Gapuwiyak (Gapuwiyak)
Gapuwiyak, also known as Lake Evella, is an Aboriginal Australian community located in north-eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, 25 km south of the head of Buckingham Bay and about the same distance south-west of Arnhem Bay. The settlement had a population of 871 people recorded at the 2016 census.
Gapuwiyak is adjacent to Lake Evella. The lake was seen by Harold Shepherdson from his Miles Hawk aeroplane in 1935 and he named it Lake Evella after his wife Ella, and Eva, the wife of a fellow missionary Rev. T.T. Webb. Gapuwiyak means "brackish water" (Gapu – water; Wiyak – salty).
The community is serviced by a barge from Darwin once a week that comes up the Buckingham River.
The community comprises Aboriginal people from many different families or clans. It produces a newsletter called Gapuwiyak Dhäwu.
In April 2017, a four-day festival to mark the Rom ceremony was attended by about 500 people at Gapuwiyak School. The Yolngu Rom comprises the laws, values, beliefs, songs, language and culture of the people, and the young people learn from participation in the event, which is attended by people of all ages. It was planned to hold the event each term.
The health clinic transitioned to a community-managed model in 2018, and is managed by Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation.
* Lake Evella Airport
Gapuwiyak is adjacent to Lake Evella. The lake was seen by Harold Shepherdson from his Miles Hawk aeroplane in 1935 and he named it Lake Evella after his wife Ella, and Eva, the wife of a fellow missionary Rev. T.T. Webb. Gapuwiyak means "brackish water" (Gapu – water; Wiyak – salty).
The community is serviced by a barge from Darwin once a week that comes up the Buckingham River.
The community comprises Aboriginal people from many different families or clans. It produces a newsletter called Gapuwiyak Dhäwu.
In April 2017, a four-day festival to mark the Rom ceremony was attended by about 500 people at Gapuwiyak School. The Yolngu Rom comprises the laws, values, beliefs, songs, language and culture of the people, and the young people learn from participation in the event, which is attended by people of all ages. It was planned to hold the event each term.
The health clinic transitioned to a community-managed model in 2018, and is managed by Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation.
* Lake Evella Airport
Map - Gapuwiyak (Gapuwiyak)
Map
Country - Australia
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The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
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AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
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EN | English language |