Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

Northern Territory Town Profiles Our thanks to Paul Kelly, Gangajang, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Warumpi Band and The Castle for the inspiration for Alongside s chapter headings. Thank you to the rangers, community members, shires, NTPFES employees and their families who shared their experiences and expertise with Alongside in the creation of these profiles. Copyright 2017 Alongside All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of authors. To obtain permission contact: Paige Hobbs Email: paige@alongside.org.au Phone: 0439 470 701 Level 16 The Charles Darwin Centre, 19 Smith St, Darwin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following book may contain images of deceased persons. hello@alongside.org.au www.alongside.org.au Design by One Idea

Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash) Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

Moving to a new location can be stressful and overwhelming for several reasons, not least because you may be moving to a remote community, or a town you have never been to before. Partners and families of Northern Territory Police are often required to move around the Territory to support a loved one in the job and while Alongside cannot make some of those changes go away, we can help reduce some of the unknowns for you. We understand that moving somewhere new can be daunting. It is our job to offset those feelings the best we can by providing you with as much information possible on the community you are about to call home. The Alongside town profiles are here to help. Designed to provide Northern Territory Police, their partners and families an overview of each location in the Northern Territory, the Alongside town profiles detail everything from the nuts-and-bolts essentials to suggestions of great things to do on the weekend, how to assimilate into local cultures and the general vibe of a place. From all of us at Alongside, welcome to Alpurrurulam! Northern Territory Town Profiles

FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW Town Overview Alpurrurulam, also known as Lake Nash, is a small town 550 kilometres east of Tennant Creek and 17 kilometres from the Northern Territory/ Queensland border. There is a strong cultural connection with the lake, as well as the food source of fish and mussels. Alpurrurulam Ward of the Barkly Council is an indigenous community and is home to approximately 450 residents. The town boasts the only school in the area, a health clinic and a store. They also have their own AFL team, the Young Guns. Heritage Alpurrururlam was established in the early 1980s as a 1,000-acre area of land excised from the three-million-acre Lake Nash Station. Many of the community members worked at Lake Nash Station but in the early 1980s there were plans to move the community to Bathurst Downs. The local community didn t want to leave and in 1982, wrote to the Northern Territory Government requesting a parcel of land to call their own near Lake Nash Station. After many legal battles, an area was excised from the pastoral lease and given back to the community in 1983. Northern Territory Town Profiles

Indigenous communities The main language group in the area is Alyawarre and is spoken by the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Alpurrurulam people. Alpurrurulam (or Lake Nash) is also known by its Aboriginal name Ilperrelhelame. In the time of the Dreaming, great beings passed through that country: antyipere, the flying fox, nyemale, the grass rat, who partly formed the river and kwerrenye, the green snake. Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

WITH DIFFERENT LIVES, IN DIFFERENT PLACES Climate Alpurrurulam has a desert climate. There is virtually no rainfall during the year and the average annual temperature is 24.8 C. All The Essentials Alpurrurulam has alcohol restrictions in place. Signage at the community s entry point will tell you if it is area an alcohol protected area or a general restricted area. Permits for travel onto Indigenous Lands can be obtained via the Central Land Council. Visit: www.clc.org.au. The community has a store known as the Warte Alparayetye community store, located on the Sandover Highway. The store services the Aboriginal Community in Alpurrurulam and the local cattle station in Lake Nash. The store offers a full range of items from Opal Fuel, Diesel, food and drink, automotive essentials, household Items, clothes, shoes, art supplies and toys. There are also banking facilities available. During the dry season the store orders enough stock to last three to four months and two trucks per week supplies perishables to the store from Mount Isa. During the wet, a plane delivers perishables once per week from Mount Isa which makes purchasing these items very expensive. Mail arrives on Friday via air from Mount Isa. Northern Territory Town Profiles

Community Laundry built in 2014 and transformed into mural works of art by members of the community in 2016. Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

