Uriarra Village
A community-title village at the foothills of the Alps — rebuilt after the 2003 fires, and still standing strong for its rural character.
A community-title village at the foothills of the Alps — rebuilt after the 2003 fires, and still standing strong for its rural character.
From a 1928 pine plantation workers' camp to Australia's only community-title village — Uriarra Village has always been defined by its people.
The village begins as a settlement for workers in the Uriarra pine plantation, at the foothills of the Australian Alps.
Sixteen of the village's twenty-three homes are destroyed. Fifteen families move away; nine choose to stay and rebuild.
The ACT Government funds new roads and infrastructure, and the village is re-established as a sustainable rural settlement.
Uriarra is formally recognised as a village — the only community-title village in Australia, where residents jointly own the roads, hall and community land.
Home to around 100 households, the village now leads opposition to the 520MW BESS battery proposal on neighbouring Uriarra Station.
Scenes from village life — the land, the wildlife, the history, and the fire that shaped the community.
Aurora australis over Uriarra.
Bright open pasture with scattered gum trees and distant hills under a vivid blue sky.
Beautiful flowers.
Wide open pastoral land with scattered trees, rolling terrain, and bright sky.
Light filtering through the tree canopy in the valley's green spaces.
Rural landscape with rolling hills, looking toward the Brindabella range.
Comet.
The valley landscape captured in the community's Messenger, a symbol of what we are fighting to protect.
A horse in the village paddocks.
The village and valley at dusk.
Village rural scenery.
Open country around Uriarra.
Rolling hills and bushland.
The valley through the seasons.
Looking toward the Brindabellas.
Bushfire Smoke.
The landscape residents are fighting to protect.
The village entrance sign.
Riding at the village dressage arena.
Two wombats crossing the road.
A wombat resting in the grass.
Kangaroos resting and feeding.
A baby wombat.
Horse at sunset.
A male Gang-gang Cockatoo feeding.
Gang-gang cockatoos in a eucalypt.
A Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo.
Three Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.
A ewe with two lambs.
Six Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.
Two lambs in tall grass.
Australian Wood Ducks — two adults, six ducklings.
An early community gathering outside the village hall.
Village history.
Riders at Uriarra Crossing — National Archives of Australia.
The early school — generations of valley children.
School days in the valley.
The school and its students — village living memory.
Tragically 70% of the homes were lost in 2003.
The firestorm reaches the village.
January 2003.
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