Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area - fact sheet
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources,
September 2006
© Commonwealth of Australia
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Extract from the fact sheet
Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), covering over 920 square kilometres of coastline and hinterland country on the western edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria, forms part of the wider traditional lands of the Yolngu people.
Sandy beaches, rocky coastal islands, spreading mangroves and ancient dune systems are found along Dhimurru's coasts. Inland, the Guwatjurumurru (Giddy River) flows through cascades and rockpools, before meandering through the coastal plain.
Dhimurru's lands are held for the Traditional Owners by the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust, and their interests represented by the Northern Land Council. The IPA lands do not cover the township of Yirrkala and the Marrngarr Community Government area, nor the bauxite mining leases held by the Nabalco mining company.
The IPA is run by the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation, which was created in 1992 to deal with increasing numbers of visitors and growth in the local township of Nhulunbuy. They work with the Traditional Owners, who direct land management and approve access to their lands via a permit system. The Corporation looks after the day to day running of the IPA, making sure things are done in a way that reflects Yolngu cultural values.
The declaration of Dhimurru IPA in November 2000 was made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category V - Protected Landscape/Seascape: Protected Area managed mainly for landscape/seascape conservation and recreation.
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