Jigalong, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Jigalong is a remote Australia
n Indigenous community of approximately 300 people located in Western Australia
.
, approximately 165 kilometres (103 mi) east of the town of Newman
in the Shire of East Pilbara Local Government Area
. The community is located in an Aboriginal Lands Trust reserve on the western edge of the Little Sandy Desert
.
recorded the population of Jigalong as 278 people, of which 91.4% were Aboriginal
.
The Jigalong Remote Community School provides education from kindergarten
to Year 12 level, with six teachers for a student enrolment of around 120 children.
The community has a medical centre, but patients with serious illnesses and injury are usually flown to Port Hedland
– 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) west of Jigalong – by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
. In the 1930s, it was used as a camel
-breeding site, but this use was abandoned once the motor car superseded the camel as a mode of transport. In 1947, the land was granted to the Apostolic Church
, who used it as a Christian mission
, and set up the Aboriginal community. The land was returned to the Australian government
in 1969, and was granted to the Martu
people in 1974.
back to Jigalong was immortalised in the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
by Molly's daughter Doris Pilkington Garimara
. In 2002, the book was made into a film, Rabbit-Proof Fence
, directed by Phillip Noyce
, and the film's world premiere was held in the town.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Indigenous community of approximately 300 people located in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Location
Jigalong is located in the Pilbara region of Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, approximately 165 kilometres (103 mi) east of the town of Newman
Newman, Western Australia
Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway...
in the Shire of East Pilbara Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...
. The community is located in an Aboriginal Lands Trust reserve on the western edge of the Little Sandy Desert
Little Sandy Desert
The Little Sandy Desert is a desert located in Western Australia south of the Great Sandy Desert and west of the Gibson Desert. It is to the east of Great Northern Highway south of Newman and approximately 200 kilometres north of Wiluna...
.
Demographics and facilities
The 2006 Australian CensusCensus in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
recorded the population of Jigalong as 278 people, of which 91.4% were Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
.
The Jigalong Remote Community School provides education from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Year 12 level, with six teachers for a student enrolment of around 120 children.
The community has a medical centre, but patients with serious illnesses and injury are usually flown to Port Hedland
Port Hedland, Western Australia
Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
– 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) west of Jigalong – by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
History
Jigalong was established in 1907, as the location for a maintenance and rations store for workmen constructing the Rabbit-proof fenceRabbit-proof fence
The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the No. 1 Rabbit-proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral...
. In the 1930s, it was used as a camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
-breeding site, but this use was abandoned once the motor car superseded the camel as a mode of transport. In 1947, the land was granted to the Apostolic Church
Apostolic Church
The Apostolic Church is a Pentecostal Christian denomination which can trace its origins back to the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival. Despite the relatively recent origin of the denomination, the church seeks to stand for first century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government.The purpose of the...
, who used it as a Christian mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
, and set up the Aboriginal community. The land was returned to the Australian government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
in 1969, and was granted to the Martu
Martu (Indigenous Australian)
Mardu are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Western Desert. Their lands include the Percival Lakes and Pilbara regions in Western Australia...
people in 1974.
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Jigalong was the home of Molly Craig, the young Aboriginal girl whose 1,600 kilometre trek from the Moore River Native SettlementMoore River Native Settlement
The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct Aboriginal settlement and internment camp located north of Perth and west of Mogumber in Western Australia, near the headwaters of the Moore River.- Name change :...
back to Jigalong was immortalised in the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence is an Australian book by Doris Pilkington. Based on a true story, the book is a personal account of an Indigenous Australian family's experiences as members of the "Stolen Generation" – the forced removal of mixed-race children from their families during the...
by Molly's daughter Doris Pilkington Garimara
Doris Pilkington Garimara
Doris Pilkington Garimara AM is an Australian author. She is best known for her 1996 book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, a story of three Aboriginal girls, among them Pilkington's mother Molly Craig, who escaped from the Moore River Native Settlement in Western Australia and travelled for nine...
. In 2002, the book was made into a film, Rabbit-Proof Fence
Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)
Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara...
, directed by Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce is an Australian film director.-Life and career:Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
, and the film's world premiere was held in the town.