The project is funded by the Australian Government ($13.72 million), the Northern Territory Government ($2.43 million) and the Gumatj Corporation ($1 million). Australian Government funding is provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
This project will improve the water supply in the remote island community of Gunyangara in north east Arnhem Land. Image credit: Jordy Bowman, Developing East Arnhem Limited.
Project overview
The Gove Peninsula water supply upgrade (phase 2) will unlock water for community development in Gunyangara. The Aboriginal community loses large amounts of water before it reaches their taps. This occurs due to ageing infrastructure.
Limited water availability has stopped the community from taking up development opportunities. The project will provide water security to support future development.
The project will:
- reduce network leakage by upgrading 4 km of supply mains and service connections
- improve water reliability by increasing storage capacity and adding back-up generators and a booster pump
- provide good water quality by upgrading the chlorination system.
These improvements will reduce water loss by around 30 megalitres per year, or 1 litre per second.
The project aligns with several Closing the Gap Outcomes on:
- education and language (Outcomes 5, 6, 7 and 16)
- employment opportunities (Outcomes 7 and 8)
- housing and essential services (Outcome 9).
The phase 2 project builds on the Gove Peninsula water supply upgrade (phase 1) project. Phase 1 is a National Water Grid Fund commitment from early 2024. It enables planning in Gunyangara and is supporting construction in Yirrkala.
These projects are supporting a partnership commitment between the Australian Government, Northern Territory Government and Yothu Yindi Foundation. This partnership aims to construct the Garma Institute in Gunyangara. The tertiary and vocational education facility, which will be owned and run by Yolngu people, needs reliable water to operate.
Key project benefits
Read more
- Media release: $60.8 million towards securing water needs in remote First Nations communities
- Relating project page: Gove Peninsula water supply upgrade (phase 1)
- Find out about First Nations water infrastructure projects