Tjirrkarli Community

Tjirrkarli is an Aboriginal community, located in the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku within the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia.

Native title

The community is located within the determined Ngaanyatjarra Lands native title claim area.

History

Tjirrkarli is named after a nearby site associated with a Dreaming story about native yams.
The community was formed in the 1980s, near a bore put down by the company Shell Oil, who were searching for oil in the area. During this time, many Aboriginals, whose family had left the region decades earlier, returned. Others came from Cosmo Newberry and as far away as Wiluna.
In 1987, the community became incorporated and a member of the Ngaanyatjarra Council.

Governance

The community is managed through its incorporated body, Tjirrkarli, incorporated under the Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 on 24 March 1987.

Town planning

Tjirrkarli 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 3 December 2003 and the Western Australian Planning Commission on 29 June 2004. The Layout Plan map-set and background report can be viewed at Planning Western Australia's web site.