A five-bedroom timber bunkhouse at Garrathiya, near Nhulunbuy, was launched on 7 August 2009 before the start of this year’s Garma Festival.
The bunkhouse at Garrathiya, a Gumatj cattle station about 100 kilometres south of Nhulunbuy (Gove), is a tangible outcome of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in March this year between the Gumatj Corporation and Forestry Tasmania, says Gumatj Chairman Galurrwuy Yunupingu AM.
Under the terms of the MOU, Forestry Tasmania has been working with the Gumatj Corporation to develop a sustainable timber industry, based on selective harvesting and management of hardwood on the Gumatj clan estate, Mr Yunupingu said.
“This project is helping to create a future for Gumatj people, letting them use local materials, from their own land, to build their own homes,” Mr Yunupingu said.
The Gumatj are Yolngu people and traditional owners of land on and around the Gove Peninsula in North East Arnhem Land, including the Rio Tinto Alcan bauxite mine and alumina refinery near Nhulunbuy.
“So far, this partnership has delivered a house in a remote homeland built by local men using local materials, which is the foundation for future business opportunities,” said Mr Yunupingu.
Forestry Tasmania has provided training and instruction for the local Indigenous workers who harvested and milled the timber.
Forestry Tasmania’s Managing Director, Bob Gordon said the skills and knowledge the Gumatj men have gained from this project, from sustainable forest management through to construction, augured well for future development.
“We’ve provided the training so the local men can operate a Lucas mill, and size and grade timber so they will be able to harvest timber for other projects in the future,” he said.
Two workers from Fairbrother Builders, specialists in building and construction, have supervised the construction of the bunkhouse on-site, providing mentoring, training, and guidance for the young Indigenous workers.
The carbon neutral bunkhouse, designed by representatives from University of Tasmania and Mr Yunupingu and his family, is built to cyclone standard and designed for the climate with features such as an overhanging roof to create shade.
The bunkhouse is also designed to suit traditional Yolngu lifestyle, with an outside communal living area, kitchen and a separate ablution block.
Mr Yunupingu said the partnership with Forestry Tasmania is not only providing training, employment and housing, but will result in other business opportunities such as collection and sale of seeds, sales of sawn timber, processing of timber products for high value uses such as furniture, the use of waste wood instead of bunker fuel to generate power, carbon credits and fire management.
The construction of the bunkhouse has enabled the partners to test building methods, improve skills and identify issues with the construction method.
After successfully completing the bunkhouse on time, the construction team will soon start work on construction of a second building, a four bedroom dwelling at Dhanaya.
A furniture making factory has been established and will become operational in September.
