58-743: Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region , Northern Territory, Australia, 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy , on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land . Its population comprises predominantly Aboriginal Australians of the Yolngu people, and it is also home to a number of Mission Aviation Fellowship pilots and engineers based in Arnhem Land, providing air transport services. At
116-667: A Miss Proctor. She was not a trained teacher, but had worked at the mission on Goulburn Island for three years. The mission received child endowment for every Aboriginal child there, regardless of attendance at the school. During World War II, a RAAF airbase operated close by. Many mission residents worked there, as boat pilots for the RAAF and the Royal Australia Navy , or assisted the war effort by other means. The school did not operate during this time, and all "white women" were evacuated in 1942. Around 1974, control of
174-500: A location of one of the trial Community Education Centres (CEC) in 1988, students undertake a method of bilingual studies dubbed "both ways", incorporating a cultural curriculum called Galtha Rom, meaning cultural lessons. Despite a 2009 Northern Territory Government order to teach English for the first four hours each day, the school continued to teach in its own way, with the child's first language, Yolngu Matha , taught alongside English. The method has proven effective against reducing
232-404: A parcel of their land was to be sold to a bauxite mining company. Although the petition itself was unsuccessful in the sense that the bauxite mining at Nhulunbuy went ahead as planned, it alerted non-Indigenous Australians to the need for Indigenous representation in such decisions, and it prompted a government report recommending compensation payments, protection of sacred sites , creation of
290-601: A permanent parliamentary standing committee to scrutinise developments at Yirrkala, and also acknowledgments of the Indigenous people's moral right to their lands. The Bark Petition is on display in the Parliament House in Canberra . The settlement was funded as an outstation during the 1980s. Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region , Northern Territory, 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of
348-431: A primary school which supports further afield community schools. Yolngu culture and ties to the land are still very strong and sacred. Many people still live mainly a traditional life. The Garma Festival , which celebrates Yolngu culture, is held each August at Gulkula , attracting thousands from around Australia and the world to enjoy and learn from music , dance, art and craft, and sport. There are three art centres on
406-487: Is a big part of the lives of people in Nhulunbuy and there are facilities including a sports ground, golf course, yacht club, swimming pool, fishing club, surf-lifesaving club, speedway and skate park. Gove Harbour is a popular stop off point for yachts sailing the northern coast of Australia or heading to the countries to the north of Australia and beyond. Apart from the months of December to April when cyclones can affect
464-552: Is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia . The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gove Airport . The peninsula was involved in a famous court case known as the Gove land rights case , when local Yolngu people tried to claim native title over their traditional lands in 1971, after
522-542: Is one member of the famous Marika family of north-east Arnhem Land, and is the daughter of artist Mathaman Marika and the sister of artist, cultural leader and environmentalist Dr B Marika . She was married to former Yothu Yindi lead singer and educator Dr M Yunupingu (1956–2013). She has translated children's books into Yolngu Matha languages, and taught " both ways " bilingual education for her whole career, standing firm against Northern Territory Government policies which dictated that NT schools should teach only in
580-541: Is the large bay between the peninsula and the mainland, and there are many unnamed beaches both within the bay and on the western side of the peninsula, as well as named beaches (such as Ski Beach and Wallaby Beach ). Other popular locations around the peninsula include: There are three coastal walking trails : Daliwuy to Garanhan (3-kilometre (1.9 mi)), Garanhan to Ngumuy (2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi)) and Ngumuy to Baringura (1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi)). Informative signposts explaining Yolngu culture's relationship to
638-494: The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 . At the 2021 census , Yirrkala had a population of 657, of whom 79.8% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people . Yirrkala is home to a number of leading Indigenous artists, whose traditional Aboriginal art , particularly bark painting , can be found in art galleries around the world, and whose work frequently wins awards such as
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#1732769380337696-535: The 2016 census , Nhulunbuy SSC (urban area) had a population of 3,240, with a median age of 32. Only 2.8% were Indigenous. Nhulunbuy Indigenous region had 9,559 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents, with 97.7% of these Aboriginal, 0.5 Torres Strait Islander , and 1.9% both. Owned by the traditional Aboriginal owners , the Yolngu people, it is a place rich in culture with Yolngu maintaining strong ties with their land, religion and traditions. Rather than
