APY Lands - Welcome

The Australian Government and the South Australian Governments are upgrading 210 km of the Main Access Road between the Stuart Highway and Pukatja (Ernabella) in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

In addition, approximately 21 km's of community and airstrip access roads in Pukatja (Ernabella), Umuwa, Kaltjiti (Fregon), Mimili and Iwantja (Indulkana) also form part of the project.

The current main access road is in poor condition with sections of high corrugation and areas below the natural surface level resulting in flooding and inaccessibility at times.

This upgrade will require the road surface to be built up and reformed on the existing alignment; however minor realignments may be required on the adjacent natural surface to improve safety.

The improvements will provide a range of community benefits and will contribute to national and State Aboriginal Affairs policy objectives.

The project will also provide employment opportunities for Anangu in the local communities.

Key benefits include:

Safer travel between the communities
Improved delivery of food supplies
Improved emergency service access during poor weather
Improved access to training and employment opportunities
Improved living standards as a result of better services access
Additional community interaction and social exchange
Less wear and tear on vehicles
Less road flooding

The upgrade is being undertaken in three main stages:

Stage 1: Pukatja (Ernabella) to Umuwa (Double Tank)
Stage 2: Umuwa (Double Tank) to Mimili
Stage 3: Mimili to Iwantja (Indulkana)

These $156.8 million upgrades are jointly funded by the Australian (80%) and South Australian (20%) governments.

Contact the project team for further information.

Latest News

All upgrades on the 210km of the Main Access Road were completed in December 2021.

Sealing of floodways, Mimili Access, Mimili Airstrip Access, Kaltjiti (Fregon) Access and Kaltjiti (Fregon) Airstrip Access Roads were completed in December 2021.