Unity: Courage & Land Rights in Australian History

The Royal Australian Mint is proud to present the Unity collection, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Wave Hill Walk Off and the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

On 23 August 1966, Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari led approximately 200 Gurindji, Mudburra and Warlpiri people in a walk-off from Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory. What began as a protest against poor wages and harsh working conditions became one of the most significant events in Australian history, helping to place Aboriginal land rights firmly on the national agenda.

The Wave Hill Walk Off, also known as the Gurindji strike, was an act of extraordinary courage. The Gurindji people walked away from the only employment and housing available to them, knowing they faced uncertainty, hunger and possible retaliation. Yet they chose dignity, justice and connection to Country over continuing exploitation.

The Story in the Design

The design depicts the 1966 Wave Hill Walk Off and the path it forged towards the 1975 handover of land, and the Aboriginal Land Rights Act passed a year later. In the foreground, a gathering of Gurindji people stand together beneath the hot sun, their shadows stretching across the landscape as they set forth on the walk-off. Looking towards distant hills, the horizon transforms into the hand of Vincent Lingiari as he receives the hand-back of land on behalf of the Gurindji people.

The merging of hand and landscape symbolises the enduring connection between Traditional Owners and Country. Across the sky, the words of Vincent Lingiari shine as an everlasting reminder of the power of his leadership and vision.

The word UNITY is embedded within the overlapping shadows of the Gurindji community, reflecting the collective strength that comes from standing together in pursuit of justice.

Check Your Change

The 50c coin will also be released into circulation from August, so check your change to find this special commemorative coin.

The Gurindji Strike: Courage, Land Rights and a Turning Point in Australian History

For decades, the Gurindji people had lived and worked on Wave Hill station, which was owned by the British pastoral company Vestey Brothers. Aboriginal workers were essential to the cattle industry, yet they received only a fraction of the wages paid to non-Indigenous workers. Many were paid in rations of meat scraps, tea and sugar rather than proper wages. Families lived in basic humpies made from corrugated iron, often without floors, lighting, sanitation or adequate cooking facilities. Reports from the 1930s and 1940s documented widespread mistreatment, racism and poor living conditions. Over the eighty years that the pastoral industry controlled their lives, many Aboriginal people also experienced violence and dispossession.

In 1965, pressure from Aboriginal activists and unions led the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission to rule that Aboriginal pastoral workers should receive equal pay. However, the wage increase was delayed until 1968. For many Gurindji workers, the decision was deeply insulting. They had worked for generations on land that had always belonged to them, yet they continued to be denied fair treatment, recognition and control over their own Country.

When Vincent Lingiari asked for equal wages and was refused, the Gurindji people decided they had endured enough.

After walking away from Wave Hill, the Gurindji established a camp at Daguragu, also known as Wattie Creek, near important sacred sites. The move marked a turning point in the struggle. While many non-Indigenous supporters initially viewed the dispute as an industrial strike, the Gurindji made clear that the deeper issue was land rights.

The strike lasted almost a decade and became a defining moment in Australia's movement for Aboriginal rights and self-determination. It highlighted the experiences of thousands of Aboriginal people across northern and central Australia and forced many Australians to confront the reality of dispossession and ongoing injustice.

Unity

The significance of the Gurindji strike extended far beyond Wave Hill. It helped build national support for Aboriginal land rights and influenced major political change. When the Whitlam Government came to power in 1972, it committed to recognising Aboriginal land rights.

In 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam travelled to Daguragu and formally handed back a portion of Gurindji land to its traditional owners. During the ceremony, Whitlam poured soil into Vincent Lingiari's hands, creating one of the most powerful and enduring images in Australian history. The moment symbolised recognition, justice and the beginning of a new relationship between Australia and its First Nations peoples.

The Gurindji struggle directly influenced the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the first legislation in Australia to allow First Nations peoples to claim land rights based on traditional ownership.

More than fifty years later, the legacy of the Gurindji people continues. In 2020, native title over Wave Hill station was formally recognised for the Gurindji people, affirming the enduring connection between the people and their Country.

The story of the Gurindji strike is ultimately a human story — one of bravery, resilience and determination. The Gurindji people stood against injustice despite enormous personal risk. They walked away from hardship not knowing whether they would succeed, but believing that their land, culture and dignity were worth fighting for.

Their courage changed Australia forever.

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