The Open Directory Project.

Directory of Alyangula Resources

Home > Regional > Oceania > Australia > Northern Territory > Localities > Alyangula

Alyangula (pronounced Al-yang-goolah) is on Groote Eylandt in Australia's Northern Territory. Groote Eylandt is around 650 km east of Darwin and 50 km off the Arnhem Land coast in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria and is Australia's third largest island. The name is Dutch for "big island" and the island was discovered by the western world in 1624. Abel Tasman named it in 1644. The island is approximately 60 km north-south and 40 km east-west. Despite its relatively small size, there are several rivers and streams. Some of these run year-round, even through the "dry season" (winter). Most of the average of 1280mm of rain which falls yearly, does so during the summer "wet season". The highest point (Central Hill) is only 185 metres above sea level. The weather is tropical, with hot, humid and wet summers marked by thunderstorms. The winter is mild. Summer temperatures range from 25 to 40 degrees Celsius and in winter from a rare 10 to 30 degrees. The vegetation is mostly tropical savannah woodland (stringy-bark eucalypts and Darwin woolly-butt), with patches of monsoon vine forest, areas of pandanus and paperbark wetland and stands of cypress pine. Casuarina and banyan trees give shade along the sandy beaches. Animal life is prolific, both on land and in the sea. The Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS) started a mission at the Emerald River in 1921. Its policies and concerns have shifted over the years, running parallel to current public sentiment. It handed the administration of the town of Angurugu (An-oo-ra-goo) over to the Angurugu Community Government Council in 1979. In 1938 QANTAS established a flying-boat refuelling base in the north-east of the island. The base was taken over by the RAAF during the Second World War. The town of Umbakumba in the north-east was established by Fred Gray following the establishment of the base. Similar to Angurugu, the CMS relinquished management of this community to the Umbakumba Council in 1966. Alyangula is in the north west of the island. The town was created by the Groote Eylandt Mining Co. Pty. Ltd. (GEMCO) to house the employees for its manganese mine, which is 16 km to the south. It is now an established, though remote, community with a population of around 1,200. Author: Lois Olsen - http://www.users.bigpond.com/loisolsen/

Resources in This Category

Related Categories

 

Home > Regional > Oceania > Australia > Northern Territory > Localities > Alyangula

 

 

Thanks to DMOZ, which built a great web directory for nearly two decades and freely shared it with the web. About us