About

In the 1980s, a small passionate team advocated for the establishment of a support unit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying at the University of Newcastle. This was the beginning of the Wollotuka Institute, which now provides academic and cultural support to hundreds of students across the University. Originally a support unit for the College of Advanced Education underneath the old library, it was in the words of early participants, “six students and a leaky tap”. But it wasn’t to stay this way.

During the 1990s, we moved beyond support to make and teach its own courses. This began with a bridging program, now known as Yapug, and by 1999, we expanded to include a new Bachelor of Aboriginal Studies and a higher education research centre, Umulliko.

In 2002, we moved into the now famous Birabahn building on Callaghan campus while also joining with the Gibalee Centre on the Central Coast. In 2009, our functions were formally merged to become an Institute and in 2015, we became the first Australian organisation to gain accreditation from the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium.

In 2023, we celebrated our 40th anniversary and completed a merger with the University’s Office of Indigenous Strategy and Leadership.

Our people

Our locations

We offer support across various campuses, with a catchment area stretching out across multiple traditional countries.