Back to Balgo

Balgo is a community within the Halls Creek Shire of Western Australia, connected to the Great Sandy Desert and the Tanami Desert. The main language spoken is Kukatja and the community is managed by the Wirrimanu Aboriginal Corporation.

Outback Stores has a long history of working alongside the community, first managing the store from 2008 – 2019. The community was suffering from a lack of food security due to difficulties in running the store effectively. The store’s directors approached  Outback Stores and together they decided to prioritise strong governance practices and efficient operations.

After 8 years, all existing debt had been paid and impressively the store had accumulated $2 million in profit. The directors decided to put the profit towards building a new and improved supermarket for the community, and successfully applied for a  commercial loan of $2 million to complete the development. It was the first time an Aboriginal community had initiated and funded its own new store.

We have seen a lot of improvements already and the community is very happy. 

– William Mandijarra

The new supermarket opened in 2016 and included a larger range of food and general merchandise, with a new kitchen and takeaway facility focused on providing nutritious meals for the community.

In 2023 Outback Stores were again approached by the corporation to assist the community with the difficult logistics of maintaining food security and profitability in such a remote location.

Shortly afterwards a problematic wet season saw the community cut off from road transport for over four months.

During this time, Outback Stores coordinated the delivery of 20 tonnes of food via air freight, with the help of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA.

“We have seen a lot of improvements already and the community is very happy. The shelves were a bit empty but now it’s looking good. We’ve got more fresh food and vegetables,” says William Mandijarra, Chairperson of Wirrimanu Aboriginal Corporation.

The directors are looking forward to purchasing a community bus for funerals and sorry business, once the store starts making a profit again.

This story was first published in the Outback Stores Annual Report 2023-2024.