The nearest major shopping hub is Tennant Creek which is 600 kilometres to the west. Members of the Alpurrurulam community also do their shopping in Mount Isa which is 37 kilometres east and has a larger variety of stores and goods are cheaper. There is no public transport to and from Alpurrurulam so residents wishing to shop in Mount Isa must travel by private vehicle. Some shop at Urandangi, which is 108 kilometres south, however the variety of stores is not as significant as Mount Isa. There are no external accommodation or hotel services in the community, although Barkly Regional Council does have accommodation on occasion. A community Laundry was installed in 2014. The Alpurrurulam Health Clinic provides around the clock acute/ emergency response service via two nurses. Other allied health services visit periodically, including a Rural Medical Practitioner five days per month. Medications are dispended by Clinic staff as required, however no pharmacy is available in the community. Patients are often sent to Mount Isa, Alice Springs, Townsville or Brisbane hospitals for higher levels of medical attention and specialist services. The Royal Flying Doctor Service also provides emergency flights out of Alpurrurulam. Northern Territory Town Profiles

The local ambulance service, Royal Flying Doctor Service Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

Plugging into the outside world can be done via Telstra internet and mobile phone services. Available radio stations are Community Radio 102.9FM and ABC local radio 106.1FM. The Alpurrurulam School caters from Preschool to Year 10. School of the Air correspondence school is available from Mount Isa. Most high school aged children from Alpurrurulam attend high school at Mount Isa. Other options for schooling include Yirara (Lutheran College outside Alice Springs), Mirara (Christian College outside Darwin) and the Tennant Creek High School. The Barkley Regional Council provides a Creche service. IN CONVOYS OF SILENCE THE CATTLE GRAZE Sport Sport and Recreation programs are provided by the Barkly Regional Council and are dependent on community needs and interests. AFL is loved in the community, Alpurrurulam Young Guns play in the Mount Isa League competition. Alpurrurulam Bush Carnival where football and softball games are enjoyed, is held every year in October and is well attended by locals and surrounding communities. There are prizes and competitions for best dressed car, cowgirl and cowboy as well as best country music band and more. Northern Territory Town Profiles

Young Guns AFL team, 2016 Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

Recreation Lake Nash Station, just eight kilometres from Alpurrurulum, is home to a historic homestead and an original police station. There are also limestone caves filled with water, some reaching depths of over 90 metres. The locals will be able to tell you which ones are worth swimming in. The annual School Athletics Carnival is held in June and the Alpurrurulam Bush Carnival is in October. There is a local women s five-kilometres walking group who set off from the Warte Alparayetye Aboriginal Corporation Store. Winnecke Waterhole is a permanent waterhole that stretches over 1.6 kilometres in length. It is a 26.5 kilometres drive south-west on the Sandover Highway and is certainly a jewel of nature. The Georgina River is the north-westernmost of the three major rivers of the Channel Country in Central West Queensland. It flows through a portion of the Northern Territory, not far from Alpurrurulum and is another remarkable landmark worth visiting. Northern Territory Town Profiles

Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

I M TOLD I M GOING PLACES Alpurrurulam is located approximately 500 kilometres east of Tennant Creek and 17 kilometres from the Northern Territory/Queensland border on roads that are a combination of sealed and unsealed. The town can be accessed through Camoweal or through Austral Downs which is about the same distance, approximately a two-hour drive. In the wet season the road can become impassable. The first 400 kilometres is bitumen and then gravel for the next 148 kilometres. The alternative route is on the Sandover Highway from Alice Springs which is an eight-hour drive, or through Burramurra. Alpurrurulam has an all-weather airstrip, however the road to the strip is gravel and washes out with rain. Flying time is approximately two-hours to Alice Springs, one-hour to Tennant Creek and 20 minutes to Mount Isa. Distances out of Alpurrurulam; Barkly Tableland...14km Urandangi...95km Dajarra...242km Tennant Creek...550km Alice Springs...1078km (Barkley Highway) Mount Isa...225km (May Downs Road) Mount Isa...382km (Austral Road a wet weather alternative) Northern Territory Town Profiles

PLACES TO START The Barkly Regional Council site has information on the town of Alpurrurulam and the activities available within the region. www.barkly.nt.gov.au Northern Territory Bushtel website has information on individual communities, news and events. www.bushtel.nt.gov.au Warte Alparayetye Aboriginal Corporation Store Facebook page has up-to-date community news and information. www.facebook.com/wartestore/ Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)

Northern Territory Town Profiles

Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash)