Rio Tinto Gove

21/08/2026

☕Some of the staff who support our Gove operations and closure activities also work in Rio Tinto’s Brisbane hub, which is where we spotted this modern artefact.

It’s a branded item from the site’s Nabalco days, and if you can read the fine print it says, “The glaze on this mug contain 9% recycled Bauxite residue from the Gove Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia.”

Nabalco stands for the North Australia Bauxite and Alumina Company and they were the first to operate on the site back in the 60's.

Alcan purchased the operation in 2001, which coincided with the
30-year anniversary of the township of Nhulunbuy and Rio Tinto has mined bauxite in the region since 2007.

13/08/2026

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮

On 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟲 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 we'll be carrying out essential maintenance on the electrical network, which will involve a power outage across the Gove Peninsula 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟴𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟰𝗽𝗺.

Maintenance is important to ensure ongoing reliability.

Please plan and prepare in advance. Telstra services will not be impacted however the outage will impact town water supply pumps. Measures will be in place to ensure availability of water, but we ask everyone to minimise their water use during the power outage.

For queries, please reach out to the Gove Communities team at 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀@𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼.𝗰𝗼𝗺.

13/08/2026

Meet Pete!
Pete is a mechanical diesel fitter out at the mine and is the president of the Nhulunbuy Pets and Wildlife Shelter (PAWS) alongside his wife, daughter, and committee members.
Pete came to Gove in 2006 and has been volunteering with PAWS since 2008. Over the years, he’s quietly put in many hours doing everything from feeding, walks, and maintenance to coordinating volunteers and adoptions. Alongside his wife, daughter, and committee members, they all dedicate their time to caring for, and rehoming dogs and cats who need a second chance.
PAWS runs the town’s much-loved off leash dog area, plus a dog wash and boarding services – all of which is made possible entirely by volunteers. Anyone can help out, and support is always needed.
Thanks to the support of the RioGivers program, PAWS recently completed a brand new shelter in the off leash area. This new space gives dogs (and their humans) a safe, shaded place to play and connect.
RioGivers matches employee donations, so if there’s a cause close to your heart, it’s a great way to make your support go even further.
We’re incredibly grateful to Pete and his family, we’re proud to have them in our team at Rio, and appreciate what they do for our community.

07/08/2026

With statistics showing that 1 in 5 men are likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and knowing a family history increases the risk that someone might develop the cancer, we thought it was worth starting a conversation this week that could just save someone’s life.

We met crews at the gate, literally, offering a locally baked pie and a quick chat before work, then invited others to a Gove Inclusion Collective hosted lunch and learn session where both speakers were survivors of prostate cancer.

The good news is that prostate cancer has one of the highest survival rates of all cancers, with 95.8% of men likely to survive five years or more. More than 290,000 Australian men are alive today after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

If you’re over 45, talk to your doctor about PSA testing. It’s a simple blood test.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

We’ve been privileged to be part of Garma Festival for many years and our team members always return to work with stories about incredible people they met and moments that truly humbled them.

We recognise that our role in the region is evolving. Traditional Owners will lead decisions about the future of their land, and our role is to support their vision while helping to create the conditions for long-term success.

Garma 2026 was an important opportunity to listen, learn and engage respectfully, while supporting Yolŋu leadership and community aspirations for the future.

Garma Festival

29/07/2026

We’re excited to partner with Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation on the expansion of the Barawun Centre in Yirrkala, creating more opportunities for Yolŋu people to access culturally appropriate training, mentoring and employment pathways.

It’s another way we’re proactively working to develop local capacity and resilience well before mining ends in 2029.

The expansion project builds on the Barawun Centre's important work supporting a growing number of community members to upskill, undertake training and connect with meaningful employment opportunities.

It’s a great opportunity to work together to prepare for the future.

20/07/2026

Recognising the pressures locally, we were happy to share we’re releasing 10 rental properties to help support essential local service delivery at the recent Gove Futures Community Update. We also gave an update on the community programs and initiatives we’re delivering to help develop capability among local organisations and businesses as we get closer to the end of mining.

These include sponsoring organisations like DEAL with training to support small business, continuing the discounted utilities rates for some clubs and other non-profit groups (like the Boat Club, the Golf Club, the Christian College, East Arnhem Blues Society and NEAL) and supporting the development of alternate industries, through site visits and asset tours, and new feature films.

We also spoke about town works activities, with two more intersections to be upgraded this year, in two sections of Chesterfield Cct. Another 5 intersection upgrades are being considered for 2027.

Visit the Community Update tab on the Gove Futures website for the slides shared at last week's event. https://govefutures.nt.gov.au/gove-futures-community-update

16/07/2026

It was great to join other members of the Gove Peninsula Futures Reference Group this week for a Community Update, sharing news on work underway to support Nhulunbuy and the broader region through the transition beyond mining.
Our General Manager Shannon Price announced that we’ve secured agreement on a proposal to release 10 houses to the rental market this quarter and we’re looking for approval to hand over another 15 properties by the end of the year, to do our part in helping address current housing constraints.

That means 25 homes could be added to the market, supporting essential services, local organisations and the people who help keep the community running. We’re proud to work alongside others on practical steps for the region’s future while still ensuring we have enough accommodation options for our own people, with mining operations continuing for the next three years. And, we’ll continue to work closely with our GPFRG partners on other housing opportunities into the future.

09/07/2026

🎬 To make sure as many members of our Gove community understand why some of our mining and per-mining activities may seem more visible, we've produced a local language version of our previously released video.

As our mine plan progresses, there will be more visible activities in certain areas around Gove, including near recreational spaces and public roads. They're being carried out within our approved mining lease and we continue to work with Traditional Owners and other stakeholders to ensure all required approvals are sought prior to works going ahead, because we're committed to operating responsibly, protecting the environment, respecting cultural heritage, and minimising disruption to the community.

Please reach out to members of our Communities team for more information.