60 Years since the Wave Hill Walk-Off

60 Years since the Wave Hill Walk-Off Michael Dean Mon, 24/08/2026 - 07:35 Today marks 60 years since the Wave Hill Walk-Off, when Vincent Lingiari and more than 200 Gurindji, Mudburra and Warlpiri people took a stand that would mark a turning point in the Aboriginal land rights movement. On 23 August 1966, stockmen, domestic workers and their families initiated strike action at Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory. What began on that day as a protest about pay and conditions became a powerful movement for land rights, justice and self-determination. After almost a decade of perseverance, the Gurindji people finally secured the return of a portion of their traditional lands. We all know that iconic image of then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring soil into the hand of Mr Lingiari at the historic hand back ceremony in August 1975. The Wave Hill Walk-Off and the Gurindji land handback helped lay the foundations for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (ALRA), landmark legislation that has transformed the recognition of land ownership in the Northern Territory. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the ALRA, the legacy of the Wave Hill Walk-Off continues