Jabiru is a town in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Built in 1982, the town is completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park. At the 2016 census, Jabiru had a population of 1,081. It is named after the black-necked stork often seen in the wetlands and

billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

s of Kakadu, which is commonly referred to in Australia as a Jabiru (not to be confused with the

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

native to South and Central America). Kakadu 2427

History and governance

A township in the

Alligator Rivers Alligator Rivers is the name of an area in an Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory of Australia, containing three rivers, the East, West, and South Alligator Rivers. It is regarded as one of the richest biological regions in Australia, ...

region of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

was first proposed in the early 1970s to support a rapid growth in tourism following the construction of the

Arnhem Highway The Arnhem Highway is a 227—kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. It links the mining town of Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, to the Stuart Highway at a point 35 kilometres south of Darwin. Upgrades The Northern Aus ...

. A view expressed by some witnesses before the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry was that the development of the

Ranger Uranium Mine The Ranger Uranium Mine was a uranium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. The site is surrounded by, but separate from Kakadu National Park, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in late 1969, and the mine commence ...

and its supporting infrastructure would also support growth in the tourism industry. A new town could be established as a regional service centre, providing both homes for workers at the mine and tourist accommodation for visitors to the proposed Kakadu National Park. The township of Jabiru began construction in 1982, after a area was leased to the Jabiru Town Development Authority (JTDA) in 1981 by the Director of National Parks and Wildlife. Under this agreement, the JTDA controlled development through subleases to the operators of the Ranger Uranium mine, government agencies and private business. Under the conditions of the lease, the town was only to allow permanent residents who were associated with the operation of the mine, government agencies or essential services. The population was not to exceed 3500. These conditions were intended to protect the world heritage site by minimising the footprint of urban development. The second management plan for the Kakadu National Park in 1986 permitted expansion of the town's role as a tourism service centre, with the development of accommodation and tourism businesses subject to agreement by the traditional land owners and Northern Land Council. The first such development was the iconic Gagudju Crocodile Hotel, opened in 1988. The JTDA delegated local government responsibility to the Jabiru Town Council. The Northern Territory Government amalgamated

Jabiru Town Council The West Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia and is administered by the West Arnhem Regional Council. The region covers an area of and had a population of 6,902 in June 2018. History In October 2006 t ...

and the

West Arnhem Shire The West Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia and is administered by the West Arnhem Regional Council. The region covers an area of and had a population of 6,902 in June 2018. History In October 2006 t ...

(Region) in 2008. Jabiru town services are administered by the

West Arnhem Regional Council The West Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia and is administered by the West Arnhem Regional Council. The region covers an area of and had a population of 6,902 in June 2018. History In October 2006 t ...

, whose council chambers are in the town plaza. The

Mirrar The Bininj are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Arnhem land in the Northern Territory. The sub-groups of Bininj are sometimes referred to by the various language dialects spoken in the region, that is, the group of dialects known as B ...

clan were recognised as the traditional title holders of Jabiru Township in November 2018, but a dispute over the

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, ...

was drawn out for years. Following the closure of the mine and expiry of the lease, the town was formally handed over to the Mirrar people on 16 June 2021 by the federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, and the

Minister for Indigenous Australians The Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Government of Australia is a position which holds responsibility for affairs affecting Indigenous Australians. Previous ministers have held various other titles since the position was created in 196 ...

Ken Wyatt Kenneth George Wyatt (born 4 August 1952) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022, representing the Division of Hasluck for the Liberal Party. He is the first Indigenous Australian e ...

, with settlement date fixed at 30 June.

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 1,081 people in Jabiru. *

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 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 ...

people made up 24.3% of the population. * 68.6% of people were born in Australia. * 64.9% of people only spoke English at home. * The most common response for religion was No Religion, at 36.8%.

Description and facilities

Apart from the Ranger mine, Jabiru's most notable industries are tourism, being the commercial and accommodation hub of Kakadu National Park, and Aboriginal arts and culture. Jabiru features a small town plaza that includes government offices, magistrate's court and emergency services. Recreational facilities include the Jabiru town lake (picnic areas and barbecues), freshwater fishing for barramundi (a local specialty), the Yellow Water cruise, day-trips to Ubirr Rock, Twin Falls and other natural features of Kakadu National Park. There is a sports and social club, an

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

(the only place guaranteed safe from crocodiles to swim), cricket ovals where cricket and

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

are played. Magela Field in Jabiru is home to the Jabiru Bushratz RUFC, who celebrate their 25th year in 2008. There is also a 9-hole golf course which is the only licensed premises for takeaway alcohol; however only members can buy takeaway alcohol there. Visitors can consume alcohol in opened containers on licensed premises. West Arnhem Regional Council, with the support of Library & Archives NT, delivers public library and information services in Jabiru which are free to all residents of the region, with options also being available to short-term residents and visitors. The library aims to provide a culture-rich environment with a focus on collecting materials, in all formats, with a focus on the Kakadu and West Arnhem region.

Climate

Jabiru has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

( Aw), typical of most of the Top End. Jabiru experiences heavy rain that often results in widespread flooding along the

and

Kakadu Highway The Kakadu Highway is 209 kilometres long and extends from Pine Creek to Jabiru, entering Kakadu National Park as the highway crosses the Mary River. The highway is signed and mapped as State Route 21.tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dependi ...

and it occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70 percent during the wettest months.

References

{{authority control Mining towns in the Northern Territory Kakadu National Park