History

Nganmarriyanga Community was founded by the Wodidj famliy. In the period of initial contact with Non-Aborigines, before World War 2, this family group left the area as the men sought employment on cattle stations in North Western Australia.

They returned to nearby Port Keats Mission (Wadeye) some time after the war with the knowledge that their father's country was some distance away. They moved back to that area and began to build a community known as Palumpa. They cut local timber for houses and yards, built fences, hand dug trenches to pipe water from nearby creeks and ran cattle. These were sold to Port Keats and other nearby communities.

For a long time Palumpa Station was the only provider of services to the developing community of people. During the 1980s, as more people came to live at Palumpa, it was decided that the Station alone could not support the population. In 1985 Palumpa (now Nganmarriyanga) Community Inc. was formed as a local governing body for the community and funds were attracted for the purpose of building community infrastructure.

 
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