Outstation facts for kids

An outstation in Australia is a small community where Aboriginal people live. These communities are usually in rural areas. They are often built on or near the traditional lands of the people who live there. This is why outstations are also called homelands.

The people living on an outstation are usually close relatives. They often belong to just one or two families. These families have a special spiritual and ancestral connection to the land. The number of people living in an outstation can change during the year. It might go up for special events like ceremonies. But the usual number of people living there is less than a few dozen.

The exact meaning of an outstation can be different. It depends on the region, the cultural group, and the state property laws. Generally, they are homes on land owned by Aboriginal people. They are often close to culturally important places. Most outstations have simple houses and a water source. They are usually very basic. The people living there often build them themselves. Most of these communities are in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland.

In official numbers, outstations are called "discrete indigenous communities." There are more than a thousand such communities in Australia. They mostly manage themselves.

A Look Back: Outstations in History

Historically, the word outstation meant a small shelter on large sheep or cattle farms called stations. These shelters were built on farms that were so big it took more than a day to travel across them. They had beds and food for stockmen (people who worked with livestock).

Why the Move? The Outstation Movement

During the 1970s and 1980s, many Aboriginal people started moving. They left the towns and missions where they had been living. They went back with their families to the areas where they grew up. There, they set up camps or homes. This big move became known as the outstation movement.

For most people, this was a way to return to their traditional way of life. They wanted to regain their autonomy (self-rule) and self-sufficiency (being able to provide for themselves). This movement grew after the Australian government started giving welfare benefits to Indigenous people. The government also began new policies. These policies encouraged self-determination and self-management for Indigenous communities. This was a big change from earlier government plans. Before, the government had tried to make Aboriginal people live like non-Aboriginal people. This was called cultural assimilation.

In October 1976, a government report said there were over 100 outstation communities. Most of them were in the Northern Territory. In Arnhem Land, there were about 55 outstations by the end of 1976. Each had about 30 people. About 30 more were in the southwest of the Northern Territory. These ranged from 15 to 100 people. The Northern Territory saw early success in the outstation movement. This was because the Aboriginal Land Rights Act was passed there in 1976. This was the first law in Australia to give land rights to Aboriginal people.

Today, there are more than a thousand outstation communities in Australia. About 500 are in the Northern Territory. Around one-third of all Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory live on outstations. Studies have shown that people living on outstations are often healthier than other Aboriginal people.