Island Profile
Yarrparr is used by Traditional Owners as a garden island because of its rich soils and proximity to Poruma. Shell middens found on the island are an important cultural mark of past use. Thertherpemm (garden boundaries), wells and baler shells built and used in the past are still present on the island, and we continue to cultivate the rich soils for growing plants. There are a recorded 50 species of plants found on Yarrparr (and Uttu) that have a cultural value or use, many of which are abundant and regenerating (such as gasi, kurad, guraigur, kubi, pitader, komak, gurrawad and pulla). The island is also a nesting site for wunuwa (hawksbill turtle) and waru (green turtle).
We sustainably harvest, collect and use many of the resources on Yarrparr and its surrounding reefs, including waru kakur (turtle eggs), urui kakur (seabird eggs), kayar (crayfish), kabar (trochus), beche-de-mer, karbai (eastern reef egret), dugong, gasi (arrowroot) and other plants. In the past, Yarrparr was also used for the local commercial harvest of bechede-mer and trochus. Timber was also harvested for local use and the beche-de-mer industry.