- Oenpelli, Northern Territory
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Oenpelli (now often referred to as Kunbarllanjnja or Gunbalanya) is an Aboriginal community in west Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.
A view of Oenpelli from nearby Injalak Hill
Contents
Access
The sealed Arnhem Highway links Darwin to Jabiru, the town within Kakadu National Park. About four kilometres before Jabiru, the sealed road turns off to Ubirr, the Border Store, Cahills Crossing on the East Alligator River and Oenpelli. The road is dirt from the East Alligator to just before Gunbalanya, a distance of about 16 kilometres. While this road is generally navigable by four wheel drive vehicle, the river crossing is a causeway which is closed by flooding during the wet season (November to April) and at high tides.
Dry season travellers are able to drive the 300 km from Darwin in about three hours and 60 km from Jabiru in under an hour. Northern Land Council permits are required to cross the East Alligator River, the western boundary of Arnhem Land, and travel east to Oenpelli.
Oenpelli has a sealed all weather airstrip.
The local radio station is called "RIBS" for Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service.
Tourism
Permits for road travel into Arnhem Land can be organised at the Northern Land Council offices in Darwin or Jabiru and may take up to two weeks to finalise. Many visitors prefer to see Arnhem Land through an organised tour operation.
The Stone Country Festival (formerly Gunbalanya Cultural Open Day) is held in August each year and access for this is allowed without permit.
Rock Art
Western Arnhem Land is home to some of the most significant rock art in the world. It has arguably the world's longest continuing artistic traditions - with rock art dating back thousands of years and still being produced today.
Interesting facts
- A large and rare python, the species Morelia oenpelliensis, was named for this town.
- The 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land visited Oenpelli for 3 months and formed large collections of artefacts, art, and natural science fields.
External links
Categories:- Arnhem Land
- Towns in the Northern Territory
- Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory
- Australian Aboriginal freehold title
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