754-506: The 2021 census , Yirrkala had a population of 657, of whom 79.8% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people . There has been an Aboriginal community at Yirrkala throughout recorded history, but the community increased enormously in size when Yirrkala mission was founded in 1935, with people from 13 different Yolngu clans moving to Yirrkala. Around this time, the Methodist Overseas Mission (MOM)
812-536: The Australian Government had granted a mineral lease to a bauxite mining company without consulting the local peoples. Today the land is owned by the Yolngu people. The Gove Peninsula is on the west coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria within Arnhem Land , a vast tract of Aboriginal -owned land on the Northern Territory coastline. The township of Nhulunbuy is the main commercial and service centre of
870-824: The East Arnhem Regional Council . Situated in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, the region covers an area of 33,310 square kilometres (12,861.06 sq mi) and had a population of approximately 10,345 in June 2018. East Arnhem Region was created under the Local Government Act (NT) 2008 to provide core local government services. The area comprises nine major remote communities, many homelands and outstations, commercial enterprises such as tourism, two mining leases, and pastoral properties scattered throughout
928-457: The English language in 1998. This was despite the fact that Yirrkala School had been identified as the first to undergo bilingual accreditation in 1980, and bilingual students outperformed the non-bilingual students. Yunupingu was appointed senior teacher at the school in 2004, and has often been called "mother of the school", and became known for her mentoring of other teachers. She was awarded
986-540: The Equator , the Gove Peninsula has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen : Aw ). The non-Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory tropics recognise two distinct seasons, the dry season from mid-May to mid-November, and the wet season from mid-November to mid-May. Yolngu however recognise eight seasons derived from changing behaviours and patterns apparent in the land, flora and fauna , as follows: On
1044-839: The Northern Territory Government 's Teaching Excellence Award in the Remote Primary category for her work at Yirrkala, and her artwork has featured in exhibitions in Australia and the US. She has also been an honorary fellow at Charles Darwin University . She retired in early 2023 after 40 years at the school, with family, friends, colleagues and other community members gathering to celebrate her contribution. Since retirement, she has been teaching traditional healing with bush medicines . On 25 January 2024 she
1102-623: The Second World War was the first place to be named Gove, after Pilot Officer William Gove, who was killed on 20 April 1943 in an air accident on the peninsula. In the late 1960s and through the 1970s, many Yolngu people objected to the renaming of many places with English names, including Nhulunbuy. They presented a bark petition was to the Commonwealth Parliament in 1968 about the renaming of Nhulunbuy. Linguist Raymattja Marika and Melanie Wilkinson have recorded
1160-419: The rocket launch pad , and NASA has confirmed that it will use the facility again in the future. It is possible to hire four wheel drives, conventional vehicles or bicycles in Nhulunbuy and an airport bus and taxi company service the town. The Gove Airport is located 13 km from the town centre of Nhulunbuy. AirNorth has a daily flight to Gove from Cairns and Darwin which then connect to cities around
1218-497: The East Arnhem Region was divided during 2007 into bounded areas for the purpose of creating an address for a property. The bounded areas are called "localities" with those localities associated with existing aboriginal communities being called "communities". 12°10′55″S 136°46′55″E / 12.18194°S 136.78194°E / -12.18194; 136.78194 Gove Peninsula The Gove Peninsula
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#17327693803371276-459: The Gove Peninsula (East Arnhem Region), of which almost 64% are Indigenous people , and a population of nearly 4,000 in Nhulunbuy , the majority being non-Indigenous people. Those people not living in Nhulunbuy live in surrounding communities and traditional homelands. In the five years to 2004, the population declined in Nhulunbuy and Groote Eylandt and increased in the non-urban areas. At
1334-447: The Northern Territory by establishing eight new shires. The East Arnhem Shire was created on 1 July 2008. Elections of shire councillors were held on 25 October 2008. Banambi Wunungmurra was elected unopposed as the inaugural EASC president, with Councillor Keith Hansen of Anindilyakwa Ward serving from 2008 to 2010 as his deputy, then rotating the deputy position to Councillor Kaye Thurlow of Gumurr Marthakal from 2010 to 2012. Wunungmurra
