Getting There

Haasts Bluff, near the Aboriginal community of the Ikuntji and known also by same name Haasts Bluff which is approximatley 230 km west of Alice Springs in Northern Territory Central Australia.

Ikuntji, or Haasts Bluff as it is known, is home to mainly Luritja and Pintupi people of the central western desert. It lies 230 kilometres west of Alice Springs and is nestled within the spectacular West MacDonnell Ranges. To the north is Ulampawarru and Anyali (Mt Edward and Mt William), and to the south is the stunning Mereenie Bluff.

These small, remote places are served by a mail plane from Alice Springs and a flight with these is well worth it for the views on the way.

Travelling west from Alice Springs, it is possible to reach Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) with a four-wheel drive via the Namatjira Drive past Glen Helen Gorge, traversing the wide landscapes of West MacDonnell National Park.

From there a track leads to Papunya, a large community of Pintubi and Loritja people, that can also be reached by a better road that goes all the way to Kintore, near the Western Australian border.

All this land is part of Haasts Bluff Aboriginal Land Trust and permits are required to visit.

Haasts Bluff - photo link Photo © Ludo Kuipers, OzOutback

For a map of the region, click here

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Aboriginal Artists in Haasts Bluff

The Ikuntji Women's Centre at Haasts Bluff was opened in 1992 under the influence of then community president Ester Jugadai. Marina Strocchi, a then Melbourne based artist, was invited to run the centre and the women began producing acrylic painting on linen and handmade paper that quickly earned the centre an impressive international reputation. Today about 15 key artists exhibit around Australia and overseas where their work is held in public galleries and private collections. Bush trips organised by the centre are important to the artists and their work. These trips are a source of inspiration for their paintings as well as an opportunity for artists to get back to their country, go hunting and affirm traditional links with the land.

Key painters to have emerged from Ikuntji are:

• Marlee Naparrula
• Narputta Nangala
• Daisy Napaltjarri Jugadai
• Alice Nampitjinpa
• Eunice Napanangka Jack
• Mitjili Naparrula
• Long Tom Tjapanangka

Short biographies are available on the Ikuntji artists pages, while the book "Ikuntji: Paintings from Haasts Bluff 1992-94" by Marina Strocchi is an excellent reference (available from our online shop).

Courtesy aboriginalartonline all rights ©

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