History

Maningrida was established as a trading post and rations depot in 1947 by Syd Kyle-Little, a Patrol Officer working for the then Commonwealth Dept of Native Affairs. Maningrida became a permanent Welfare Department settlement from 1958, partly to quell the post-war migration of Aboriginal people from the Blyth and Liverpool Rivers regions into Darwin. Patrols went out to spread the word and encourage people to move into the settlement. Within a few years many people from the surrounding area lived in Maningrida.

People from a variety of language groups around the district congregated at Maningrida to experience the trading post and the things it provided. The town continues to expand, although from the early seventies many people moved back to their traditional homelands, away from the concentrated population at Maningrida. This trend continued for a few years, although now because Maningrida has become a major regional service centre, people are spending less and less time in the homelands, particularly during the Wet season.

Maningrida Council was originally established in the 1970's, becoming a recognised Incorporated Council under the NT Associations Act in 1982.

In 2005 Council adopted a new Constitution, which now conforms to the amended NT Associations Act of 2004, together with the NT Local Government Act.

Today, with a population of 2,600, Maningrida is the second largest Aboriginal community in the NT after Port Keats (Wadeye).

 
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