1392-467: The Peninsula and is 600 kilometres east of Darwin . As Europeans started land exploration throughout the Northern Territory and subsequently settled closer to Yolngu homelands, conflicts with the Yolngu became more frequent. In 1931, an area of 96,000 square kilometres (37,000 sq mi) was proclaimed as an Aboriginal reserve , named Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve. Land on the peninsula
1450-770: The Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards . Their work is visible to the public at the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre and Museum and also at the YBE art centre. Pioneer bark painters from this region who the National Museum of Australia consider old masters include Mithinarri Gurruwiwi , Birrikitji Gumana and Mawalan Marika . It is also a traditional home of the Yidaki (didgeridoo), and some of
1508-537: The Yirritja moiety , including Mungurrawuy Yunupingu , Birrikitji Gumana and Narritjin Maymuru , who painted the other sheet with Yirritja designs. They were discarded by the church in 1974, but were salvaged by Buku-Larrnggay in 1978. As of 2015 it represented more than 300 artists from around the homelands, and exhibitions of work by the artists were being shown across Australia and internationally. As of 2020,
1566-437: The bauxite mine would be closed by 2030 or sooner. The Arnhem Space Centre has created employment for local people, and brought NASA staff and many tourists to the town when three rockets were launched in mid-2022, booking out accommodation for weeks. The longterm future of the site is not known, but the owners of the project, Equatorial Launch Australia, has indicated that there are other space companies interested in using
1624-616: The centre comprises two divisions: the Yirrkala Art Centre, which represents the artists exhibiting and selling contemporary art , and The Mulka Project, which incorporates the museum. It is known for its production of bark paintings , weaving in natural fibres, larrakitj (memorial poles), yidaki , and many other forms of art. The centre has been a base for several major artists, including Gulumbu Yunupingu , Banduk Marika , Gunybi Ganambarr , Djambawa Marawili , and Yanggarriny Wunungmurra . Women artists who have worked at
1682-447: The centre include five sisters: Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu , Gulumbu Yunupingu , Barrupu Yunupingu , Nyapanyapa Yunupingu , and Eunice Djerrkngu Yunupingu ; as well as Dhuwarrwarr Marika ; Malaluba Gumana ; Naminapu Maymuru-White ; Nonggirrnga Marawili ; Dhambit Mununggurr ; and Margaret Wirrpanda . At Yirrkala School, formerly Yirrkala Community School, renamed "Yirrkala Community Education Centre" or "Yirrkala CEC" after it became
1740-455: The closure of the mine associated alumina refinery (but not the bauxite mine) in July 2014 with the loss of 1,100 jobs, or almost 25% of the town's population. The population had already dropped by mid 2014, with some of the workforce retained to monitor the shutdown and survey holding ponds full of toxic compounds but most will be gone by January 2015. A range of measures were announced to support
1798-504: The council area. Five of the nine communities are located on islands. Six of the communities are recognised Remote Service Delivery Sites by the Commonwealth and another is recognised as a NT Government Territory Growth Town. In October 2006 the Northern Territory Government announced the reform of local government areas. The intention of the reform was to improve and expand the delivery of services to towns and communities across
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1856-467: The drop-out rate, and in 2020 eight students were the first in their community to graduate year 12 with scores enabling them to attend university. Yirrkala School and its sister school, Laynhapuy Homelands School, are now being looked to as models for learning in remote traditional communities. Artist and teacher-linguist Yalmay Marika Yunupingu , also known as Yalmay Yunupingu Marika (sometimes hyphenated) or just Yalmay Yunupingu (born c. 1955 ),
1914-575: The government Nabalco was set up and was granted a lease with a commitment to build a township, port facility and mine. The construction of the mine lead to the Gove land rights case (see above), which initially resulted in ruling in favour of the mineral company. The market economy of the Gove Peninsula was centred on the Alcan Gove Mine, located on leasehold land within the boundaries of Aboriginal freehold land. In November 2013 Rio Tinto announced
1972-543: The interaction was on the whole positive in those early days, with a lack of dogmatism by the missionaries, and the Yolngu people accommodating Christianity within a version of their own beliefs. MOM received a government subsidy to run the mission, and school classes operated from 1936, at first outdoors under a tree, and later beneath the Mission House. In 1951, a new school building was built, and, by 1952, it had 47 children regularly attending classes there, taught by
2030-490: The land is provided on these marked trails. Ecosystems on the Gove Peninsula and in its coastal waters are of great conservation significance, being largely undisturbed due to isolation, huge area and sparse population. The waters provide a shallow-water tropical marine ecosystem , with varying habitats for marine and estuarine wildlife, and include mangroves , beds of seagrass , tidal flats , salt pans and saltmarshes . Some place names were assigned to various places on
