Where is croker island

Minjilang is the name of the Aboriginal town on Croker Island, situated just off the Cobourg Peninsula, approximately km north-east of Darwin. Situated in the luminescent Arafura Sea, Croker Island is home to abundant wildlife and flora that inhabit the beaches, wetlands, swamps and native bushland.

Approximately people live on Croker Island, of whom are the only speakers of the Iwaidja language. Other major languages spoken are Mawng, Kunwinjku and English. Click on the map markers for more information.

Croker Island. Great deals on hotels in Darwin View all hotels in Darwin Great deals on attractions in Darwin View all attractions in Darwin Great deals on tours in Darwin View all tours in Darwin Find Accommodation. Location: Select Destination Hotel Name:.

Specify child ages as at time of travel? During their absence new cottage accommodation had been built. The government provided assistance with building costs.

Most of the cottages had concrete floors and were built from cypress pine timber. In an oral history interview Daisy Ingram, who worked as a cottage mother on the island, explained that the new cottages were named by the cottage mothers and some of the older girls while they were travelling back to the island.

Daisy's cottage was named Illawarra, after the area of New South Wales where the children had lived for 4 years. The other cottages were Reynella, named for the ship that brought the children back to Croker Island; Malila, meaning peaceful place in the language of New Britain; Seaview, named because it was the cottage with a view down to the bay; Somerset, named for its cottage mother, Margaret Somerville who had travelled with the children to Otford and back; Alcoomie, an Aboriginal word meaning 'very nice'; Victory, the cottage for the older boys, named for a lugger belonging to the CMS; and Deloraine, chosen later from an atlas.

A report from the Mission to the government noted that there were 35 boys and 57 girls present at the Mission, spread across the eight cottages. One cottage was used as a recreation hut, six were occupied by boys and girls up to the aged of 10 and one was occupied by boys aged 10 and over. The report described the cottage homes as follows:. Nine to ten children occupy each cottage and boys up to 10 years of age live in the cottages with the girls.

Boys over 10 years of age graduate to the boy's cottage. As far as possible, one of the Sisters lives in each cottage, but at least one Sister supervises two cottages and directs the activities of one of the older girls who acts as a cottage 'mother' or sub-matron.

This girl is responsible for the housekeeping, preparation of meals, laundry work etc. The aim is to develop a home atmosphere and to train the girls in home management. The Croker Island facility operated for over 20 years, with the last of the children leaving on 16 December Over those years many children from different areas of the Northern Territory were sent to the island by the Welfare Branch. Changes in policy, a move towards foster care and placement of children interstate, led to the closure of the Croker Island Mission.

It was replaced by the Somerville Cottage Homes, based in Darwin, the first of which opened in All except one of these cottages, which were located in suburbs of Darwin, took on the names of the Croker Island Cottages.