Our journey started in 2021 when a group of Gumbaynggirr community members identified a need for an independent self-governing corporation to strategically reacquire, reclaim and rehabilitate Gumbaynggirr land, waters and sovereignty.
We started operations in 2023 after receiving funding to undertake community consultation on the proposed Gaagal Wajaarr Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area.
At the same time, we also received funding to employ a team of Gumbaynggirr Rangers who are responsible for looking after the cultural and environmental values within the proposed Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
Our corporation began with 5 simple objectives being:
01 | Re-acquiring land for the purposes of continuation of culture, healing, recreation, self- sustainability, protecting the environmental and cultural values of that land. |
02 | Re-acquire land for the benefits of members and for the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. |
03 | Education and health & wellbeing. |
04 | Economic, employment and training. |
05 | Food and water sovereignty. |
The ways in which we achieve our objectives is underpinned by our Philosophies, these are based on Gumbaynggirr ways of being, kinships with country, our ancestors and lifesystems within our country.

NWAC Philosophies