2088-408: The large mining town of Nhulunbuy , on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land . As of 2024 the East Arnhem Regional Council is the local government for Yirrkala, which is in the council's Gumurr Miwatj Ward. It consults with Yirrkala Mala Leaders Association, consisting of 12 elected community members. The Northern Land Council is the land council to the community, responsible for matters under
2146-633: The mission was passed to the Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association, and it was no longer was operated as a mission thereafter. Yirrkala played a pivotal role in the development of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians when the document Bark Petition was created at Yirrkala in 1963 and sent to the Federal Government to protest the Prime Minister's announcement that
2204-562: The name of a clan or family group, Yolngu is the word that Aboriginal people from East Arnhem Land, including the Gove Peninsula, use to refer to themselves. The main five clan groups of the region are Gumatj, Rirratjingu, Djapu, Madarrpa and Dhalwangu. The prominent Marika family, many from Yirrkala, includes a number of artists and land rights activists, including Banduk Marika (13 October 1954 – 12 July 2021); Roy Dadaynga Marika (c.1925– 1993); and Wandjuk Marika (1927–1987). Educator and linguist Raymattja Marika (c.1959 – 11 May 2008)
2262-459: The night of the 2001 Census there were 13,080 people living in the East Arnhem region, which covers most of the Gove Peninsula. Of these 60.7% were Aboriginal people. On the night of the 2001 Census there were 3,766 people living in the "Urban Centre" of Nhulunbuy. Of these 7.3% were Indigenous. Based on a 2004 NT Government Socio-Economic Snapshot, there is a population of 14,115 within
2320-509: The northern coast of Australia by the Macassan traders and Dutch and English explorers, including Matthew Flinders before the 20th century, including Arafura Sea and Arnhem Land (early alternative spelling: "Arnheim Land"). Flinders named Point Dundas, Drimmie Head , Melville Bay and Mount Saunders. However, an increasing number of non-Aboriginal people started arriving in the 20th century and assigning names. The airstrip constructed during
2378-619: The origin and meaning of the Yolŋu place names, many of which relate to the stories of ancestral beings known as Wuyal (aka Birrinydjalki or Gandjalala), the "Sugar Bag Hunters", who had originally been Wäwilak and then Mandhalpuy. Eventually the Yolngu prevailed and the name Nhulunbuy was retained, but within the town, there are only two other Yolngu-derived names: Wuyal Road and the Rotary Marika Lookout, named after Dr Marika's father, Roy Marika . Situated just 12 degrees south of
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2436-477: The peninsula: Nambara Arts and Crafts near Nhulunbuy, Buku Larrngay Mulka in Yirrkala, and Elcho Island Arts , producing work that is known worldwide. Arnhem Land , including the Gove Peninsula, is home to what is commonly referred to as the didgeridoo , known as the yidaki locally, and Yolngu are master players and craftsmen of the instrument. In this region, the rhythms, techniques and compositions endemic to
2494-682: The people are of outstanding musical interest. Didgeridoos from north-east Arnhem Land are instruments of the highest cultural integrity. The use of the didgeridoo in this part of Australia continues as an unbroken tradition since time immemorial. In recent times, the Yothu Yindi band and Djalu Gurruwiwi - "Mr Didgeridoo" - has done much to popularise the yidaki around the world. Yidaki are commonly made in north-east Arnhem Land from gadayka - Eucalyptus tetradonta or Stringybark, gungurru - Eucalyptus miniata or Woolybutt, and badawili - Eucalyptus ferruginea or Rusty Bloodwood. Sport
2552-518: The principles on which the case were based were overturned in the Mabo case 21 years later. Today the Land Trust holds about 100,000 square kilometres (39,000 sq mi) as Aboriginal freehold land (with the exception of mining leases). The Gove Peninsula was heavily involved in the defence of Australia during World War II . Three operational air squadrons were based there at an airfield on
2610-400: The region which administer the townships of Nhulunbuy and Angurugu and a number of local communities that primarily service Indigenous people. Nhulunbuy is a purpose-built town developed by the former owner of Alcan Gove ( Nabalco ), a huge bauxite mine and now closed alumina refinery 15 km (9.3 mi). The town is built on a Special Purpose Lease on Aboriginal land and as of 2007
2668-526: The rest is a gravel road. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended, particularly for the two major river crossings, the Wilton River near Bulman Aboriginals Community and the Goyder River , about 300 kilometres from Nhulunbuy. Fuel needs to be carried as travellers may not be able to purchase fuel along the way. The Central Arnhem Road is 682 kilometres long, plus the 52 kilometres from Katherine to
2726-640: The site of the present Gove airport and at a flying boat base at Drimmie Head . The Peninsula derives its name from a RAAF navigator who died in a mid-air collision. The Gove Peninsula is nearly pristine, apart from Nhulunbuy, along with the bauxite mine and associated alumina refinery which brought the town into existence and closed in 2014. There are savannah woodlands , wetlands , monsoon forests and rocky escarpments stretched across its huge area, as well as many beaches, bays and islands . Melville Bay ( 12°15′S 136°42′E / 12.25°S 136.70°E / -12.25; 136.70 )
