Kundat Djaru vs Lajamanu

Kundat Djaru and Lajamanu are remote First Nations communities located over 200km apart in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Lajamanu is much larger, with 605 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to 126 in Kundat Djaru. Residents in Lajamanu have far more local services, with 100% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a school, health services, and groceries. In contrast, Kundat Djaru is car-dependent and has no such amenities within a short walk. However, Kundat Djaru has a well higher typical First Nations personal income of $256 compared to $175 in Lajamanu, despite a far higher First Nations unemployment rate of 44.8% against 18.3% in Lajamanu.

Both areas are almost entirely lacking in public transport and parks within walking distance. While they share similar challenges, their cultural profiles differ, with First Nations languages far more common in Lajamanu, where 98.3% of people speak one. This high level of linguistic diversity is seen in both places when compared to the national figure, as both areas sit far above the Australian average.