In 2018/19 the transport, freight and logistics sector injected $49.4 million worth of output into East Arnhem’s economy and employed 234 people.

Marine

Barge services operate between Darwin and Nhulunbuy twice a week all year round. Each of the main regional communities of East Arnhem receive regular, scheduled barge services accepting dry goods, dangerous goods, chilled and frozen freight. General cargo services reach each community twice to three times weekly. Other barge service options include project and charter services, mothershipping, defence, larger scale fuels and oils barge services.

In and around Melville Bay and Gove Port, local enterprises conduct inshore marine contracting works consisting of wharf maintenance, mooring and navigation aid maintenance, personnel transfers, work boat operations and labour hire. 

Services available from Nhulunbuy include but are not limited to the following:

Road freight

To support business and industry growth, road-based transport operates between Darwin, Katherine and Nhulunbuy, underpinning many of the significant industry, business and infrastructure projects within the East Arnhem region. Services range from transporting small personal items through to heavy plant and equipment – and soon to be rockets to the East Arnhem Space Centre. There are also road freight options for movements between Nhulunbuy and East Arnhem communities and homelands. 

Courier and postal services

The Gove Peninsula benefits from a devoted and considerable courier and postal service that often exceeds what might be expected in such a remote location. This is due to the region boasting three independent courier providers plus Qantas Freight and Australia Post. Courier services provided to the region include door to door delivery of general freight and collection of Australia Post mail from the Nhulunbuy Australia Post Office. 

Express Post and courier postal services arrive Monday to Friday on Airnorth flights direct from Darwin. Surface (road) mail arrives weekly on the scheduled barge services. Qantas Freight offer an airport to airport service and operate direct from Gove Airport. This service also includes the transportation of approved pets and animals. 

Courier services are also available to communities throughout East Arnhem delivered through the Australia Post networks and Community Postal Agents on scheduled barge services and various air services.

Australia Post

In addition to private courier providers, the Gove Peninsula is serviced by Australia Post with a dedicated store based in Nhulunbuy operating six days a week. The store is equipped with 2000 Post Office Boxes and welcomes regular arrivals for registered and express postal items as well as weekly standard mail deliveries arriving via air and sea freight. 

The Nhulunbuy store provides all the standard sale and service items one would expect from a regional city store, including mobile phones sales, passport service and identity checks, Motor Vehicle Registration driver and vehicle checks, Western Union transactions, money orders and banking options. 

East Arnhem Regional Council is a Community Postal Agent for the communities of Yirrkala, Gapuwiyak, Galiwinku, Ramingining and Milingimbi providing reliable postal services to communities. Council offices in these communities provide essential postal services which include postal sales, envelopes, parcels and stamps, post collection and delivery and are stocked with approved products supplied by Australia Post or other authorised suppliers. As Community Postal Agents, East Arnhem Regional Council offices accept postal deliveries and are available weekdays 9am-4pm for community to take receipt of both parcel and letter post. 

Public and private transport

Gove Peninsula

The Gove Peninsula Public Bus provides a considerable Monday to Saturday service from Yirrkala ► Gunyaŋara (Ski Beach) ► Gove Boat Club ► Nhulunbuy ► Yirrkala. The weekday service currently operates 7.25am to 7.32pm and the Saturday service runs 7.26am to 2.34pm.

There are a number of operators that provide a substantial taxi and minibus service on the Gove Peninsula. There are taxi ranks located in Nhulunbuy next to the Visitor Information Centre in the town centre and near the shopping centres. Services run early until late seven days a week with both pay as you go and pre-paid fare options. 

Homelands and communities

In addition to servicing the Gove Peninsula, bush taxis provide transport to surrounding homelands. They have a selection of vehicles in their fleet including 4WDs suitable for passenger transportation on unsealed roads.

Homelands bush buses also provide passenger services from Gove to Gapuwiyak, as well as various other homelands, with a 20-seater and 28-seater bus designed and equipped for unsealed and off-road conditions. This passenger transport service meets another regional bus service at Gapuwiyak, which then travels on to Katherine, then through to Darwin. 

Car hire

Rental vehicle companies operate on the Gove Peninsula and service both corporate and leisure visitors to East Arnhem, as well as offering some mine approved commercial vehicles to access the Rio Tinto mine site. Rental vehicle companies also operate in a number of East Arnhem’s communities including Galiwin’ku, Milingimbi and Ramingining.

There is a large selection of rental vehicles available, which includes hire options for two-wheel drive sedans, 2WD Utes, 4WD Utes, 4WD vehicles, vans and minibuses and heavy lifting trucks.