Numbulwar, formerly known as Rose River Mission, is a small, primarily Aboriginal community on the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The major language group of the community is Nunggubuyu and their language,

Wubuy Nunggubuyu or Wubuy is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Nunggubuyu people ('Nunggubuyu' is nun- 'people of' + wubuy, the name of the language). It is the primary traditional language spoken in the community of ...

, is used by older generations. Kriol is also widely spoken. Permanent settlement began in 1952 with the founding of the Rose River Mission by local Aboriginal communities and the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

. The Mission operated until the 1970s when community control passed to the Numbulwar Numburindi Community Council. The community consists of a general store, a police station, a community school, an engine repair shop, a post office and about 670 residents. Formerly,

Mission Aviation Fellowship Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is an Evangelical Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated mission ...

had a base in Numbulwar which provided air services for the community, but now residents use commercial companies for this service.

References

Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory Towns in the Northern Territory {{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub