Based at the remote foothills of the stunning Western MacDonnell ranges, about 130 kilometres west of Alice Springs in Central Australia is the historic Hermannsburg (known by its Aboriginal name ‘Ntaria’) and the Hermannsburg Heritage Precinct.
Hermannsburg Mission was established by Lutheran missionaries in 1877 following an arduous 20-month journey from South Australia. Established on the banks of the Finke River, west of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), it was the first mission for Aborigines in Central Australia and the last surviving mission developed by missionaries from the Hermannsburg Missionary Society in Germany, under the influence of the German Lutheran community in South Australia.
It is the birthplace of the renowned artist Albert Namatjira, a pioneer of contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Whilst his western style landscapes differed to traditional Aboriginal art, he was not the first Aboriginal artist to work in a European style, although he is certainly the most famous. His fame led to Albert and his wife becoming the first Aborigines to be granted Australian citizenship.
The township itself is the home to about 700 people, and the hub for 37 regional outstations, or ‘homelands’.
Kata-Anga Tea Rooms – Kata-Anga
Kata-Anga is the name of the freshwater soak below the house site – Ingkarta Strehlow’s House – Built in 1897. Previously the site of the first church.
The Hermannsburg Kata Anga Tea Rooms is a place where you can enjoy morning tea, lunch, or afternoon tea, and soak up the atmosphere of this historic site in Strehlow’s House, a heritage building that is over 125 years old.
Old Church – Altjiraka iltha ingwia
Altjiraka iltha ingwia – God’s building old – Old Church – Built in 1896 – ‘Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.’
Colonists’ House – Urkabunabunaka iltha
Urkabunabunaka iltha – skilled workers’ house – Colonists’ House – Built in 1885 – Housed the married skilled workers, one room used as a school room for Aboriginal children prior to 1896.
Mess House Ration Store – Iltha marna errua lumaraka pa elalthakana
Iltha marna errua lumaraka pa elalthakana – house, food, tea, sugar and flour – Mess House Ration Store – built in 1903 – The western half was used as a hospital from 1935, Hermannsburg, NT.
Bakery and Dining Room – Marna etanha pa elkuntjika iltha
Marna etanha pa elkuntjika iltha – bread cooking and eating house – Bakery and Dining Room – built in 1947/48 – Built by Aranda workmen with recycled materials from World War II, Hermannsburg, NT.
Karaka iltha – Meathouse
Karaka iltha – meathouse – built in 1890s – Part of a longer building used to store and ration food for Aranda people, Meathouse – built in 1890s.
Isolation Ward – Mentaka iltha
Mentaka iltha – sick patient house – Isolation Ward – built in 1974 – A room with a view, Hermannsburg, NT.
Correspondence School – Walpala kaltjirtjaka iltha
Walpala kaltjirtjaka iltha (white persons’ learning house) – Correspondence School – built in 1896 – First used as a kitchen for the Aboriginal people then as a classroom for the white children, Hermannsburg, NT.
Schoolhouse – Aranda kaltjirtjaka iltha
Aranda kaltjirtjaka iltha (Aranda learning house) – Schoolhouse – built in 1896 – Carols and a reading primer were produced in Aranda in 1880, Hermannsburg, NT.
Rainwater Tanks – Kwatja kutilyala erkuna
Kwatja kutilyala erkuna (water tank holding) – Rainwater Tanks – built in 1927-1930 – A time of severe drought, Hermannsburg, NT.
Mortuary – Eralknga iltha
Eralknga iltha (death house) – Mortuary – built in 1936 – Many deaths occurred prior to a reliable source of water being secured, Hermannsburg, NT.
Namatjira’s abandoned vehicle door
This door was presented to the people of Hermannsburg by Roger Calwe MLA on September 3, 1988. The door was removed from Namatjira’s abandoned vehicle in a creek west of Hermannsburg approximately 25 years ago.
Elton Wirri
Elton Wirri
‘Wotia, It’s good to do this painting for my grandfathers country.’
Elton Wirri – ‘Wotia, It’s good to do this painting for my grandfathers country.’
For more information, check out the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct website.
Northern TerritoryCentral Australia Aileron Alice Springs Binns Track Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve Ernest Giles Road Finke Gorge National Park Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve Hermannsburg Historic Precinct Ilparpa Claypans Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve MacDonnell Ranges Mount Connor Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary Owen Springs Reserve Red Centre Way Drive Standley Chasm Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Watarrka National Park & Kings Canyon Wurre / Rainbow Valley