More than 500 kilometres of dirt road from the nearest town, around thirty people are keeping their community alive on the remote Mitchell Plateau — on Country their families have belonged to for tens of thousands of years. This run is a way for the rest of us to stand behind them.
On the Mitchell Plateau — Ngauwudu, "high land of much water" — the Wunambal people have cared for Country for more than 70,000 years. After their families were taken to distant missions (Kunmunya, Kalumburu) last century, four brothers held to a single dream for nearly thirty years: to bring their people home to Ngauwudu. In 1987 they did, re-establishing the community at Kandiwal.
Today around thirty people live there permanently — more than 500 kilometres of dirt road from the nearest town or hospital, with no medical clinic, and a school that runs entirely on community money. Support promised by government years ago — in the Kandiwal Layout Plan endorsed by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) — never arrived. Still, they stay — keeping their language, their culture and their young people connected to Country. This run is a way for the rest of us to support Kandiwal — raising funds to help the community’s self-reliance, so families can thrive on Country and overcome the unique challenges this remote place brings.
“We are trying to get families back on Country so the next generation knows their culture — so our tradition won't fade away.”Cathy Goonack · Kandiwal community
Every dollar goes directly to the Kandiwal community, and the community decides what's needed most. Right now that means practical things that support the community’s self-reliance and help families stay and thrive on Country — in one of the most remote places in Australia.
Our aim is $25,000 — and with your help, more is well within reach.
You don't have to run to be part of this — a donation of any size helps a family stay on Country. 100% goes to the Kandiwal community.
Run for Kandiwal is a trail run across the Mitchell Plateau — an extremely remote ~30 km track from the Kandiwal community toward Punamii-Uunpu (Mitchell Falls), traversing the plateau and its local waterways — taken on by a small group to raise money for Kandiwal. This year's run is on 1 September 2026, starting in the early morning to beat the heat of the day. There’s no set distance to finish — the track is the challenge, and everyone runs as far as they can.
It's a private, in-house event rather than a public race — but everyone can be part of what it's for. The most powerful thing you can do is give, and share this page with someone who can too.
Kandiwal's story is one of the great acts of return in this country — and the Mitchell Plateau is one of its most extraordinary landscapes. For more information, please see the following resources — the photo essay below, and the community’s own short film.