Ngukurr | |
|---|---|
  Ngukurr | |
| Coordinates:13°44′00″S134°44′00″E / 13.73333°S 134.73333°E /-13.73333; 134.73333 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Northern Territory |
| LGA | |
| Location |
|
| Government | |
| • Territory electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,056 (2011 census)[3] |
| Postcode | 0852 |
Ngukurr (/ˈnʊkər/NUUK-ər,Aboriginal pronunciation:[ŋʊkur]), formerlyRoper River Mission (1908−1968), is a remoteAboriginal community on the banks of theRoper River in southernArnhem Land,Northern Territory.
The community is home to various clans and language groups, withKriol being the predominant language. The Aboriginal people collectively refer to themselves as Yugul Mangi, and the township is governed by the Yugul Mangi Development Aboriginal Corporation (YMD), representing approximately 200 people across seven clans.
Founded as the Roper River Mission in 1908, the settlement was taken over by theNorthern Territory Government's Welfare Department in 1968, and handed over to the community in 1988, at which time it was renamed Ngukurr.
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The town was originally settled by theChurch Missionary Society in 1908, known then as the Roper River Mission.[5] As well as bringing "Christianity and civilisation" to the local Aboriginal people, it was intended to provide a dwelling place for them, to be safe from mass killings by white settlers.[6]
TheEastern and African Cold Storage Company had driven the people off their lands, planning to set upcattle stations and export the meat around the world. The missionaries protected them from death by starvation or massacre, but banned theirlanguages andtraditional ceremonies.[7]
One of theMarra people,Gajiyuma, helped guide his people to the newly established mission as he believed it would protect them.[8][9]
Children had to live in dormitories, while their parents and relatives lived elsewhere. A separate compound forleprosy sufferers was created in 1928. The mission moved to the present site in 1940, after a major flood destroyed the mission station.[6]
After theBombing of Darwin duringWorld War II in 1942, the mission children were relocated toNew South Wales, and thenSouth Australia andAlice Springs.[6]
The Welfare Branch of theNorthern Territory Government took over management of the town in 1968.[6][10]
In 1988, control of the community was handed to the Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, and the township was renamed Ngukurr.[6] In 2008, Yugul Mangi Development Aboriginal Corporation (YMD) was established.[11]
The main language spoken by Ngukurr residents isKriol, which is spoken by 72.4% of all residents.[12] There are a number of traditionalAustralian Aboriginal Languages that people of Ngukurr have as part of their heritage, includingAlawa,Marra,Warndarrang,Ngandi,Ngalakgan,Nunggubuyu,Ritharrngu andWägilak. These languages are allendangered languages. The Ngukurr Language Centre carries out various programs to support the revitalisation of the community's traditional languages.[13] Kriol programs are supported by a local program called Meigim Kriol Strongbala.[14] English is the primary language used in government services such as health, education and local government. Below is a table of the most common languages spoken at home in Ngukurr, as of 2016.[15]
| Language | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Kriol | 841 | 72.4% |
| English | 85 | 7.3% |
| Djambarrpuyŋu | 13 | 1.1% |
| Anindilyakwa | 4 | 0.3% |
| Murrinh Patha | 4 | 0.3% |
| English only | 85 | 7.3% |
| Language other than English | 123 | 73.7% |
Yugul Mangi Development Aboriginal Corporation (YMD) was established in 2008 after changes to theLocal Government Act, which created the Roper Gulf Shire (nowRoper Gulf Regional Council). YMD works closely with the Regional Council to provide services and economic opportunities in Ngukurr and surrounding areas. It represents about 300 people of the seven clans of South East Arnhem land.[11]
In 2004,pianist and composerPaul Grabowsky visited Ngukurr in order to meet the traditional songmen. He met with the elders and heard twoWagilak songmen sing, and asked permission to bring hisorchestra on a return visit. When he returned in 2005, he brought singer-songwritersArchie Roach and his wifeRuby Hunter, along with 10 members of hisAustralian Art Orchestra. After working together for five days, the musicians staged a concert in the town. The European musicians learnt about themanikay (song cycles) and were led to experiment with whole new ways of exploring sound.[7]
The resulting project, calledCrossing Roper Bar, toured the Northern Territory, played at theBirrarung Marr park inMelbourne, theNational Gallery of Victoria,Apollo Bay Music Festival and theSydney Opera House. When the group travelled toGulkula to play at the 2006Garma Festival, theYolngu songmen from nearby regions were amazed, thinking that those songs had been lost long ago. In 2010 aCrossing Roper Bar album was released.[7]
Phillip Roberts was a resident of the Roper River Mission (now Ngukurr) and his biography became an award-winning book,I, the Aboriginal, byDouglas Lockwood.[16]
Relton Roberts, Australian rules footballer, was born and raised there, and played professionally in theAustralian Football League.[17][18]
Actor and musician,Tom E. Lewis, grew up in the Roper River Mission before moving into acting with his role in the filmThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. His mother, Angelina George, also grew up in the Roper River Mission and, along with her sisters, became a renowned painter.[19]
Dexter Daniels made significant contributions to the 1960s movement to award Aboriginal stockman equal pay, a movement that was further highlighted by the famousWave Hill walk-off.[20]
