Woodah Island
island in Northern Territory, Australia
Woodah Island, also known as Isle Woodah, is an island in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, lying in the mouth of Blue Mud Bay at 13.44°S 136.16°E / -13.44; 136.16. It is located 13.4 km east of Haddon Head on the coast of mainland Arnhem Land. It is 24 km long north–south, and up to 3.5 km wide. The island has an area of approximately 66 km2 and a circumference of 87 km.
It is known as the site of some of the killings in the Caledon Bay crisis, which marked a turning point in the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Woodah Island” is island in Northern Territory, Australia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Woodah, Island and island, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “island in Northern Territory, Australia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8032326. Authority coordinates are -13.440, 136.160. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Woodah Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Woodah Island primary sources, Woodah Island archive and Woodah research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Woodah Island”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Woodah Island” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.