- Food Bank Arrives
A 20 foot shipping container stocked with supplies in the event of an emergency over the wet season arrived in Yarralin today. Donated by the Food Bank, it contains non-perishable, long-life food items designed to provide immediate, short-term relief in the event of a crisis.
Thanks to Food Bank for the donation – hopefully we won’t need to use it. The container has been placed near the local school, which becomes an evacuation centre if the community floods.
- The rain has arrived – GM departure
The wet season has arrived in Yarralin, with regular heavy downpours in the region occurring now about once a week. Levels at the Dashwood Crossing have risen substantially, with a vehicle washed off just a few days ago. Visitors to Yarralin are recommended to come in and out via Jasper Gorge (from the Timber Creek side).
The Jasper Gorge road is holding up well so far but you will start to encounter a few puddles. Be mindful of creek crossings and watch the weather.
In other news our General Manager is departing, with this year being his final year at Yarralin. Applications for the position are open, anyone interested can find more information through All Aspects Recruitment.
- Orange Sky Laundry Truck now in Yarralin
Katherine West Health Board who operate the Yarralin Health Centre have been able to get funding for an Orange Sky laundry truck in Yarralin.
The 4WD Truck has 3 washing machines and 3 dryers. Solar powered, it’s able to operate anywhere in community where it can connect to a tap. The truck will provide a much needed service to community and will visit Lingarra homestead once a week.
- NT Emergency Services visit Yarralin
NT Emergency Services visited Yarralin today to discuss issues and improvements around responses to flood and other emergencies that impact community. Held at the store, the community meeting raised a number of issues we’ve faced in recent years with two particularly bad wet seasons in a row.
The Bureau of Meteorology were also present and discussion was held about the various weather reports and information community used, along with local knowledge, when it came to the impact of heavy rainfall and potential flooding during the wet.
Road maintenance was identified as a crucial issue, as without access to the Buchanan Highway for trucks to bring food in, Yarralin was effectively stranded and relied on food flown in via air.
- Walangeri Strategic Plan 2026 – 2030 released
The Board of Walangeri Ngumpinku are pleased to share our Strategic Plan for 2026 – 2030. This plan is much more comprehensive than previous years. Along with our goals for the next 5 years, it contains:
- employment information on Yarralin,
- the issues employers have had with employment,
- education and population data,
- the properties we hold in community and some of their issues,
- and the many struggles we’ve faced since 2020 – issues which a lot of remote Indigenous communities will find similar.
This document is about transparency and talking about the real issues we deal with.
You can download our new Strategic Plan, along with copies of our older plans, on the Strategic Plan section of our website.
We welcome you to circulate with your networks and to whomever may be interested.
- Territory Day celebrated in Yarralin
Territory Day was celebrated in Yarralin yesterday, with most of community gathering at the oval to light off fireworks. Council back-burning carried out earlier in the week ensured there were no fires started. It was our first time selling fireworks locally through our own store for a few years and we look forward to doing it again next year.
- Buchanan Highway being graded
With most of the rain having now passed, the Buchanan Highway is being graded from Timber Creek through to Top Springs. The Dashwood Crossing is still officially closed but is expected to open in the coming month when water levels drop.
While the road has held up better than last year thanks to roadworks, unfortunately two vehicles were swept off of one floodway, with one recoverable and the other unfortunately washed down river. Heavy rain that fell just before the vehicles crossed a floodway just after Jasper Crossing resulted in high speed water that overpowered the vehicles.
It’s an unfortunate reminder of the risks that can occur even during a fairly mild wet season. Travellers are advised to drive to road conditions, which is 40 – 60 km/h, take it carefully, be mindful of road damage, and assess any water crossings that may be present (although as of this moment, most crossings are down to a drizzle). Currently there is still water pooled on the road in some places.
Travel is restricted to 4WD only, with the road expected to be open to trucks around May.
UPDATE: The road has been graded and is now open to all vehicles as of May 2025.
- Community Celebrates Yarralin Day
Supported by Victoria Daly Regional Council and Walangeri Ngumpinku Aboriginal Corporation, Yarralin Day is a celebration of Yarralin during the Australia Day week. Council held a BBQ for community, with plenty of meat.
Colin Campbell was presented with an award by the Mayor, Brian Pedwell.