The Reverend Canon Michael Gumbuli Wurramara (AM) became the Northern Territory's first Indigenous Anglican priest in 1973 when he became rector of St Matthew's Anglican Church in Ngukurr.[21][22]
Cherry Wulumirr Daniels received a medal of theOrder of Australia in 2016 for service to her community.[23] Her career included working as a teacher and educator, leading a local women'sIndigenous ranger group[24] and teaching her traditional language ofNgandi.[25]
Artist and custodian of traditional law for theWagilak people,Djambu "Sambo" Barra Barra (born c.1946) and his wife Amy Jirwulurr Johnson, also a noted artist, live at Ngukurr.[26][27][7]
Yugul blues band was formed in 1968 in Ngukurr, and are credited as being the longest running, and the first, Aboriginal blues band in theNorthern Territory.[28]
Visual artistGinger Riley Munduwalawala learnt to paint in Ngukurr, his work capturing the vibrancy of country.[29]
The six-piece guitar rock band,Lonely Boys were from in Ngukurr.[30]
Wuyagiba is a remote community two hours drive from Ngukurr, home to the Wuyagiba Study Hub, also known as the "bush university". Founded by Helen and Kevin Rogers four years ago, the study hub offers "two-way learning" for students who have completed year 12. This combines the teaching of academic skills needed for further study along with local culture, includingbush medicine andbush tucker. Students are taught for full days, five days a week, for a term of ten weeks.[31]
Ngukurr has atropical semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSh), with insufficient summer precipitation to qualify as atropical savanna climate.[32] The town has a shortwet season from December to March and a longdry season from April to November. On average, the town is quite sunny: experiencing 121.3 clear days and 73.9 cloudy days per annum. Extreme temperatures ranged from 44.5 °C (112.1 °F) on 29 October 2023 to 5.6 °C (42.1 °F) on 20 July 1965 and on 24 June 2019.[33] The wettest recorded day was 2 January 1976 with 271.5 mm (10.69 in) of rainfall.[34]
The Ngukurr weather station recorded climate data for temperature, precipitation, solar exposure, 9 am conditions and 3 pm conditions. It was closed in 2013.
| Climate data for Ngukurr (14°44′S134°44′E / 14.73°S 134.73°E /-14.73; 134.73) (34 m (112 ft) AMSL) (1910-2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.4 (110.1) | 40.3 (104.5) | 42.0 (107.6) | 37.6 (99.7) | 36.5 (97.7) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.4 (97.5) | 37.4 (99.3) | 40.0 (104.0) | 44.5 (112.1) | 43.6 (110.5) | 43.8 (110.8) | 44.5 (112.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 35.5 (95.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 31.8 (89.2) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.9 (89.4) | 34.9 (94.8) | 37.5 (99.5) | 38.8 (101.8) | 37.7 (99.9) | 34.2 (93.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.8 (76.6) | 23.9 (75.0) | 21.9 (71.4) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.3 (61.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 21.2 (70.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.2 (68.4) | 19.9 (67.8) | 16.1 (61.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 6.1 (43.0) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 10.6 (51.1) | 12.5 (54.5) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 5.6 (42.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 182.8 (7.20) | 176.5 (6.95) | 174.8 (6.88) | 55.9 (2.20) | 10.7 (0.42) | 5.1 (0.20) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.7 (0.03) | 1.8 (0.07) | 13.5 (0.53) | 42.4 (1.67) | 131.6 (5.18) | 815.5 (32.11) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.0 | 11.4 | 9.8 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 53.3 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 57 | 57 | 54 | 45 | 39 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 43 | 40 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 21.3 (70.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.3 (48.7) | 9.6 (49.3) | 10.1 (50.2) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.5 (59.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 15.7 (60.3) |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (1910-2012)[35] | |||||||||||||
A newer weather station at theairport was open in 2012. It records temperature, precipitation and solar exposure.
| Climate data forNgukurr Airport (14°43′S134°45′E / 14.72°S 134.75°E /-14.72; 134.75) (14 m (46 ft) AMSL) (2012-2025) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.5 (110.3) | 41.8 (107.2) | 42.7 (108.9) | 40.2 (104.4) | 37.4 (99.3) | 35.9 (96.6) | 37.3 (99.1) | 38.2 (100.8) | 41.0 (105.8) | 42.9 (109.2) | 43.9 (111.0) | 44.0 (111.2) | 44.0 (111.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 36.9 (98.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.1 (97.0) | 35.3 (95.5) | 33.0 (91.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.1 (88.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 36.4 (97.5) | 39.1 (102.4) | 39.7 (103.5) | 38.6 (101.5) | 35.6 (96.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.3 (77.5) | 24.6 (76.3) | 22.1 (71.8) | 18.5 (65.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.1 (66.4) | 23.1 (73.6) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 21.3 (70.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.6 (60.1) | 12.4 (54.3) | 7.3 (45.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 5.8 (42.4) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 5.6 (42.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 168.0 (6.61) | 169.1 (6.66) | 154.5 (6.08) | 41.2 (1.62) | 8.5 (0.33) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.1 (0.00) | 5.3 (0.21) | 17.6 (0.69) | 60.3 (2.37) | 127.7 (5.03) | 741.0 (29.17) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.2 | 12.6 | 11.8 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 5.6 | 10.4 | 66.8 |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (2012-2025)[36] | |||||||||||||
