Our History

Nauiyu is a small community situated on the banks of the Daly River, 220 kilometres south of Darwin. Our population of around 510 people is 86 percent Aboriginal.

Prior to European settlement, the Daly River area was a meeting place for Aboriginal people to trade and hold ceremonies. The traditional owners of the area are the Malak Malak people who live in Nauiyu and in the downstream community of Wooliana. English is spoken by most residents, with Ngan’gikuruggurr being the most prominent of ten local languages.

The Jesuit Missionaries first came to Nauiyu in 1886. The school is named after St Francis Xavier as he is the patron saint of missionaries and worked closely with St Ignatius of Loyola who founded the Jesuits.

In 1954 a contract between the Malak Malak elders and the then Bishop of Darwin led to a mission being established with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

In 1955 the church purchased 4,000 acres of land and helped to establish the school and a clinic for the community. The mission was later named nauiyu.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart worked as nurses and teachers and aminaly worked with the children. After the missions left they had empowered the locals as was their aim. Their legacy of their Catholic Spirituality explicitly linked with the Aboriginal traditions still evident today.

The Daly River region is popular for fishing and camping and encompasses many unique ecosystems including hot springs and gorges. The climate is typical of northern Australia with contrasting wet and dry seasons and regional flooding during the wet season.