Murwangi Community Aboriginal Corporation tourist venture |
| Sub Category: | Commercial Agreement |
| Place: | North east Arnhem Land |
| State/Country: | Northern Territory, Australia |
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| Subject Matter: | Sports and Physical Recreation | Fishing | Tourism |
| Summary Information: | |
| Murwangi Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC) tourist ventures involved buffalo, feral bull and pig hunting and limited sport fishing. Safari hunters paid a daily fee to MCAC for hunting and paid a trophy fee per animal, with the exception of feral pigs. Sport fishing also attracted a daily fee. The motivation for the safari operations was to secure a ‘premium return from a small but well paying client group’. The tourist operations were assisted by regular air flights to and from Ramingining, 30 kilometres to the north of Murwangi pastoral station, the centre of the tourist operations. A 15 minute flight took tourists from Raminginging to the Station. |
| Detailed Information: | |
| MCAC operates over an area of 3,000 square kilometres of savannah woodland and wetlands. Clients were predominantly groups of male businessmen who stayed in self-contained tourist accommodation. Forty per cent were Australian, the rest international tourists. MCAC conducted five to six hunts per year. There was also the potential for safari crocodile hunting.
Some tension had been felt between the interests of the commercial hunting venture and the rights of the Traditional Owners to hunt their own resources in their country, even though some traditional owners supported the commercial enterprise.
After the MCAC manager left at the end of 2000 the tourist venture eventually collapsed and ceased operation. | |
