ABOUT WARALUNGKU ART CENTRE

My Name is Madeleine Dirdi. I have three kids, 2 girls, 1 boy and I work at the art centre here in Borroloola as an assistant coordinator. I enjoy working in the arts industry because its really important that someone like me helps old artists who don't know about copy right and money business. So when those matters arise we give support to our elders. My other jobs are cataloging, ordering and takeing artists out bush to collect more stuff for their work. I like fishing, camping out bush, playing basketball and listening to dreamtime stories.

Waralungku Art Centre(pronounced Wharr Ral Loonghu) began operating in 2003 and is currently located straight across from the Borroloola Caravan Park.

As you are driving into town you will notice that you have passed the local shop called Gulf Mini Mart which is on your left and also the local pub which is on your right. A couple of meters down the road there on your left straight across from caravan park is the art centre.

The word" waralungku " represents all of the language groups of the Borroloola Region and is also the place name for the Burketown crossing on the Mcarthur River, the crossing on the main road just outside of Borroloola. It is also associated with the Hill Kangaroo Dreaming and an imprint of its feet, tail and hind quarters are located at this site.

Borroloola is situated 70 to 80 kms inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria, 250kms west from the Queensland border. Its country is mainly hilly and billabongs with a spring right next to one of the camps and the Mcarthur river running beside the township.

The art centre has two workers, coordinator Peter Callinan and I myself as an Assistant Coordinator. When the art centre began doing business we started under a big shed type building. A year later we moved to a better building with better facilities. In the centre there is art on sale from four different clan groups of the region.

The art style in the centre represents over 40 different artist from the Yanyula, Garrawa, Gudanji and Marra languages. Some of our artists normally paint about dreamtime stories which were passed down to them from their elders. But others like to paint favourite scenery out bush .We also sell products like didgeridoos, basketworks, jewellery, coolamans and woodcarvings.

All paintings are on acrylic on canvas some are on various other objects such as sea turtle shells, longnecked turtle shells, shortnecked turtle shells and dugong bones.

This year we attended the Sydney Aboriginal & Oceanic Art Affair and the Desert Mob in Alice Springs. We entered artists such as Gordon Landsen , Stewart Hoosan and Nancy McDinny. Only Stewart Hoosan was chosen.

The highway to Borroloola is all bitumen from Daly Waters or Highway Inn and you don't require a permit as some places do.

Contact Details Waralungu Art Centre Borroloola Tel 08 89758677
Mobile # 0427758677
Email AddressWaralunga Art Centre