ALYANGULA
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

Groote Eylandt is around 650 km east of Darwin and 50 km off the Arnhem Land coast in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria and is Australia's third largest island.   The name is Dutch for "big island" and the island was discovered by the western world in 1624.  Abel Tasman named it in 1644. 

The island is approximately 60 km north-south and 40 km east-west.  Despite its relatively small size, there are several rivers and streams.  Some of these run year-round, even through the "dry season" (winter).  Most of the average of 1280mm of rain which falls yearly, does so during the summer "wet season".  The highest point (Central Hill) is only 185 metres above sea level.

The weather is tropical, with hot, humid and wet summers marked by thunderstorms.  The winter is mild.  Summer temperatures range from 25 to 40 degrees Celsius and in winter from a rare 10 to 30 degrees.

The vegetation is mostly tropical savannah woodland (stringy-bark eucalypts and Darwin woolly-butt), with patches of monsoon vine forest, areas of pandanus and paperbark wetland and stands of cypress pine.   Casuarina and banyan trees give shade along the sandy beaches.  Animal life is prolific, both on land and in the sea.

The Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS) started a mission at the Emerald River in 1921.  Its policies and concerns have shifted over the years, running parallel to current public sentiment.  It handed the administration of the town of Angurugu (An-oo-ra-goo) over to the Angurugu Community Government Council in 1979.

In 1938 QANTAS established a flying-boat refuelling base in the north-east of the island.  The base was taken over by the RAAF during the Second World War.  The town of Umbakumba in the north-east was established by Fred Gray following the establishment of the base.  Similar to Angurugu, the CMS relinquished management of this community to the Umbakumba Council in 1966.

Alyangula is in the north west of the island (click on the small map to enlarge it).  The town was created by the Groote Eylandt Mining Co. Pty. Ltd. (GEMCO) to house the employees for its manganese mine, which is 16 km to the south.  It is now an established, though remote, community with a population of around 1,200.

Manganese is the fourth most commonly used metal after iron, copper and aluminium and is used mainly in steel production, but also in dry cell batteries, ceramics, agricultural chemicals, fuel and more.  Its presence was first mentioned in a hydrographical survey of the Gulf by Matthew Flinders in 1803.  The Groote Eylandt Manganese Co. Pty. Ltd. was formed by BHP in 1964 and the first shipment of ore sailed in March 1966.  In December 1998 GEMCO was sold to Billiton/Samancor and in 2001 Billiton and BHP merged.

Groote and surrounding islands are aboriginal land.  Ownership is shared between a number of clans.  The residents of Alyangula are required to purchase visitor and vehicle permits from the Anindilyakwa Land Council.  A permit is $60 per year and allows for use of much of the un-leased land for recreational purposes.  Some areas are permanently closed to visitors according to traditional aboriginal law.

Other than Alyangula and a small area around Umbakumba, Groote Eylandt is classified as a "restricted area" by the NT Liquor Act.  Liquor may not be taken to or consumed in a restricted area without a permit.  Click on the small photos to see them enlarged

There are no facilities to accommodate the casual visitor to Groote Eylandt.  This makes it even more of a paradise to the residents, be they traditional owners or those of us associated with the manganese mine.  The waters provide excellent fishing and diving.  The beaches and gorges allow for scenic walking and camping or just lazing.  A four wheel drive vehicle is a must to explore, as the only sealed roads join Alyangula to the mine site and the nearby town of Angurugu.

As a resident of Alyangula I was lucky to share this piece of paradise.