Umuwa, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids UmuwaSouth Australia |
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 Umuwa
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 50-80 (?; est.) | ||||||||
| Established | 1991 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 0872 | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Giles | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||
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Umuwa is a special Aboriginal community located in the APY Lands of South Australia. It acts as an important central hub for six main communities and other smaller ones in the area. You can find Umuwa about 250 kilometers northwest of Marla and 460 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs.
Contents
History of Umuwa
Umuwa was created in 1991. It became the main place for managing services and government for the APY Lands. This move helped bring the leadership closer to the communities. Before this, many decisions were made from Alice Springs.
Kulilaya Festival: Celebrating Land Rights
In March 2024, Umuwa hosted the Kulilaya Festival. This event celebrated a very important milestone: the 40th anniversary of the 1981 APY Land Rights Act. This law gave Aboriginal people legal ownership of their traditional lands. The festival was delayed for three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Artists, musicians, and dancers shared their history and stories. The word kulilaya means "listen." It was also the name of a protest song sung often in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Groups like the Ernabella Choir and the Iwiri Choir still sing it regularly.
Many traditional inma ceremonies were performed at the festival. Important people from different parts of government also attended. Popular performers included Dem Mob, Docker River Band, the Iwiri Choir, Mala, the Pukatja Band, and Desert Rain.
Geography and Climate
Umuwa is located in a dry, desert area. It is about 250 kilometers northwest of Marla. It is also about 460 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs.
Time Zone in the APY Lands
The APY Lands follow Australian Central Standard Time (UTC+9:30) all year. This is the same time zone as Darwin. Unlike most of South Australia, the APY Lands do not use daylight saving time. This helps keep things simple because of their close ties to the Northern Territory.
Umuwa's Desert Climate
Umuwa has a hot desert climate. This means it has very hot summers with a little rain. Winters are mild and dry. The average high temperature is about 37.2 degrees Celsius in February. In June, it drops to about 19.5 degrees Celsius. The average low temperature is around 21.9 degrees Celsius in January. In July, it can get as low as 4.8 degrees Celsius.
The area does not get much rain, with about 216.1 millimeters per year. This rain falls over about 39.5 days. Umuwa is a very sunny place. It has about 171.8 clear days and only 66.1 cloudy days each year. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 49.0 degrees Celsius in January 1988. The coldest was -5.0 degrees Celsius in July 2012. Climate information for Umuwa comes from the nearby station at Marla.
| Climate data for Umuwa (27º18'00"S, 133º37'12"E, 323 m AMSL) (1985-2015 normals and extremes) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 49.0 (120.2) |
46.1 (115.0) |
44.5 (112.1) |
41.3 (106.3) |
34.9 (94.8) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
34.4 (93.9) |
38.9 (102.0) |
43.8 (110.8) |
45.0 (113.0) |
45.5 (113.9) |
49.0 (120.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 37.2 (99.0) |
35.9 (96.6) |
32.8 (91.0) |
28.6 (83.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.0 (68.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
27.0 (80.6) |
30.1 (86.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
34.9 (94.8) |
28.7 (83.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
17.9 (64.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.1 (43.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
20.2 (68.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
3.2 (37.8) |
5.4 (41.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 14.1 (0.56) |
30.5 (1.20) |
22.5 (0.89) |
12.2 (0.48) |
14.3 (0.56) |
13.1 (0.52) |
12.4 (0.49) |
7.3 (0.29) |
9.8 (0.39) |
19.4 (0.76) |
22.7 (0.89) |
38.6 (1.52) |
216.1 (8.51) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 39.5 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 19 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 35 | 38 | 34 | 27 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 26 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
5.8 (42.4) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
0.0 (32.0) |
0.1 (32.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.7 (38.6) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1985-2015 normals and extremes) | |||||||||||||
Life in Umuwa
Umuwa is the main administrative center for the six largest communities in the APY Lands. These communities include Amata, Pipalyatjara, Pukatja (also known as Ernabella), Fregon (or Kaltjiti), Indulkana, and Mimili. It also supports smaller communities nearby.
Population of Umuwa
In 2019, about 80 people lived in Umuwa.
Community Facilities and Services
Umuwa has a police station. As of 2020, a new, permanent police complex was being built. This new complex will house officers with special skills. It will also be a base for a mobile police unit. This unit will serve Fregon/Kaltjiti, Indulkana, and Pipalyatjara. The police will work with child protection groups. They will help address issues like child safety and family conflict. The government expected the complex to be finished by June 2021.
Mail arrives in Umuwa once a week by air. Supplies are delivered weekly by truck. Unlike some larger APY settlements, Umuwa does not have a general store.
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Services (AP Services) is based in Umuwa. This group was started in 1993. It provides important services like maintaining roads and housing. Regional Anangu Services Aboriginal Corporation (RASAC) was formed in 2010. It is now the largest employer of APY people. RASAC has its main office in Alice Springs and seven community depots. It provides many services, including housing, airport maintenance, building repairs, and community patrols. They also supply fuel and manage local services.
Nganampa Health is a health service run by the community. It is based in Umuwa. The NPY Women's Council also has an office there.
For state elections, a special mobile polling booth visits Umuwa. This allows people to vote for the Parliament of South Australia.
If you want to visit any community in the APY Lands, you need a permit. This is because these lands are owned by the Aboriginal people.
Media and Communication
PY Media is also based in Umuwa. They provide multimedia and radio services. They also help share information and offer media education. This supports all communities and groups in the APY Lands. Like most APY settlements, people in Umuwa can watch television from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Special Broadcasting Service.
Power and Utilities
Umuwa has worked to use clean energy. In 2003, a solar power station was completed. This station was expected to save a lot of diesel fuel. It would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions each year. In 2004, the facility had 10 large solar concentrators. Each one was 14 meters wide and made 20 kilowatts of electricity. The total power capacity was 200 kilowatts.
The solar farm was turned off in 2005. It was restarted on August 20, 2008, after a big upgrade. The refurbished concentrators could then make 715 megawatt hours of electricity each year. This was more than double its earlier capacity.
However, by February 2011, the solar farm was reportedly not working again. In June 2011, the South Australian Government confirmed it was "not operational." They decided to "mothball" it, meaning to store it for future use.
In August 2020, the government proposed a new plan. They wanted to install more solar panels and battery storage. This would save a million liters of diesel. This third solar power farm was being built in April 2021.
Umuwa's main power station supplies electricity to a wide area. It sends power through a 33 kV network across the APY Lands. Besides Umuwa, it powers communities like Amata, Iwantja, Kaltjiti, Mimili, Pukatja, Yunyarinyi, and Watinuma. Some of these communities are up to 170 kilometers away.
See also
In Spanish: Umuwa para niños
