when was the wave hill walk off
The Wave Hill walk-off began on 23 August 1966 in the Northern Territory of Australia.
When Was the Wave Hill Walk-Off?
The Wave Hill walk-off, also known as the Gurindji strike , started on 23 August 1966, when around 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers, and their families walked off Wave Hill cattle station in protest. It is now recognised as a turning point in the Aboriginal land rights movement in Australia and is commemorated every August as “Freedom Day.”
Quick Facts
- Date it began: 23 August 1966.
- Location: Wave Hill cattle station near Kalkarindji (formerly Wave Hill), Northern Territory, Australia.
- Leaders: Gurindji elder Vincent Lingiari and about 200 Aboriginal workers and their families.
- Main reasons:
- Protest against low and unfair wages and poor living conditions.
* A stand to reclaim traditional Gurindji land from the station owners, the Vestey company.
Why It Still Matters Now
The walk-off evolved from a pay and conditions strike into a powerful land rights claim, helping pave the way for later laws such as the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976. Each year, people travel to Kalkarindji in August to re-enact the walk-off route and celebrate Freedom Day, keeping the story alive for new generations.
TL;DR:
The Wave Hill walk-off began on 23 August 1966 at Wave Hill cattle station in
the Northern Territory and became a landmark event in Australia’s Aboriginal
land rights movement.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
