Cultural Policy/Statement

Indigenous people and their culture are an important part of the Barkly region. The Barkly Regional Council (BRC) recognises and respects the traditional owners of communities in the region.

It is the role of BRC to provide services to Townships of Elliott and Tennant Creek and the communities of Ali Curung, Alpurrurulam, Ampilatwatja, Arlparra and Wutunugurra. Approximately 70 per cent of the people who live in the Barkly region are Indigenous. There are also other important groups such as the young and elderly, pastoralists and industry. Barkly Regional Council adapts its services to suit the needs of these diverse groups.

Guidelines

When working in the Barkly Regional Council area an understanding of the following points will assist staff to understand issues, work more effectively and to communicate in a polite and respectful manner.

Area: Approximately 323,514 km²

Population: Total estimated resident population of the Barkly region is 8,137*

*(ABS – Northern Territory at a Glance 2011)

The Barkly Regional Council is the second largest local government area in Australia, an area which is 42 per cent larger than Victoria.

Victoria is considered the second most populous Australian state with a density of 2,431 people per 100 square kilometres compared to the Barkly region which contains two people in the same area.

Centred around the junction of two great highways, the Stuart and Barkly Highways, the region stretches from the old Telegraph Station at Barrow Creek in the south to the historical droving township of Newcastle Waters in the north, and 620km east to the Queensland border. The largest town in the region is Tennant Creek, approximately 1000km south of Darwin and 500km north of Alice Springs.

The resident population of the Barkly region is estimated at 8,137 which includes a population in Tennant Creek of 3,560, the largest concentration of residents. Tennant Creek also includes the urban living areas of Kargaru, Tingkarli, Wuppa, Marla Marla, Village Camp, Munji-Marla, Ngalpa Ngalpa (Mulga). The next largest urban area is the town of Elliott and its surrounding district and the major communities and outstations of Ampilatwatja, Urapuntja, Alpurrurulam, Ali Curung, Canteen Creek and Wutunugurra (Epenarra). In addition to these major populations, the region also consists of approximately eight minor communities, the largest of which include Tara and Mungkarta, 70 family outstations, 49 pastoral stations, mining operations and commercial properties.

The level of cooperation between people in the various communities and towns within the Barkly region varies across programs and relies on the trust and understanding of communities and key individuals. The council's community coordinators and their staff are supported by program managers and head office staff and are critical to the success and achievements of the Barkly Regional Council.

The work of the council is carried out in a cross-cultural atmosphere that can represent a major challenge to achieve a shared vision. Acceptance and achievement of this vision will take time, especially on remote communities where it is imperative the needs of those communities and residents are correctly identified and met. The large size of the council and the differing priorities of the various stakeholders create challenges that need to be addressed. Additionally identified objectives and priorities can be included as the strategy is developed, implemented, reviewed and assessed over time.

Languages of the Barkly region

Many Aboriginal people speak several Indigenous languages with English frequently being a third or even fourth language. Around 50 per cent of the total population over 15 years of age speaks a language other than English at home (ABS National Regional Profile 2006). The term “language group” is often used to describe different groups of Aboriginal people because they identify themselves by their language. Each “language group” in the Barkly will have some customs which are the same, and some that are different. Some of the larger language groups in the region include Warumungu, Warlmanpa, Warlpiri, Jingili, Garawa, Mudburra, Kaytetye. Alyawarr, Anmatyerre and Wambaya.

Below is a list of all the languages used in the Barkly region.

Some people might think “this place is in the middle of nowhere” but people who appreciate the history of Elliott, its people and the places around about, realise that Elliott is really “in the middle of everywhere.” Certainly it has been right in the centre of great events in Australian history.

Great history comes alive in this book, and so do the people who made that history; people whose adventures and misadventures would be impossible to believe were it not for the proof within the 160 beautifully written and illustrated pages.

Some time ago, the Elliott Community Government Council commissioned Peter and Sheila Forrest to research and complete a publication detailing the history of the Elliott district and community. Completion was a project of the Barkly Shire Council.

The book was launched on 6 May 2012 at Newcastle Waters by Ted Egan AO, who was a former resident of the historic town.

The launch combined with the unveiling of a plaque by Council President Ms Barb Shaw in Drovers Park to commemorate the 150th anniversary of explorer John McDouall Stuart camping at Newcastle Waters and to acknowledge the first people of the land.

MC for the two events was Mr Stuart Traynor, president of the McDouall Stuart Branch of National Trust NT

In The Middle of Everywhere by historians Peter and Sheila Forrest

From the days of John McDouall Stuart, to the completion of the Railway coming through Tennant Creek. Research Material on the Barkly Region is available from our Public Library.

With its traditional close links to the community, the Tennant Creek Public Library has taken on "Local History" as a responsibility. The Tennant Creek Library is strategically placed to retrieve locally available material, making the Tennant Creek Collection accessible to library patrons for research purposes.