Batchelor Township is located 100km south of Darwin and has a population of approximately 400 people. The town has two service stations, a Tavern, an Area School, and an Institute that provides culturally safe and industry-relevant VET and research training to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across the Northern Territory and Australia. The Batchelor community enjoys fishing, sport, camping, and the beautiful natural surroundings, with the town serving as the gateway to Litchfield National Park.

With the closure of the local shop, residents now have limited access to essential goods and rely on transport to Darwin for food and clothing. To help address this, a new community Opshop will soon be established at the Batchelor Area School. Operated by the school, the Opshop will provide affordable clothing and household items for local families, while also offering hands-on enterprise learning for students.

As the former principal of Nganmarriyanga School and now Batchelor Area School, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that community Opshops can have — not only in meeting basic needs, but in creating a sense of pride, purpose, and opportunity for young people and families alike.

We are looking for donations of:

Toothbrushes and toothpaste. (All ages)

Bar soaps and liquid body wash

Head lice products Inc. solution, shampoo, conditioner and combs/brushes.

Hair elastics (new). Heaps with preventing the transmission of lice.

Children’s clothing both warm and cool. eg. cotton t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, trackies, basketball theme clothing, AFL themed clothing. (All sizes)

Shoes (preschool sizes up to year 12), especially sneakers, Crocs and sandals (eg. Teva, Keen)

Hats

Sheets (All sizes. Natural fibres and darker colours/patterns preferred)

Make up for teenagers (new, unopened), eg. lip balm, lip gloss, mascara, cheek tint, fake nails

Reusable water bottles, new, unopened lunchboxes

Prize box items like slime, skipping ropes, balls, yo, yo’s, handlines, Matchbox cars, trucks, headphones, playdoh, kids jewellery, art and craft