2784-475: The town and its former workers through the closure and the following three years, but locals anticipated further cuts to services since the school, hospital, power plant and flights were backed by Rio Tinto. The closure of the mine also left flights on the Darwin-Nhulunbuy route to fall to around 50-60% full, causing Qantas to suspend flights on the route from 17 August 2015. Rio Tinto announced that
2842-441: The turnoff makes a long drive, approximately 8 or 9 hours drive with good conditions. Travellers require a permit as the road runs across many Yolngu Clan lands. Nhulunbuy has one public primary school, which incorporates pre-school, and one public secondary school which provides education to a Year 12 level. There is also a private school, Nhulunbuy Christian College, which provides education from Transition to Year 10. Yirrkala has
2900-482: The world's finest didgeridoos are still made at Yirrkala. The Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre , formerly Buku-Larrŋgay Arts, is a world-renowned art centre , with well-known artists such as Nyapanyapa Yunupingu based there. It is often referred to as Buku for short. There is a stage called the Roy Marika Stage at the centre, which is used for the annual Yarrapay Festival. The festival's June 2021 iteration
2958-536: The world. Qantas used to run a daily flight but when the refinery closed they discontinued this service. The Cairns – Gove flight is 1 hour and 40 minutes duration and Darwin – Gove is 1 hour and 10 minutes. The most direct route to Nhulunbuy from a major Highway is via the Central Arnhem Road which leaves the Stuart Highway 52km south of Katherine. The first 30 kilometres are sealed and then
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#17327693803373016-457: Was NT Australian of the Year in 2007. Yingiya Mark Guyula is the only independent Indigenous member of parliament in the Northern Territory as of 2020 , representing the electoral division of Mulka , formerly the electoral division of Nhulunbuy . The Yolngu people call white people " balanda " (probably derived from the word "Hollander" – Dutch person ). There are 10 local councils in
3074-417: Was announced as 2024 Senior Australian of the Year and travelled to Canberra to accept the award. Yirrkala has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: 12°15′10″S 136°53′30″E / 12.25278°S 136.89167°E / -12.25278; 136.89167 East Arnhem Region The East Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory , Australia, governed by
3132-772: Was directed by Witiyana Marika , and featured the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, Yothu Yindi , Yirrmal , and East Journey . The centre was established by local artists in the old Mission health centre in 1976, after the missionaries had left and as the Aboriginal land rights and Homeland movements gathered pace. The historic Yirrkala Church Panels were created in 1963 by Yolngu elders of the Dhuwa moiety (including Mawalan Marika , Wandjuk Marika and Mithinarri Gurruwiwi ), who painted one sheet with their major ancestral narratives and clan designs, and eight elders of
3190-424: Was encouraging their senior staff to study anthropology under A. P. Elkin at Sydney University , to learn more about Aboriginal Australian culture, in particular the Yolngu people who lived in East Arnhem. Mission superintendents included founding superintendent Wilbur Chaseling, Harold Thornell, and Edgar Wells, who wrote about their experiences there. The residents were free to come and go as they wished, and
3248-431: Was famously part of the 1971 Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd , aka the Gove land rights case, a milestone in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia . The plaintiffs , elders of various clans of the local Yolngu people, claimed they enjoyed sovereignty over their land, and sought the freedom to occupy their lands. The ruling went against them, as native title in Australia had not yet been recognised, but
3306-616: Was re-elected unopposed in 2012, with Councillor Mavis Danganbarr of Gumurr Marthakal Ward currently serving as his deputy for a two-year term. On 1 January 2014, the shire became a region. Most of the land in the region was previously unincorporated, but the following communities were amalgamated into it: The East Arnhem Regional Council is divided into 6 wards, which is governed by 14 councillors: President Deputy president Anindilyakwa Ward Birr Rawarrang Ward Gumurr Gattjirrk Ward Gumurr Marthakal Ward Gumurr Miwatj Ward Gumurr Miyarrka Ward * Indicates funeral name Land within
3364-476: Was the largest town in East Arnhem Land, the fourth largest town in the Northern Territory and the administrative centre for the region. The Commonwealth Government carried out mineral explorations in the 1950s and was successful in discovering a bauxite deposit that covered 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) and contained an estimated 250 million tonnes. After initial resistance to mining by
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