At last, Garma Institute comes to life

The Garma Institute in the Northern Territory is set to be built on the Gove Peninsula with worked estimated to be completed by 2028.

The education precinct, which has been a dream of Yolŋu leaders in Arnhem Land for many years is about t9 come to life.

Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden told there ABC this week construction of the Institute was set to start early next year.

“It’s a very emotive experience for us all,” Ms Bowden said.

The facility has received $6.4 million from the Federal government and further backing from the NT government and Woolworths.

Architects and Yolŋu elders have spent a number of years designing the Institute, which has been described as a ‘game changer’ and will partner with Charles Darwin University, which has also opened a new campus nearby.

Troppo Architects director Jo Best told the ABC it was a “great honour” to have been selected to help bring the Garma Institute to life.

“The design is very much driven by the place, in terms of embracing the natural characteristics of the site, engaging with the prevailing breezes that we see across the peninsula,” she said.