Aboriginal People and Groundwater
Traditional Aboriginals largely relied on lagoons, springs, rockholes and shallow unlined wells for their water supplies.
Due to the importance of water for their survival, especially in the inland regions of the NT, many watering points have been incorporated into their Dreamtime stories.
Many people still lead a partially traditional lifestyle so these sites and stories are an important part of their culture. Dreamtime stories tell of the creation and events about that particular waterhole.
A permanent rock hole in Central Australia.
At some rock holes which contain clean water
custom requires that people sip the water without
using their hands, for hygienic purposes.
Permanent settlements have now replaced the former nomadic lifestyle with many communities ranging up to over a thousand people, most of these settlements rely on groundwater tapped with bores.
Typical water supply for a remote aboriginal
settlement in Central Australia