Two killers (cattle) were bought from the nearby cattle station, where the General Manager’s dog ran off at the gunshot and was missing for a day, only to turn up at Helimuster’s chopper hangar the next night.
With plenty of food and drinks, community had a great time.
- Buchanan Highway Roadworks
The following roadworks are planned for the Buchanan Highway, before the end of November 2024.
A new culvert installed at the mud pit (5 km after the turn-off), it will also have a concrete floodway over the top.
The sealed section outside of VRD will be repaired and resealed.
The gate on the road to Yarralin (at the Buchanan Highway turn-off) will be replaced with a grid.
Repair to flood damaged sections from Victoria Hwy intersection to Dashwood intersection.
Plans to repair flood damaged sections between Dashwood Crossing to Top Springs.These works, along with increased food stored at the store will hopefully see us get through the wet season in better condition.
- Engaging Outback Stores Australia to run the Yarralin Community Store
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve engaged Outback Stores Australia to help us manage the Yarralin Community Store. We’ve been running the store independently since 2022 and unfortunately it’s become too difficult to manage by ourselves. Gone are the days when all you needed was a cash register and some stock to run a local store. The legislative requirements around licensing, and food safety, getting IT support for the computer programs and systems needed, and the low purchasing power of a small independent store all added significantly to our costs and the time required to manage the store.
Outback Stores Australia operate over 50+ stores across Australia. Their team are well-versed in the legislative requirements, with back-end IT support available at a moment’s notice, and purchasing power which will help keep costs down for our community, as well as visitors. We were also impressed with their training program, which will see our local staff receive formal certified training which will allow us to manage the store with more local managers.
Their contacts with Government will also assist us during the wet season to ensure we have enough food to get through, regardless of the weather. Outback Stores are also assisting us in the design and construction of our new store, as part of our community’s overall Master Planning process.
We look forward to working with Outback Stores and seeing the prices on a core range of products come down, benefiting community.
- Yarralin Master Plan in Development
Kieran and Akira from the Fulcrum Agency visited Yarralin this week to start the development of our Community Master Plan. Funded through the Aboriginal Benefit Account, the Master Plan takes into consideration the future of Yarralin. What do community want to see over the next 30 to 50 years for future housing, a new store, a new clinic. How does the town meet demand and where should facilities be built?
It’s an opportunity for community to have a say in the future of their community and make long-term plans for the future of Yarralin. This first step was to get the conversation started. Kieran and Akira will be back later in the year to consult more broadly with community.
- Road open as repairs to the Buchanan Highway make it passable
With the end of the rain, the dry weather has allowed roadwork crews to patch the road, allowing passage to high clearance 4WDs earlier this week. Further work saw weight restricted single trailer trucks able to reach community today, with a load for the store of backlogged items that have been waiting to come out for about 4 months.
Above: The first truck into community was a welcome sight today.
The last of the flights of food have arrived, and with the return of regular trucks, things should begin to return to normal with a food truck scheduled for next week.
Major long-term roadworks and an upgrade of the Buchanan Highway will still be required, as the repairs to date are only temporary and will wash-away in the next wet if further repairs aren’t under-taken. We’re hopeful that work will begin later in the year.
Travellers are advised to take it carefully and drive to conditions but they should be able to get through with little issue.
- Rain continues to keep road closed
With heavy rain continuing to fall, the Buchanan Highway is expected to remain closed for at least another few weeks until the road is dry enough for road crews to work on it. Damage to the road has created large mud holes that vehicles are not able to get through. With thanks to the NT Government, Yarralin is receiving regular food deliveries by air.
There’s a particular mud patch about 5 km before the Old Humbert Road turn-off which vehicles are required to winch through.
Until the rain stops, and the road is dry enough for crews to repair the damage, all road travel to Yarralin is out of the question.
- Road access to Yarralin compromised
The heavy constant rain throughout this wet season has seen water sitting in large stretches across the Buchanan Highway. This has turned the road into a wet and boggy mud pit. While some people have gotten through it has only been in convoy with recovery equipment – which has taken several hours. Entire stretches of road require vehicles to be winched through with other vehicles.
Multiple vehicles are currently stuck in the road with no retrieval options available until the weather has passed, the road has had a chance to dry and repairs can be conducted.
