Arnhem Land
The Homeland of Yolŋu Culture
On the lands of the Yolŋu and Bininj people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Apr 2026
A 97,000 square kilometre Aboriginal freehold reserve in the far north-east of the Northern Territory that has been home to Yolŋu and Bininj people for more than 60,000 years. Arnhem Land is the heartland of the world's oldest continuous culture, and non-residents need a permit to enter.
Arnhem Land was set aside as an Aboriginal reserve in 1931 and later became freehold Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976. It covers 97,000 square kilometres of tropical savanna, sandstone escarpment and coastline in the far north-east of the Northern Territory. The land is owned and governed by the Yolŋu people in the east and the Bininj (including the Kunwinjku) in the west, and everything from access to commercial filming requires permission from the Aboriginal Land Council.
Visitors can only enter Arnhem Land with a valid permit, and the practical way to do this is by joining a cultural tour run by an Aboriginal-owned operator. Lirrwi Tourism, based out of Yirrkala, is the best known and organises multi-day camping stays in Yolŋu homelands on the Gove Peninsula. Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris runs from Mount Borradaile on the western side, where the rock art galleries cover more than 50,000 years.
The annual Garma Festival, held in August in north-east Arnhem Land, is the biggest Yolŋu cultural gathering of the year and is attended by senior Australian politicians, traditional owners, musicians (Yothu Yindi came out of this country) and around 2,500 guests.
What's on
Events at Arnhem Land.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content (1)
Images (2)
- Arnhem Land Tropical Savanna Ecoregion.png · Z3lvs · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Arnhem Land Tropical Savanna Ecoregion - Relief Map Flat.png · Z3lvs · CC0
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