Kulkarriya Community School, founded in 1978, is situated on the Noonkanbah pastoral lease which was transferred to the Yungngora Association in 1976. Kulkarriya Community School first ran classes from the Noonkanbah shearing shed following a return to the station by many of its former station workers in 1976. With initial assistance from Strelley Community School, Kulkarriya started classes in 1978. It went on to establish out-station schools at Warrimbah and Millijidee in response to people moving back to country. The school’s current operations are centered on its campus in Yungngora Community, on Noonkanbah Station.

Native Title Determination

A major milestone in the history of Noonkanbah was its Native Title Determination which was ratified by the Federal Court at an on-country hearing at the woolshed on 27 April 2007. The consent determination followed a history of confrontation from the 1970s over land use in the area. The climax of the confrontation was the well publicised attempt by an American mining company to drill for oil at Pea Hill, a traditional sacred site for the local people. A blockade by the people of Noonkanbah at Mickey’s Pool attempted to stop the convoy of trucks resulted in a number of arrests. The drilling went ahead and no oil was found.