Hermannsburg & Albert Namatjira

Hermannsburg was an Aboriginal mission settlement established in 1877 by Lutheran missionaries on the traditional lands of the Western Aranda people, 130km west of Alice Springs. The mission area was handed back to the traditional Aranda owners in 1982.

The Ntaria Indigenous community is adjacent & the Hermannsburg mission area is now a Heritage Precinct with 18 buildings & the old cemetery remaining.

You can walk around the whole precinct & explore almost every building. Impressive German knowhow in building the church, school, residenses & water supply to last a long time. One of the buildings built in 1887 is now used as the Kata-Anga Tea Rooms. Quite a surprise. Very basic but of course we took the opportunity to have a cuppa, sandwich & scones, jam & cream!

The  Hermannsburg School of Watercolour painting began here & one of the buildings has a collection of watercolours by Hermannsburg artists on display. Now the Hermannsburg Potters & Ntaria Art Group of silk painters continue the tradition of Aranda artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albert Namatjira was born in Hermannsburg & later built this house (now restored) for his wife & family on the banks of the Finke River nearby.