Dhupuma Barker School unveils new hall to serve as heart of remote community

Remote North East Arnhem community Gunyangara has opened a new assembly hall at Dhupuma Barker School, creating a multipurpose hub for Yolngu children and the broader community.

Dec 10, 2025: More than 200 people gathered for the soft opening of the new Dhupuma Barker school, which includes an assembly hall designed to be a community hub for Gunyangara. Pic: Supplied.

The remote North East Arnhem community of Gunyangara has celebrated a major milestone with the opening of a new assembly hall for Yolngu children and adult learning at Dhupuma Barker School.

It comes as part of a broader school development and relocation to help accommodate the growth in student numbers.

Last week more than 200 members of the Gunyangara and Nhulunbuy community gathered for the soft opening of the new school facilities overlooking the community oval and Melville Bay.

Dec 10, 2025: More than 200 people gathered for the soft opening of the new Dhupuma Barker school, which includes an assembly hall designed to be a community hub for Gunyangara. Pic: Supplied.

It includes four new classrooms, including a Families as First Teachers room, a bunngul ceremonial ground, and space for additional rooms in the future.

The hall was designed to be the heart of the school and features a large multipurpose space with a covered basketball court, change rooms and administration space.

It will host school events as well as serve as a hub for the broader community.

Dec 10, 2025: More than 200 people gathered for the soft opening of the new Dhupuma Barker school, which includes an assembly hall designed to be a community hub for Gunyangara. Pic: Supplied.

Dhupuma Barker is an independent, bilingual school for kindergarten to year 6 students, with average attendance rates above 70 per cent.

It raised $10m through partnerships and fundraising for broader school development, and the federal government also contributed $2.2m towards the assembly hall.

Barker College Head Phillip Heath. Pic: Supplied.

“The completion of a community hall at Gunyangara is a magnificent achievement because it meets one of the prevailing gaps in remote education in Australia – adult learning opportunities,” Barker College head Phillip Heath said.

“Education for whole communities could be a game changer not only for children and their families but for everyone.”

Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said Dhupuma Barker had become “a pillar of the Gunyangara community” since it opened in 2021.

“(It provides) quality bilingual education to Yolngu children on country, who otherwise may have had to travel vast distances for their schooling,” she said.

Originally published as Dhupuma Barker School unveils new hall to serve as heart of remote community