We are expecting the road to be CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC until the end of March / 1 April.
Above, damage to the bridge at the Jasper Gorge crossing, and mud pits marked with warning signs.
Above, the bridge at Sandy Creek as at 7 March 2024. Approximately 2M underwater and impassable, with continued rain forecast for at least the next week.
- Telstra comms restored, road damaged
The Telstra mobile network has been restored in Yarralin, allowing for calls into and out of community again.
Please note that while the Victoria highway to Timber Creek (and through to WA) is now open, the road between Timber Creek and Yarralin through the Jasper Gorge is damaged and officially remains closed. There is significant wash-out at the Jasper Gorge bridge which will need to be repaired before trucks can enter community.
Store supplies are low – with flights coming into community limited to crucial goods only. Without a truck, the store will continue to have limited food available for some time. Restrictions on shopping are in place. Visitors (flying in) are requested to bring their own supplies.
The Dashwood Crossing is not expected to be passable for another month or two yet as water levels will need to lower significantly.
- Yarralin – Emergency Declaration
An emergency has been declared in the Gregory District for the communities of Daguragu, Kalkarindji, Pigeon Hole, Palumpa and Yarralin.
Yarralin has NOT evacuated but the situation is being monitored daily.
The Telstra network has been down in Yarralin since the 13th January, making regular mobile phone communication difficult. Communications in and out of community are occuring via Starlink and other satellite services or using Wifi calling where possible.
Travel to Yarralin is not possible with all access cut-off and water over the Victoria Highway above the bridge level and the Victoria River Roadhouse flooded.
- Rain reaches Yarralin
Heavy rain last night (Mon 27 Nov) has created mud patches on the road. The Dashwood Crossing is over 1M which makes travel in from Top Springs impassable. The route through Jasper Gorge is muddy, accessible via 4WD only.
Trucks are also having some issues getting through. The weather forecast suggests a 20 to 30% chance of more rain this week which if it rains, will make conditions worse. If it doesn’t rain, the road usually dries up and hardens in about 3 days.
UPDATE 29 Nov 23: Heavy rain yesterday afternoon (Wed 29 Nov) that extended late into the night is likely to have worsened conditions. Travellers are advised to take it carefully and have recovery equipment.
Update 11 Dec 23: Heavy rain over the weekend and today has raised the Dashwood. It’s also resulted in many creek crossings between Timber Creek and Yarralin to come up. 4WDs should be able to get through but be advised the road is muddy and will take time – and you’ll need recovery equipment. Rain is forecast in the region all week.
- Office of Township Leasing Visit
Yarralin community have been exploring a possible township lease for about 10 years. The Office of Township Leasing came out this week as part of ongoing discussions with the Board, Traditional Owners, and members of the Yarralin community.
We look forward to ongoing discussions around the process, along with the benefits to community and Traditional Owners and streamlining the process around leasing in community.
- Demountable Houses Arrive
One of the biggest problems in remote communities is having housing available for staff who are delivering programs or working in community (while we have a motel, it doesn’t work for long-term stays). We were fortunate enough to receive ABA funding for two 3-bedroom demountables that arrived this week courtesy of Northern Transportables.
With power and water connections currently under way, they’ll be completed soon. We’ll be renting them out to organisations working in community. Owning these assets gives us the flexibility to rent them out at commercial rates which becomes a good revenue stream that supports us, as well as allowing more programs to be delivered within community. We currently have plans under-way for a further 4 to meet demand.
- Yarralin Festival 2023 Wraps Up
It’s been a fun weekend of bike races, football, basketball, fishing and music out at Yarralin. Our first Festival for what we hope will become an annual event, has just wrapped up. Below are some images from the events and activities over the weekend.
Thanks to the Hon Chansey Paech MLA and the NT Government who supported the Festival with funding from the Community Benefit Fund, the Yarralin School who graciously let us use their grounds for the Festival, Richard Starr who ran sound and audio for the bands, Walangeri Ngumpinku and the Yarralin Community Store for their financial support for prizes and of course everyone else who attended and the members of community who stepped up and helped out with organising and running events.
It was a great weekend and we all look forward to the next one!
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Walangeri Ngumpinku Aboriginal Corporation 