The Larrakia Rangers are a long-running, urban-based Aboriginal ranger group.
With income coming from both commercial enterprise and grant funding (primarily the Indigenous Land & Sea Corporation and the Department of Environment, Parks & Water Security), our 13 rangers work across Larrakia land and sea country, which comprises the greater Darwin region west across the Cox Peninsula and east to the Adelaide River.
The ranger group differs from other ranger groups in that much of the effort is directed to commercial work and employment and training.
The Larrakia do not own any land under the western system so we work in partnership with landholders to care for Larrakia country.
Commercial work
Larrakia rangers carry out a wide variety of commercial work for clients in line with their training and experience. Some of the types of commercial work we do are:
- Weed control
- Erosion control
- Grounds maintenance
- Revegetation
- Fencing
- Signage
- Crocodile monitoring
- Marine megafauna spotting
- Fish surveys
- Wildlife trapping
- Water quality sampling
- Park maintenance
- Biodiversity research/monitoring
- Shorebird monitoring
We have a range of clients, many of which subcontract with the Department of Defence, NT Airports and Biosecurity. Consequently, we have to meet strict industry standards with regards to safety environment and quality. A lot of the landowners in Darwin are government agencies and we work for a variety of them at all levels of government.
Contact us for more information about our commercial work ranger.manager@larrakia.com
Community work
Larrakia rangers also work on community priority projects. We work on sites with cultural and natural heritage significance to local Aboriginal people, including Stokes Hill, Howard Springs, Mindil Beach and Emery Point.
We also help to maintain a number of grounds of buildings and community spaces, such as Bagot Community Centre (managed by Larrakia Nation) and One Mile Dam.
We also participate in community clean-up days on the town camps and project manage the annual Darwin Harbour Clean-Up.
Training and employment
Larakia Rangers primarily employ young Aboriginal people. We therefore have a strong focus on training and workplace readiness, which may include assistance with obtaining a Drivers’ Licence or other relevant qualifications. All rangers participate in training for a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management, as well as training relating to specific projects.
Where possible training is linked to the work Rangers are doing at the time, or to up and coming projects. This gives more relevance to the training and gives the rangers hands on experience with real work activities. Rangers are also exposed to traditional knowledge and learn about Larrakia country with Larrakia elders. Some of our recent training includes:
- Animal and plant identification workshops.
- Bird watching and counting workshops.
- Beach debris collection procedures,
- Basic computer skills
- Team leadership
- Spear and didgeridoo making
- Mentoring programs
- Driving lessons
- Marine work site OH&S
- Chainsaw operations
- Coxswains
- First Aid
- Fisheries Compliance
Our rangers are often a pathway into external employment in the industry, such as cross-cultural training, tourism, mining, government and marine services.
