Tiwi and Gumatj strengthen First Nations forestry through
on-country knowledge exchange

By Hanna Lillicrap, Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub

Two Aboriginal owned forestry enterprises: Tiwi Plantations Corporation and Gumatj Corporation have come together in a landmark knowledge exchange to share expertise, strengthen cultural ties and build pathways for future Aboriginal-led forestry development across northern Australia.

TPC directors visit the Gumatj sawmill at Gunyangara to learn about native hardwood milling and product development.

TPC Deputy Chairman Gibson Farmer Illortaminni with recently produced hardwood bollards made from Darwin stringybark — a naturally durable, termite-resistant species also found on the Tiwi Islands.

TPC and Gumatj directors discuss native forest harvesting techniques during a visit to a Gumatj harvest site south of Nhulunbuy.

MAIN PIC: Tiwi and Gumatj directors and staff members at Gumatj office.  
All images courtesy FIANT

A landmark knowledge exchange between Tiwi Plantations Corporation (TPC) and Gumatj Corporation has brought together two Aboriginal-owned forestry enterprises from opposite sides of the Northern Territory to share ideas, culture, and experiences in forestry business development.

Supported by the Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub and with funding from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Northern Hub, the three-day exchange took place on Gumatj Country near Nhulunbuy in early September and marked the first formal meeting between the two corporations’ boards.

The visit is the first part of a two-way Forestry Business Model Exchange project, designed to build mutual understanding and open up opportunities for collaboration in forestry, training, and regional economic development.

Building knowledge on country

The Tiwi delegation of directors and community representatives travelled from the Tiwi Islands to Nhulunbuy to meet their Gumatj counterparts and tour local forestry operations.

For Tiwi, whose forestry business currently manage around 30,000 hectares of plantation estate, the visit provided a valuable opportunity to learn about native forest management, small-scale sawmilling, and value-adding to timber products.

“Bringing the TPC board and other stakeholders here has been a great opportunity to see the sawmill and give us ideas as to what we can do on our island,” said Kim Puruntatameri, Chairman of Tiwi Plantations Corporation.

“We’re keen to share knowledge and experiences with Gumatj and support Aboriginal involvement in forestry.”

Gumatj’s forestry business operates from a base in Gunyangara and processes Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) harvested from areas scheduled for bauxite mining. Timber is milled and manufactured locally into decking, flooring, bollards and other products for regional use and sale.

Participants toured the Gumatj sawmill, observing sawing, drying, and finishing processes, and later visited a harvesting site south of Nhulunbuy where pre-mining salvage operations were underway. The group also inspected mine rehabilitation areas at the Gulkula mine and the Garma Cultural Knowledge Centre, partially constructed from local timber, where participants learned about how Yolngu culture, language, and traditional design are incorporated into modern construction and education programs.

Inspiring future generations

For many Tiwi participants, the experience of seeing a working sawmill firsthand and understanding the potential for local processing was one of the most valuable parts of the exchange.

The visit also strengthened the focus on youth engagement and skills development. Directors from both corporations emphasised the importance of creating meaningful work opportunities that keep young people engaged in community life and connected to country.

“Tiwi have always been involved in forestry and the chance to visit Gumatj country and see what they do has been really great,” said Gibson Farmer Illortaminni, TPC Deputy Chairman. “Having our young people here with us helps to get everyone ready for the next stages of the plantation and keep the forestry business strong.”

Discussions during the visit highlighted the importance of training pathways through the Tiwi Islands Training and Employment Board (TITEB), which is currently delivering a Forestry Workforce Training Program supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. A separate project, commencing early next year, will train Tiwi people in native forest inventory, harvesting, and milling, a natural progression of the learning sparked by the Gumatj visit.

A shared vision for First Nations forestry

The exchange revealed how both communities are building forestry enterprises around their own cultural and environmental values. For Gumatj, native forest management supports local employment and resource use in balance with country. For Tiwi, plantation forestry provides a foundation for long-term economic independence, with aspirations to diversify into timber processing, training, and potentially native forestry in the future.

Discussions also touched on the potential for both groups to influence the direction of forestry policy in northern Australia — particularly as opportunities for small-scale sustainable native forestry expand in the wake of native forest closures in other states.

Elders from both communities noted the historical ties between the Tiwi and Yolngu peoples, including past connections through forestry. The visit allowed some directors to reconnect with extended family and strengthen cultural bonds alongside the professional exchange.

A return visit is now being planned for Gumatj board members to travel to the Tiwi Islands, where they will see plantation operations, meet training providers, and experience Tiwi culture firsthand. Storytelling, dancing and Tiwi football are expected to feature as part of the cultural exchange.

Looking ahead

Feedback from both corporations has been overwhelmingly positive. The Tiwi directors have since expressed strong interest in progressing local milling and product development opportunities based on what they learned in East Arnhem land.

The exchange has also opened the door to broader collaboration between First Nations-led forestry enterprises in the Northern Territory — sharing knowledge, building capability, and demonstrating the value of forestry as a sustainable industry for remote communities.

Both organisations agreed that this kind of direct, on-country collaboration is invaluable in strengthening business leadership, cultural understanding, and confidence in managing forestry enterprises. Both boards view this partnership as a step toward greater Aboriginal participation and leadership in forestry.

About the partners

  • Tiwi Plantations Corporation (TPC) is a 100% Tiwi-owned business managing around 30,000 hectares of plantation forestry on Melville and Bathurst Islands.
  • Gumatj Corporation, also 100% Indigenous owned, operates a native forest harvesting and sawmilling business on the Gove Peninsula in northeast Arnhem Land.
  • The project was supported by the Northern Territory Ord Valley Forestry Hub, one of eleven regional forestry hubs established under the Australian Government’s National Forest Industries Plan