Muludja is a small Aboriginal community, located 20 km east of

Fitzroy Crossing Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People Given name * Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: ** FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort (Henry Charles ...

in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, within the

Shire of Derby-West Kimberley Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

History

Muludja community was established as part of

Fossil Downs Station Fossil Downs Station is a pastoral lease and cattle station located about north east of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. History The first Europeans to visit the area were part of Alexander Forrest's party who p ...

and relocated to its present location in the early 1980s. Thousands of

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s at nearby

Gogo Station Gogo or Gogo Station and sometimes referred to as Margaret Downs is a pastoral lease that has operated as a cattle station. It is located about south of Fitzroy Crossing and north east of Yungngora in the Kimberley region of Western Australi ...

were burnt out in 2011 when a fire was deliberately lit at Muludja. A local man started the fire after an argument and while he was affected by

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

; he was later arrested and charged with

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

following a tip-off from the public.

Native title

The community is located within the registered

Gooniyandi The Gooniyandi, also known as the Konejandi, are an Aboriginal Australian people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language Gooniyandi, with Bunuba, is one of the two languages of the Bunuban language family. Country Gooniyandi tr ...

Combined 2 (Federal Court File No. WAD6008/2000)

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 to that land by another colonising state. The requirements of proof for the recognition of ab ...

claim area.

Governance

The community is managed through its incorporated body, Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Corporation, incorporated under the ''Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976'' on 3 December 1987.

Town planning

Muludja 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 1 February 2002 and 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 WAPC f ...

on 14 May 2002.

References

External links

Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations – Marra Worra Worra

Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations

National Native Title Register Details

Gooniyandi Aboriginal Corporation
{{coord, 18, 10, S, 125, 46, E, display=title, region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Towns in Western Australia Aboriginal communities in Kimberley (Western Australia)