North Australia Research Unit of The Australian National University

ANU North Australian Research Unit (NARU) campus is a research facility in the Northern Territory with accommodation and other resources for researchers working in north Australia and the surrounding region. NARU campus is about a 15km drive from Darwin city and about 8km drive from Darwin International Airport. It was established in 1973 to specialise in research in north Australia and to provide a base and logistic support for Canberra-based members of The Australian National University (ANU) and members of other Australian and overseas institutions undertaking research in North Australia. At the NARU campus, ANU has established the Arafura Timor Research Facility (ATRF), a joint venture between the Australian Institute of Marine Science and ANU.

ANU academic and research staff based at NARU remain part of their school while at NARU. This structure frees research staff to focus on their research with the full support of their peers. This dynamic structure also allows ANU to respond to new research opportunities in north Australia. Each year the NARU Seminar Series delivers presentations covering a wide range of topics from researchers based in Australia and around the world. The 2016 Series offered seminars from varying disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics and politics. Presentations attract large audiences and in many cases media attention.

Accommodation, office space, field equipment and a large seminar room are available for rent. Facilites are nestled among the tranquil surrounds of ANU Northern Campus and offer quiet and secure spaces to undertake research or hold seminars, meetings or workshops.

The Darwin area is the land of the Larrakia people. It is highly likely that boundaries and ranges were fluid and varied over time. As a consequence, the patterns recorded in the recent past may represent only the situation at European contact. Heavy development on the ANU property since its inception has likely destroyed any traces of Aboriginal sites or artefacts on the site, however the cultural connection to this area remains strong.