Utju (Areyonga)

Areyonga, known locally as Utju, is nestled in a spectacular valley in the western end of the MacDonnell Ranges, about 100km from Hermannsburg and 240km west of Alice Springs. Its population of 235 residents predominantly speak Pitjantjatjara, having originally come from the Petermann Ranges in the 1920s when Anangu were forced to leave the Docker River area during a long running drought. For this reason Areyonga is in the Iyarrka Ward of the MacDonnell Regional Council despite its immediate proximity to Western Arrernte communities.

Research Partner   Co-Researchers
Videos and Gallery
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240km west of Alice Springs

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Pitjantjatjara people

Ladies at work in the Areyonga Art Centre
Starlink satellite receiver (left) in Utju amongst other satellite equipment
235
population (ABS 2021)
89.4%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders (ABS 2021)
50
occupied dwellings; 6.1 people per ATSI household (ABS 2021)

Research Partner

MacDonnell Regional Council

MacDonnell Regional Council (MRC) was established in 2008 and includes 13 major remote communities, as well as outstations and numerous enterprises in the pastoral, tourism and mining industries.

Co-researcher Amos Donald, Lyndon Ormond-Parker, Utju Community Service Coordinator Beatrice Ker and Customer Service Officer Nicky Zimran

Local Research Team

Community co-researchers are employed in each community to support research activities and contribute research findings between site visits. These roles provide local jobs and support capacity building.

Community co-researchers play a central role in the research, liaising between the research team and the local community, providing cultural guidance to the research team, acting as translators, facilitating research activities, identifying possible participants and communicating information to community members.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to the support of our Punmu co-researchers and research partners:

Mary Ebatarinja

Co-Researcher

Daniel and co-researcher Amos Donald completing a survey with Caesar Dixon, the lead singer of James Range Band
Lyndon Ormond-Parker completing surveys with local residents

Photos from research activities

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Mapping the Digital Gap

Mapping the Digital Gap is the first extensive study of digital inclusion and use of media and communications services in remote First Nations communities across Australia. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the project is providing data to help measure progress on Closing the Gap Target 17, which aims for equivalent levels of digital inclusion for First Nations people by 2026.

Mapping the Digital Gap is a partnership project between the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) and funding partner Telstra, as part of the Australian Digital Inclusion Index research suite. The research team also partner with local First Nations organisations and co-researchers to undertake on-site research annually in participating communities.

Learn more