Amata — remote Anangu community in the APY Lands, South Australia

Location, landscape and infrastructure

The town occupies a compact footprint of dwellings and communal buildings. Housing in Amata consists of around 60 residences clustered near community facilities such as a school, general store and a health clinic (health clinic). Water supplies are obtained from local bores and stored in tanks. The community layout includes a short airstrip for charter flights, and weekly supply runs and regular postal services connect Amata to larger service centres.

History and development

Established in 1961 under the original name Musgrave Park, Amata was created partly to relieve population pressure at nearby Pukatja and to offer training in pastoral skills associated with the livestock industry. A school was opened in 1968, becoming a central institution for education and cultural programs. The school later received renovation work in the early 2000s, and community facilities have been improved over time, including the opening of a public swimming pool in June 2007.

Population and community life

Population figures for small remote communities vary over time. Amata recorded 180 residents in 1981, rose through the 1990s to more than 350, reached a higher count of 536 in 1996 and was reported as having 319 people in the 2006 census (2006 census). Community life is shaped by family ties, traditional culture and contemporary services; public buildings include a community centre and a church, and local initiatives have sometimes provided night patrols and other supports to maintain safety and social cohesion.

Economy, arts and culture

Art production and sales are an important income source for many families in Amata. Local art centres provide a place for artists to work, teach language and culture, and sell paintings and crafts to buyers beyond the region. A well-known local collective, Tjala Arts, was founded at the turn of the 21st century and took Amata works to exhibitions in the national capital (Canberra) in 2006. Government funding has at times targeted cultural infrastructure; for example a state budget allocation in 2007 provided support toward a new arts centre in town.

Services, policing and governance

Essential services in Amata are a mix of community-run operations and externally provided resources. Health, education and retail functions operate on a scale appropriate to the population, with supplies delivered periodically. A police facility exists in the town but routinely relies on regional policing from Marla and on locally based community constables (community constables). In 2007 public debate touched on whether a permanent police presence should be established — a proposal raised by federal politicians such as Tony Abbott — and the state government announced funding measures, including a package of approximately A$ 7.5 million to improve policing and justice-related infrastructure in Amata and nearby communities.

Transport and access

• Air access: small airstrip for charters and medical retrievals.
• Road access: unsealed roads link Amata to other APY settlements and to the Stuart Highway; travel times are long and weather-dependent.
• Supply chain: weekly freight deliveries and twice-weekly mail runs maintain essential goods and communications.

Amata illustrates many of the opportunities and challenges found in remote Aboriginal communities: sustaining traditional culture while managing contemporary services, building local economies—often centred on art—and negotiating relationships with state and federal agencies for infrastructure, policing and social support. For further background on the APY Lands and related communities see local government and Indigenous organisation resources (APY, Aboriginal services and arts networks).

Aboriginal APY South Australia Umuwa Musgrave Ranges Stuart Highway Pukatja livestock 2006 census health clinic bores swimming pool community constables Tony Abbott A$ Canberra