Billiluna, also known as Mindibungu and Kururrungku, is a medium-sized Aboriginal community, located approximately south of

Halls Creek Halls is a plural of the word hall. Halls may also refer to: People * Walter Halls (1871–1953), British trade unionist and politician * Ethel May Halls (1882–1967), American actress * Julian Halls (born 1967), British field hockey player * ...

in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, within the

Shire of Halls Creek The Shire of Halls Creek is one of the four local government areas in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, covering an area of , most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's seat of government is the town of Halls Creek. Man ...

. In the , Billiluna had a total population of 150 predominantly

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples of ...

History

Billiluna was established as a permanent Aboriginal community around 1978 when

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

moved from the

Balgo Mission Balgo, previously Balgo Hills and Balgo Mission, is a community in Western Australia that is linked with both the Great Sandy Desert and the Tanami Desert. The community is in the Shire of Halls Creek, off the Tanami Road, and was established by ...

to the

Billiluna Station Billiluna Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Western Australia. It is located approximately north of Balgo and south of Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The name of the station is ta ...

after the

cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lease ...

had been transferred from a private company to the

Aboriginal Lands Trust In Australia, an Aboriginal land trust (ALT) is a type of non-profit organisation that holds the freehold title to an area of land on behalf of a community of Aboriginal Australians. The land has been legally granted to a community by the governme ...

. It was incorporated as an

Aboriginal corporation A Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC) is a corporation nominated by a group of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people for the purposes of native title in Australia, to represent their native title rights and interests, once that ...

in 1979, and construction of houses and schools began in that year.

Description and governance

The community, also known as Kururrungku and Mindibungu, is located around south of

, in the

. The community is managed through its incorporated body, Mindibungu Aboriginal Corporation, incorporated under the ''Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976'' on 12 December 1979. The corporation has run the Kurruungku Store since 1996.

Demographics

In the , Billiluna had a total population of 150, including 133

in 17 households. This represents a drop of over 100 people since the , when there was a total population of 258 (244

).2011 Census QuickStats – Mindibungu
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Native title

The community is located within the determination area of the

Tjurabalan The Tjurabalan (Jura-palan) is a nomadic desert tribe from the edge of the Tanami Desert near Sturt Creek and The Paraku Lake system, Lake Gregory in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language The language jurisdictions governing much ...

people (WAD160/1997)

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

claim.

Education

Children of school age at Billiluna attend the Kururrungku Catholic Education Centre. The school caters for approximately 80 enrolled students between pre-primary to year 10 with 7 registered teachers and a principal.

Town planning

Billiluna Layout Plan No.1 has been prepared in accordance with State Planning Policy 3.2 Aboriginal Settlements. Layout Plan No.1 was endorsed by the community on 22 September 2011, and by the

Western Australian Planning Commission The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia that exists to coordinate strategic and statutory planning for future urban, rural and regional land use. The authori ...

on 24 July 2012. A third amendment was made in September 2020.

References

{{authority control Towns in Western Australia Aboriginal communities in Kimberley (Western Australia)