Warakurna Campus

The Warakurna community

Warakurna is located at the Western end of the picturesque Rawlinson Ranges near an underground water supply. It is home to approximately 180 Yarnangu people. The community is situated about 6 kms from the Giles Meteorological Weather Station.

The Giles weather station was established in 1956 on a site excised from the Lands to provide meteorological information to support the nuclear weapon testing. Those Yarnangu still living in the area were taken by Native Patrol Officers from their country to Warburton Mission or other government settlements in the region. 

As a result some Yarnangu from this area were taken to Warburton Mission, and a few other communities. In the early 1970’s several factors, including the availability of government funding for homelands, easier road access, over-crowding at Docker River settlement and Warburton Mission, led to the return of families to their country. The community was incorporated in 1976.

Warakurna houses the administrative headquarters for the Ngaanyatjarra Lands School adjacent to the Warakurna campus buildings.

Services in our community

Warakurna has a community office, store, school, clinic, women’s centre, art centre, and media centre. Other facilities located 5km away on the Great Central Road - a health education facility, courthouse and police station, airstrip and a roadhouse.

Our campus facilities

Warakurna operates three or four classes and has a library, a manual arts room and a home economics room. The reasonably large school grounds contain a basketball court and playground equipment.

Our students

There are currently approximately 50 students enrolled at Warakurna

Our teachers

There are currently 3 teachers - ECE, primary and secondary - and yarnangu educators (AIEOs) across the classes.