About us

Nulungu Research Institute is based at the Broome (Yawuru Buru) Campus of The University of Notre Dame Australia in the Kimberley region. Our research, outreach and training is underpinned by cultural security. Since our inception in 2008, Nulungu has been widely recognised as an institute of Indigenous research excellence that meets the local, regional and national research requirements of Indigenous people and their communities. We have built our reputation on a successful record of high quality and impactful work on complex issues.

The underlying approach of Nulungu’s applied research program positions Indigenous people and communities at the centre of our research endeavours and ensures that the value of community-based Indigenous knowledge is recognised and applied to meet the objectives of our partners. We call this The Nulungu Way. Fundamentally, the Nulungu Way respects traditions that underpin Aboriginal community resilience to create a better future for the people of the Kimberley and beyond.

Nulungu has conducted collaborative research and evaluations on many complex projects in remote and regional Western Australia and at a national level. Researchers at Nulungu are highly experienced at leading the research process, identifying key factors to be addressed, establishing critical ways to meet project aspirations and priorities, managing multi-disciplinary research teams, providing qualified advice, managing the often divergent views of participants, and developing strategies to manage and address these complexities. These aspects are always undertaken with the partner objectives being paramount to the conduct of research.

Members of the Nulungu team offer expertise and skills in the following fields:

• Indigenous engagement and consultation through the valuing of community-based Indigenous knowledge;
• social and cultural research and planning, particularly in Indigenous governance, capacity building and community infrastructure needs;
• Native Title and Indigenous cultural heritage;
• Caring for Country (cultural and natural resource management) with an emphasis on Indigenous sustainable development, cultural security and enterprise innovation;
• policies relating to Indigenous people with an emphasis on local and state government service delivery models and land tenure, land access, and land use arrangements;
• evaluation of complex projects, programs and issues;
• education and training including primary, secondary, and tertiary sector provision in addition to vocational education and training (VET) and higher education; and
• translation of research outcomes for meaningful and impactful implementation by community.

The Nulungu research team is a multi-disciplinary group of people who are primarily drawn from Broome and the Kimberley region, who also draw on the expertise and skills of associates located elsewhere across the nation where necessary.

The back story

Nulungu is the name of a waterhole on Roebuck Plains, near Broome, which was a significant meeting place for neighbouring language groups in pre-colonial times. The Nulungu Research Institute incorporates the idea of sharing knowledge on Country; respecting deep foundations of cultural governance, cultural practice and history, while  addressing important issues of relevance to community today.

Notre Dame's Broome Campus is located on the site of the former Nulungu Girls College that was founded in 1974 by the Sisters of St John of God and the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.

The Christian Brothers’ College for boys in years 6-10 was established three years earlier, on an adjacent parcel of Broome Diocesan land. Both colleges catered for day students from Broome as well as providing boarding facilities for Aboriginal students from remote Kimberley communities.

The two schools combined in 1980 to form Nulungu College. The school was initially administered by two co-principals and boasted 23 buildings, a chapel and a sports oval. Nulungu College provided students with an opportunity to share and celebrate the diversity of their cultural heritage and learn from one another.

More changes occurred in 1995, when Nulungu and St Mary’s Primary School amalgamated under the banner of St Mary’s College. The eastern side of the campus, including many former Nulungu College classrooms and the boarding facility, was taken over by the University of Notre Dame Australia in an arrangement with the Bishop of Broome.

The Nulungu Research Institute was named with the permission of Yawuru Traditional Owners of Country and acknowledges the important work of the early educators and the significant cultural connection to the Aboriginal people who bestowed the name.

See our Nulungu Research Institute Brochure