Traditional owners are working with government to secure a post-mining future for the town at the gateway to Kakadu National Park.

Story + Photos David Hancock

In recent years the future of the remote Northern Territory town of Jabiru, located in Kakadu National Park, has looked uncertain, as mining there draws to a close. Some feared the township could even have been bulldozed into the ground. However, an exciting new plan from the traditional owners, the Mirarr people, has offered Jabiru and the region a new lease on life. 

Earlier this year the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC), which represents the Mirarr, unveiled a half-billion dollar masterplan to save and revitalise Jabiru. Within five years, Jabiru – the community that services both Ranger Uranium Mine and Kakadu – will be transformed from a slightly run-down mining town into a dynamic gateway to a World Heritage Area.

This story excerpt is from Issue #122

Outback Magazine: December/January 2019