BULLA CAMP PRIMARY SCHOOL

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL

Location & Climate
Bulla Camp is situated on the Victoria Highway 340km west of Katherine. It is an excision from Auvergne Station. The nearest small town is Timber Creek, a distance of 60km east of Bulla Camp along the Victoria Highway. Kununurra is also within reasonable proximity being 170km to the west along the Victoria Highway and with the time differences between states is often a preferred location. Kununurra is a modern town with all services. Kununurra has Coles and IGA supermarkets as well as National and Commonwealth bank branches. Bulla camp is situated on the East Baines River and is close to the Victoria River and Gregory National Park, both major tourist attractions. Bulla Camp experiences the Wet and Dry seasons. The annual rainfall is approximately 800-1000mm and temperatures range from Dry season overnight lows of 10oC through to build-up daytime
highs of 40oC.

Communication & Travel
Bulla Camp has clear satellite TV and radio reception, Two way Satellite internet, telephone at the school. Teachers residences have satellite TV and Radio and telephone landline .Bulla is in the Kununurra exchange so call charges are based on Western Standard Time with Pastoral calls available throughout the KNX exchange. Internet speeds via the telephone lines are in the range of 19.2 Kb. Road access to Bulla Camp is via the sealed Victoria Highway. This can be subject to flooding after heavy wet season rains. The highway is often cut at Victoria River Inn which stops access to Katherine for long periods. However the highway is rarely cut west of Bulla so access to Kununurra is possible most of the time Under normal circumstances a conventional vehicle is adequate although a
4-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended for off road use. The school has an allocated Personnel Carrier to support school based activities, petrol and diesel can be purchased in Timber Creek although this can be very expensive.

Accommodation & Living Conditions

Teacher accommodation at Bulla Camp consists of a three bedroom house and a two bedroom flat. They are separated from the school yard by a fence. They have airconditioning in one bedroom and the living room only and contain basic furnishings which include white goods, beds, dining and lounge suites. Basic gardens have been established around the dwelling perimeters and reticulation and vegetable garden beds are being established at the time of writing. Visiting staff often camp in the school although accommodation and meals are available in Timber Creek 60 km away.

Community

The majority of people in the community are on CDEP and work to keep the community well maintained. There are a number of CDEP workers who travel to Timber Creek on a daily basis to work a the Nali-wurru Jarru Resource Centre which coordinates and supports all communities in the district west of Timber Creek. The Pentecostal Church has a permanent Pastor in the community. Mail and freight comes by road to Timber Creek every weekday. The principal generally picks up the mail from Timber Creek twice a week. It is also possible to catch the Greyhound Pioneer or McCafferty's buses from the Bulla Camp turnoff if pre-arranged. There is a Health Clinic staffed by Aboriginal Health workers and managed by the Katherine West Health Board. The Clinic is also supported by a visiting doctor based in Timber Creek and other allied health services coordinated through Katherine West Health Board. A store with limited supplies, operates at the community. A permit is required for Non-Indigenous people who visit the community and as the community is DRY no alcohol is permitted. Mechanical services are available at Timber Creek along with accommodation.

Features

Bulla Camp School is a two teacher school. Bulla
Camp has an approximate enrolment of 40 students ranging from Preschool to Year 7. A mobile preschool pilot was established in 2002 to provide increased educational opportunities for the community. A secondary pilot at Timber Creek was established in 2003 in response to community requests. Sixteen students from Bulla Camp travel daily to Timber Creek by bus to attend secondary classes which now caters for approximately thirty students. The school has an active school council and ASSPA committee and parents are very interested in the education of their children. The school liases closely with the Katherine West Health Board and other government agencies such as the NT police to provide a high level of pastoral care to its students. An orchard is in the process of being established (2003) and the school grounds are being reticulated using drip irrigation and remodelled according to permaculture principles.

Attractions in the area

Bulla is quite close to the Big Horse Creek boat ramp (50km) which
provides access to the Victoria River. Barramundi fishing is excellent in the Victoria River straight after the wet season and during the build up. A boat is needed to make the best use of fishing opportunities however. Gregory National Park and Keep River National Park are close by. Both provide wilderness camping experiences and Keep River in particular has some superb examples of rock art. Further west access can be gained to the lower Keep River via Kununurra and Spirit Hills station. Access to beaches
east of Cambridge gulf in the Cape Domett, Needles area is gained via Kununurra and Carlton Hill station (permits are required)Camping facilities are non existent in these areas and visitors need reliable 4wd vehicles. Bulla is also very close to many of the major East Kimberley attractions. Lake Argyle and Kununurra are only two hours drive away and Purnalulu national park and El Questro station are about four hours drive from Bulla. El Questro is at the northern end of the Gibb River road a major 4WD tour route that traverses the Kimberley from Wyndham to Derby famous for its 11 metre high tides. Even most of the major attractions in the west Kimberley such as Geikie and Windjana gorge and Broome are only
about a days drive from Bulla.

Specific Allowances

Bulla Camp School is classified as a Category 3 School. The following are
conditions of employment for any teaching staff living at Bulla Camp.

o 100% Rental Concession
o 5 study leave points for each completed year of service in this
locality. 20 points must be accumulated in order to receive 6 months study
leave, which is subject to CEO approval.
o Fares Out of Isolated Localities (FOILS). 3 FOILS Fares per year
to Darwin ie. Km Allowance + 2 Nights Accommodation.
o Freight on food stuffs. Reimbursement to cover freight on food
limited to a maximum of 12kg per week for an employee without dependants,
23kg per week to an employee with one dependant and 31kg per week to an
employee with more than one dependant.
o Family Travel Assistance Program
o Household Contents Insurance Premiums
o Professional Isolation Allowance $1429.00 per year
o Business Days 4 days leave per school year on Group School
Principals Approval.