Living and working in a remote First Nations community can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You’ll learn about First Nations cultures and languages, explore unique landscapes and connect with local communities. There will also be challenges and a variety of new things to navigate.

To help you prepare, we’ve compiled some of the top things you need to know before embarking on your ALPA adventure in a remote community.

Jump to section:

• Get to know where you're going
• Travel to community
• Climate
• Understanding and respecting culture
• Permits
• Restricted areas

Get to know where you're going

Living in a remote location is very different from living in an urban setting. Housing may be more basic, and amenities like running water, electricity, and internet access might be less unreliable than mainstream Australia. For example, Telstra is the only network provider that works in community. Access to services such as healthcare and shopping are also limited.

So, how can you prepare?

ALPA recruitment trips

If you’ve never been to a remote community before, it’s hard to know what to expect. That’s why ALPA runs recruitment trips out to some of our operations in our communities, giving you firsthand experience of remote life. This way you can make a well-informed decision about whether the lifestyle is right for you.

Travel to community

Most of the communities ALPA operate in are only accessible via a small 4-6 seater plane. You often can’t drive to these locations due to flooding and inaccessible roads. Our recruitment trips give you a chance to fly in a small charter plane, so you can make sure you’re comfortable with this unique mode of transport before you start your new role.

Climate

The Top End (northern NT and Far North Queensland) has a warm tropical climate and two distinct seasons – the wet season and the dry season. The wet typically runs from November to April, and the dry between April and October.

Both seasons are spectacular in their own way. During the wet, you’ll get to experience monsoonal rains, tropical storms, and watch the land turn green and come alive. This is also one of the best times to go fishing.

On the other hand, the dry season offers up cooler temperatures, clear skies and sunny days.

This unique climate does mean that it can get extremely hot in our communities. You could be contending with temperatures well into the 40° range, and humidity up to 80%. So you’ll want to be able to handle the heat!

Understanding and respecting culture

One of the most important parts of living and working in a remote community is understanding and respecting the local culture.

Even within a group of people, such as the Yolŋu people, there is huge diversity in languages, customs and traditions. For example, the Yolŋu people speak several different languages and have distinct cultural practices depending on their Moiety, skin group and region.

Community members are often eager to share their way of life with you. Go in with an open mind and be willing to listen and observe. By putting in the effort to learn about the culture of the community you’re in, you’ll find it easier to integrate and build connections with the people around you.

Permits

To travel into Aboriginal communities, you need a permit because these areas are Aboriginal land. This land has been returned to traditional owners under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. ALPA will organise permits for you when you first start your role.

Even if you have a permit to travel into communities, the community may be closed at short notice. This might be due to a death or for cultural reasons. We recommend checking with the relevant Land Council before travelling. 

Land councils: 

• Northern Land Council
• The Central Land Council
• Alindilyakwa Land Council (Groote Eylandt)
• Tiwi Land Council

Restricted areas

While you might have a permit to be in a particular community, it’s important not to wander too far unless you know where you’re allowed to go, or are invited by a community member. 

Ask for advice about restricted areas you may not be able to enter, as they may be a ceremony, funeral or sacred site. Wandering into an area you aren’t meant to be in can cause offense and distress, so it’s best to check before you start exploring.

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