Angurugu is a community located on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Anindilyakwa people came to Groote Eylandt on song lines which created the land, rivers, animals and people and named everything about the region. Angurugu was an important meeting place for Groote Eylandt clans and people coming from the mainland for ceremonies.
The first European settlement on the island was the Emerald River Mission,13 km south of Angurugu, in 1921. Angurugu began as an Anglican Church Missionary Society station in 1943, as the Royal Australian Air Force needed to use the Emerald River Mission airstrip. By the 1950s almost all the clans living on the west of the island had settled at Angurugu, a big change to the traditional habits of occupation. The island economy changed dramatically when manganese was discovered near Angurugu. The Church Missionary Society and BHP agreed on royalty payments to allow mining.
In 1964 the Groote Eylandt Mining Company was granted leases on the island, and the first shipments of manganese ore left in 1966. Groote Eylandt now produces over three million tonnes of manganese ore each year. Mining employs many Indigenous people, however, to secure the island’s economic future, the traditional owners—through the Anindilyakwa Land Council and with Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island Enterprises—have started the Dugong Beach Resort and other culture-based tourism businesses.
The Groote Eylandt archipelago became an Indigenous Protected Area in 2006. Groote Eylandt became Aboriginal freehold land in 1976. In 2008 Angurugu became part of the East Arnhem Shire, and the Shire Council took over local government. A permit is required before travelling to Angurugu. Location: the Angurugu community is situated halfway down the western coast of Groote Eylandt, on the banks of the Angurugu River. Groote Eylandt is around 650 km east of Darwin and 50 km off the Arnhem Land coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Angurugu has a humid tropical climate, and 80 per cent of annual rainfall occurs in the wet season (between December and March).
About Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt is the third largest Australian island with an area of 2,687 square kilometres. It was named "Great Island" by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and has been home to the Anindilyakwa Aboriginal people for hundreds of years. The island is on the western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria close to the Northern Territory mainland. Surrounding the island is a marine environment with fabulous reef systems and rich recreational fisheries.
Over 50 different species are caught in the pristine waters at Groote Eylandt. Light tackle, reef fishing, fly fishing, popper fishing and jigging are all popular. Barramundi, GTs, Queenfish, Salmon, Emperor, Cod, Snapper, Mackerel, Coral Trout, Barracuda and many more are commonly caught. The fishing anywhere in the Gulf at any time of year is amongst the best in the world. The daily temperatures are generally around 30 degrees at any time of year with the humidity rising from around 30% in June, July and August to above 80% during the “build up” and wet season October to March.
Dugong Beach Resort is located on the west coast of Groote Eylandt, not far from the main town of Alyangula and caters for people from all cross-sections of our world community. The Resort offers a relaxed and friendly tropical atmosphere reflecting the lifestyle, hospitality and wishes of the Groote Eylandt traditional land owners.
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