Yalata, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Yalata is an Aboriginal
community
located 200 kilometres west of Ceduna on the Great Australian Bight
in South Australia
.
who lived in the spinifex country far to the north around Ooldea prior to their forcible removal to Yalata in 1952. In the 1950s areas around Maralinga and Emu were used for Atomic Testing by the British Government of the day. Around this time the Australian Government resumed much Anangu
land to be used for the Woomera
Rocket testing Range. As a result Anangu were moved to Ooldea in the first instance then later moved to the Yalata site. The Maralinga Tjarutja
native title land was handed back to the Anangu under legislation passed by both houses of the South Australian Parliament in December 1984 and proclaimed in January 1985. The Yalata Aboriginal lands cover 4,580 km² and span approximately 150 km of the Eyre Highway. Inland Anangu
resettled on the land in 1995 and forming a community at Oak Valley (Maralinga)
. Regular movement of Anangu
between Yalata and Oak Valley
occurs.
people and speak a Southern dialect of the Pitjantjatjara language.
The ABS 2006 Yearbook indicates that Pitjantjatjara is spoken as the primary language in 58% of homes in Yalata.
82% of residents identify their main religion as Lutheran
.
for fishing or whale watching
. The roadhouse was closed in February 2006.
The lands of the Yalata bear their own name. A portion of these lands in South Australia's remote west, comprises Yalata, one of the four local government areas of South Australia classified as an Aboriginal Council (AC).
On 21 August 2007, the Adelaide Advertiser reported that fire had overnight destroyed the shed-structure police station and associated home, with damage costing approximately 500,000.
, without specifically commemorating the locality.
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
located 200 kilometres west of Ceduna on the Great Australian Bight
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...
in South Australia
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...
.
History
The community consists mainly of AnanguAnangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
who lived in the spinifex country far to the north around Ooldea prior to their forcible removal to Yalata in 1952. In the 1950s areas around Maralinga and Emu were used for Atomic Testing by the British Government of the day. Around this time the Australian Government resumed much Anangu
Anangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
land to be used for the Woomera
Woomera Test Range
The RAAF Woomera Test Range is a weapons testing range operated by the Royal Australian Air Force Aerospace Operational Support Group...
Rocket testing Range. As a result Anangu were moved to Ooldea in the first instance then later moved to the Yalata site. The Maralinga Tjarutja
Maralinga Tjarutja
The Maralinga Tjarutja are the Indigenous Australian people who traditionally inhabit the remote western areas of South Australia. They are a Southern Pitjantjatjara people.The lands of the Maralinga Tjarutja bear their own name...
native title land was handed back to the Anangu under legislation passed by both houses of the South Australian Parliament in December 1984 and proclaimed in January 1985. The Yalata Aboriginal lands cover 4,580 km² and span approximately 150 km of the Eyre Highway. Inland Anangu
Anangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
resettled on the land in 1995 and forming a community at Oak Valley (Maralinga)
Maralinga, South Australia
Maralinga, South Australia in the remote western areas of South Australia was the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Indigenous Australian people. Maralinga was the site of the secret British nuclear tests in the 1950s. The site measures about 3,300 km² in area...
. Regular movement of Anangu
Anangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
between Yalata and Oak Valley
Maralinga, South Australia
Maralinga, South Australia in the remote western areas of South Australia was the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Indigenous Australian people. Maralinga was the site of the secret British nuclear tests in the 1950s. The site measures about 3,300 km² in area...
occurs.
Environment
The Atlas of South Australia describes Yalata area as:sandy plain with deep sand and parabolic dunes. The vegetative cover is open mallee scrub with a mixed understory of chenopod shrubs and grasses and low open woodland with a chenopod shrub understory.
Demography
Anangu regard themselves as a Southern AnanguAnangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
people and speak a Southern dialect of the Pitjantjatjara language.
The ABS 2006 Yearbook indicates that Pitjantjatjara is spoken as the primary language in 58% of homes in Yalata.
82% of residents identify their main religion as Lutheran
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
.
Facilities
Yalata Roadhouse, 200 km west of Ceduna, was operated by Yalata Aboriginal Community Incorporated. There is also a caravan park to assist tourists passing through or visiting the Great Australian BightGreat Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...
for fishing or whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
. The roadhouse was closed in February 2006.
The lands of the Yalata bear their own name. A portion of these lands in South Australia's remote west, comprises Yalata, one of the four local government areas of South Australia classified as an Aboriginal Council (AC).
On 21 August 2007, the Adelaide Advertiser reported that fire had overnight destroyed the shed-structure police station and associated home, with damage costing approximately 500,000.
Governance
Yalata is governed at the local level by the Aboriginal Council of Yalata, one of the five local government bodies in South Australia classified as Aboriginal Councils (AC). At the state and federal levels, Yalata lies in the electoral district of Flinders and at the division of Grey, respectively.Mars
The name Yalata is used as a name for a crater on the planet MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, without specifically commemorating the locality.