Noonkanbah Station
Encyclopedia
Noonkanbah Station is a cattle station on the Fitzroy River
between Camballin
and Fitzroy Crossing
. The station was pegged out in the 1880s and covered approximately 4,000 square kilometres (400,000 hectares)or 1,000,000 Acres in the south central Kimberley of Western Australia
. The traditional owners now control around 1800 Square Kilometres.
.
(RAAF) established a base, named Nookanbah, at the civil airfield at the station on 1 March 1943. No. 75 Operational Base Unit operated the base during its wartime use.
Large petrol and bomb dumps were established and the airfield was used by the Netherlands East Indies Air Force as a staging base. No 24 Squadron, 25 Squadron and 31 Squadron
all utilized the airfield. The airfield was large enough to handle B-24 Liberator
s.
On 30 September 1944, the airfield base was made non-operational, and on 24 December 1945, the airfield was disbanded.
were employed by the station owners until 1971 until they walked off over a pay and conditions dispute. In 1976 the station was purchased by the Aboriginal Land Fund to be developed by the traditional owners. It has since then been run by the people of the Yungngora Community.
The station was the scene for an intense political dispute when the government of the day allowed exploration company AMAX to drill for oil in sacred sites. The mining
boom experienced in the 1970s led to hundreds of resource tenements being pegged on the pastoral station in the Kimberley, but an anthropological
report found the land covered by the station had spiritual significance for the Yungngora community. Western Australia's Premier, Charles Court
, was adamant that the exploration should go ahead regardless - and a convoy of 45 non-union drilling rigs and trucks left Perth protected by hundreds of police on 7 August 1980. Violent confrontations between police and Noonkanbah protesters ensued, culminating in the drilling rigs forcing their way through community picket lines onto sacred land.
In April 2007, the Yungngora people had their native title
recognised over the Noonkanbah land.
Fitzroy River (Western Australia)
The Fitzroy River is located in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia.-Discovery:The Fitzroy River was discovered by the West in 1837 by George Grey in the H.M.S. Beagle. The river was subsequently named by Lt J L Stokes on 26/2/1838 after Captain Robert FitzRoy R.N...
between Camballin
Camballin, Western Australia
Camballin is a small town in the West Kimberley district of Western Australia. The town is located on the Camballin Station about 110 km south of Derby and between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, with the homestead being situated in the town...
and Fitzroy Crossing
Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia
Fitzroy Crossing is a small town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 400 km east of Broome and 300 km west of Halls Creek. It is approximately 2,524 km from the state capital of Perth....
. The station was pegged out in the 1880s and covered approximately 4,000 square kilometres (400,000 hectares)or 1,000,000 Acres in the south central Kimberley of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The traditional owners now control around 1800 Square Kilometres.
History
The station was at one stage owned by pastoralist William Cox who fathered at least two children to local Yungngora women. One of his sons, Davey, stayed on to run the station after his father returned to another of his stations, Louisa DownsLouisa Downs Station
Louisa Downs, also commonly just referred to as "Louisa" is a large cattle station midway between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek in the Kimberley Region in Western Australia.-Description:...
.
World War II
The Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) established a base, named Nookanbah, at the civil airfield at the station on 1 March 1943. No. 75 Operational Base Unit operated the base during its wartime use.
Large petrol and bomb dumps were established and the airfield was used by the Netherlands East Indies Air Force as a staging base. No 24 Squadron, 25 Squadron and 31 Squadron
No. 31 Squadron RAAF
No. 31 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force airbase support squadron re-raised in July 2010. The Squadron was first formed in August 1942 and was disbanded in July 1946 after seeing action in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II.-History:No...
all utilized the airfield. The airfield was large enough to handle B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s.
On 30 September 1944, the airfield base was made non-operational, and on 24 December 1945, the airfield was disbanded.
Traditional ownership
The traditional owners - the Yungngora peopleYungngora Community, Western Australia
Yungngora is a medium-sized Aboriginal Community in the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia, situated approximately 280 km east-south-east of Broome and 100 km south-west of Fitzroy Crossing...
were employed by the station owners until 1971 until they walked off over a pay and conditions dispute. In 1976 the station was purchased by the Aboriginal Land Fund to be developed by the traditional owners. It has since then been run by the people of the Yungngora Community.
The station was the scene for an intense political dispute when the government of the day allowed exploration company AMAX to drill for oil in sacred sites. The mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
boom experienced in the 1970s led to hundreds of resource tenements being pegged on the pastoral station in the Kimberley, but an anthropological
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
report found the land covered by the station had spiritual significance for the Yungngora community. Western Australia's Premier, Charles Court
Charles Court
Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, was a Western Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia and member for the seat of Nedlands for the Liberal Party for nearly 30 years.-Early life:...
, was adamant that the exploration should go ahead regardless - and a convoy of 45 non-union drilling rigs and trucks left Perth protected by hundreds of police on 7 August 1980. Violent confrontations between police and Noonkanbah protesters ensued, culminating in the drilling rigs forcing their way through community picket lines onto sacred land.
In April 2007, the Yungngora people had their native title
Native title
Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...
recognised over the Noonkanbah land.
External links
Noonkanbah Station is located at 18.499°N 124.831°W- AMAX drills
- OzatWar Website
- McLeavy, Lyn, 1948- Land Council meeting, Fitzroy Crossing, W.A. October 1979 photograph at National Library of Australia, Canberra