested.
Several days earlier, police had arrested 13 people over alleged street brawls, arson, burglaries and damage to property.
Police officers have also been targeted during the unrest.
In August, officers alleged that a group of men attacked them with rocks, window louvres and metal bars.
On Monday, police faced another tense confrontation after a 33-year-old man sought shelter inside a Wadeye home as a disturbance involving up to 150 people unfolded outside.
Wadeye was engulfed by violence this week after a young man was speared in the back; the image shows a previous incident in the remote community
Police allege a small group of people are continuing to ‘inflict fear and disruption’ in the town
NT Police said the man faced a ‘significant risk of harm’ before officers entered the property about 6pm and safely removed him.
No one was injured during the rescue, but two police vehicles were damaged, with windscreens and windows smashed.
NT Police Superintendent Virginia Read said residents had grown tired of the repeated unrest.
‘A small group of individuals continues to inflict fear and disruption across the community, placing innocent residents, families and responding police officers at risk,’ Supt Read said earlier this month.
‘Those who choose to engage in violence, damage property or endanger others should expect police at their door.’
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The surge in violence has prompted armed officers to carry out a series of targeted deployments aimed at disrupting offending and restricting the flow of illicit substances into Wadeye, which is a legally dry community.
Earlier this month, officers from the NT Police Territory Safety Division seized more than $90,000 worth of alcohol, drugs and weapons during a three-day operation.
The haul included 26 litres of wine, 41 litres of beer, 40 litres of spirits and 513 grams of cannabis, resulting in six arrests and more than a dozen infringement notices.
But as authorities scramble to prevent tensions escalating further, some residents and community leaders argue policing alone cannot solve Wadeye’s deeper problems.
Three men allegedly stole a security vehicle from the RAAF base in Darwin on Monday before driving the car to Wadeye, where they were arrested
A man (on right) is seen wielding a cross bow and others axes in this picture from Wadeye
Police seized over $90,000 worth of alcohol, drugs and weapons from Wadeye in just a month
Founded in 1935, Wadeye quickly became a township for Aboriginal people from the surrounding region to gather in one place, giving residents greater access to services and facilities.
Its population has since grown to about 2,000, placing increasing pressure on housing and infrastructure.
The township is home to 22 different clans, several languages are spoken and overcrowding remains a major problem, with 10 or more people sometimes living under one roof.
Some of the clans had longstanding disputes, and groups that had previously been geographically dispersed were suddenly living in close proximity.
Some residents have called for land outside Wadeye to be opened up so families can establish separate communities on their traditional homelands.
The community’s violent history is also entwined with a bizarre gang culture that emerged among young people decades ago.
In the early 2000s, when about half Wadeye’s population was aged under 20, as many as 14 gangs operated in the town.
Many took their names from heavy metal bands watched on the ABC’s late-night music program Rage.
The ‘Slayer’ and ‘Megadeath’ mobs, Evil Warriors and Judas Priest Boys became locked in bitter rivalries, with members at times hunting down opponents armed with metal rods, machetes and bottles.
The township was developed to bring local Aboriginals together so they could get access to modern facilities, but the population has doubled over the last 10 years
One group, known as the German Boys, daubed walls and corrugated iron fences with swastikas.
There were also female groups with music-inspired names, including the Madonna Mob, Kylie Girls and Celine Dion Gang.
By 2015, the number of gangs had dropped to eight, which would sometimes join forces to form two rival groups.
Football was also used to try to ease tensions.
The Northern Territory AFL appointed a regional manager to Wadeye and revived the local competition, which for a time helped move some of the rivalry from the streets onto the footy field.
But Wadeye continues to face deep social problems.
The community is in one of Australia’s most disadvantaged regions, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and has long struggled with overcrowding and high incarceration rates.
Our News Outlet has contacted NT Police for further comment.
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