In the remote community of Mulga Bore, every resident is a Mormon

Where ancient Aboriginal songlines traverse the unforgiving landscape in the remote Australian outback, missionaries from the United States are preaching a religious movement. 

In this outback community, there's only one church.

It's a taxing drive along rutted red dirt to Mulga Bore, 250 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs.

Elder and Sister Jackson, Mormon missionaries in their late 60s, are visiting the remote Indigenous community for the third time in a week.

The couple have journeyed all the way from Arizona in the United States on their own dime.

They say they're on an outback mission from God.

The Jacksons say every resident in this 70-person community is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"This is one of the most unique missions that we're aware of in the church," says Elder Jackson, swatting away a fly.

Since arriving in Central Australia 18 months ago, the Jacksons have driven hundreds of kilometres between communities every day, preaching the Mormon gospel, sometimes singing hymns with residents and going hunting for witchetty grubs.

The pair could have been sent almost anywhere in the world – Mexico, Mongolia, or Madagascar.

They're among about 40 missionaries posted across the Northern Territory by the church.

"We feel right at home here," says Sister Jackson.

"We love these people, and they have been so amazing to us."

Mormonism's history in Australia

The Mormon Church landed on Australian shores in 1840 and has today grown to more than 157,000 members and over 300 congregations around the country.

Mormon missionaries have been visiting the Central Desert on and off for 40 years.

The church now has a substantial presence in the remote communities of Mulga Bore, Engawala and Atitjere, where populations range from about 70 to a few hundred.

Ancient symbols depicting the Plan of Salvation

Sitting on her front porch under the midday sun, Marie Ryder uses a steady finger to trace a circuitous path over her latest painting.

The Eastern Arrernte woman was raised at the Santa Teresa Catholic mission, south-east of Alice Springs, where she learnt about ancient Aboriginal symbols and dot painting techniques from her mother.

She married into the church 29 years ago and today paints stories from Mormon scriptures.

"Traditional and bible stories combined – that's how I do it," she says proudly.

The four-panel canvas depicts the tree of life, the baptism of Jesus Christ, prophet Joseph Smith's first vision, and the Plan of Salvation – parables considered sacrosanct in Mormon iconography.

"One elder asked me to do a small one like this," Marie says.

"He showed it to everybody, and everybody liked it. Everybody wants one now."

Across the region, Aboriginal artistic interpretations of teachings from the Book of Mormon – painted by locals – are used to help get the church's messages out in a way that can resonate with residents.

Further afar, the Mormon historical art department in Salt Lake City, Utah, has commissioned several works from Marie for a special exhibit, set to go on display in 2026.

From America to desert country

Adorned in white shirts with black name tags, junior missionaries Elder Abbott and Elder Solomon were paired by the church. 

They do almost everything together.

For two years, the 21-year-old Americans renounce entertainment, most technology, and even talking to friends and family back home, except for one "personal time day" a week.

They live together on a small property that's been donated to the church by traditional owners on a family outstation called Angkula, sleeping in tents outside in the hotter months for reprieve from their un-air-conditioned house.

In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, there's been a push by the church to expand its presence in remote parts of the Northern Territory – a region beset by poverty and hardship.

Former real estate businessman Elder Reece Standley is responsible for the 130-odd missionaries across South Australia and the Northern Territory.

He's enthused by an uptick in baptisms in the Northern Territory – he says there were 127 in the past 12 months.

"Where you focus your efforts, you get the results," he says, from his Adelaide office.

"The missionaries have soaked that up and have been out there assisting and teaching where they can."

But Australia has a long history of Christian missionaries entering Aboriginal communities and influencing their way of life, says Indigenous history researcher Dr Laura Rademaker.

"A lot of older people talk about valuing the education and the opportunity to learn English … of course not at the expense of learning their own languages and culture. 

"But there are also a lot of people who look back at the mission history, the harsh discipline, the way shame was used to control people, and they saw a real sense of devastation.

In Mulga Bore, residents say Mormon teachings like avoiding alcohol, tea and coffee, and donating a tithe to the church, have changed things for the better.

Gary Bird-Mpetyane, a Mulga Bore church leader thought to be the first Aboriginal man to serve a mission for the church, wants his community to continue strengthening its connection with the Mormon faith while retaining a link to ancient Aboriginal dreamings.

"My dad used to say to me: 'if you keep your culture strong, you will keep your community strong'," he says.

"We hear [stories] both ways – God's way and our Aboriginal lore, and that's why we're keeping both strong and sharing them."

Credits:

Reporting: Lee Robinson

Images: Xavier Martin

Production: Jack Hislop