Nhulunbuy township
The town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula, is the largest centre in the region with a population in 2018 of 3,274. The prosperous hub of Nhulunbuy supports the broader region by providing affordable goods and services, boasts a stable population and offers a range of rental and long-term lease options for both commercial and residential property.
Community hubs
Beyond Nhulunbuy, the Yolŋu region of East Arnhem consists of six main communities: Milingimbi in the Crocodile Islands, Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, Ramingining on the edge of the Arafura Swamp, Gapuwiyak on the shores of Lake Evella, and Yirrkala and Gunyaŋara on the Gove Peninsula. These communities have schools, shops, clinics, airports, and other facilities and services; they also provide services to surrounding homelands.
Homelands
Outside of the main communities across the region, there are more than 50 Yolŋu homelands. These are small communities established through the homelands movement of the 1970s when kinship groups left mission communities to return to their traditional lands. Homelands represent the vision of Yolŋu leaders to determine their future.
