Alpurrurulam, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Alpurrurulam also known as Lake Nash, is a small town located in the Northern Territory
, Australia
, 600 km east of Tennant Creek and 20 km from the NT
-Queensland
border.
The 2006 Census counts 343 residents, with nearly 94% of them Aboriginal
. The town is located at the end of the Sandover Highway
, which floods each year during the wet season and cuts all road access to the community.
The Alpurrurulam Community Government Council has now been dissolved, with the town now part of the Barkly Shire
. The town boasts the only school in the area, as well as a small Australian rules football
club.
Confusion exists as to whether the town is called Alpurrurulam or Lake Nash. Essentially the town is referred to as "Lake Nash" in everyday speaking and for mail delivery (via Mount Isa) and "Alpurrurulam" for all official matters, such as a census
. Alpurrurulam was established in the early 1980s as a 1000 acres (4 km²) excision from the 3 million acres (12,140.6 km²) Lake Nash Station. The main language group in the area is Alyawarre
.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 600 km east of Tennant Creek and 20 km from the NT
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
-Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border.
The 2006 Census counts 343 residents, with nearly 94% of them Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
. The town is located at the end of the Sandover Highway
Sandover Highway
The Sandover Highway is an outback unsealed track cutting across to north-western Queensland from the Stuart Highway.Its total length is about 550 kilometres and it passes through semi-arid deserts and Spinifex blacksoil plains...
, which floods each year during the wet season and cuts all road access to the community.
The Alpurrurulam Community Government Council has now been dissolved, with the town now part of the Barkly Shire
Barkly Shire
The Barkly Shire is a Local Government Area of the Northern Territory, Australia. The shire main town is Tennant Creek The shire covers an area of and has a estimated population of 8,077 people.-History:...
. The town boasts the only school in the area, as well as a small Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club.
Confusion exists as to whether the town is called Alpurrurulam or Lake Nash. Essentially the town is referred to as "Lake Nash" in everyday speaking and for mail delivery (via Mount Isa) and "Alpurrurulam" for all official matters, such as a census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. Alpurrurulam was established in the early 1980s as a 1000 acres (4 km²) excision from the 3 million acres (12,140.6 km²) Lake Nash Station. The main language group in the area is Alyawarre
Alyawarre
Alyawarre are an Indigenous Australian people, or language group, from the Northern Territory.In 1980 they lodged a land claim with the Wakaya people, which was handed back to them on 22 October 1992. The size of the land was 2065 km²....
.
External links
- Alpurrurulam Community Council - official website