Brewarrina (Yetta Dhinnakkal)

Yetta Dhinnakkal Centre is a minimum security institution for Aboriginal males, located 70 km south of the township of Brewarrina in north western NSW, 800 km from Sydney.

Address

Yetta Dhinnakkal
Coolabah Road
Gongolgon (via Brewarrina) 2839

Postal Address

Locked Bag 1
Brewarrina NSW 2839

Compound Office: (02) 6874 4715
Administration: Office (02) 6874 4717
Fax: (02) 6874 4721

How to get there

There is no public transport. However, Corrective Services runs a bus service for visitors on weekends and public holidays. The bus departs from the " Bulgan Place" Aboriginal Centre in Bathurst Street, Brewarrina at 7 am and returns at approximately 5 pm.

The Centre is located approximately 70 km from Brewarrina and 75 km from Coolabah on the Brewarrina - Nyngan Road.

Visitor Information

Bookings:

Not required.

Visit times:

Weekends and public holidays 9 am to 3 pm.

Conditions:

Visitors must be able to produce either one primary form of ID with a photograph, name and address on the identification (e.g. driver’s licence, proof of age card, government identification etc) OR three secondary forms of ID with visitor's name (e.g. pension card, electricity bill, rates notice, vehicle registration).

Legal Visits

Legal practitioners may visit seven days between 9 am and 3 pm. Notification of intention to visit must be made by telephoning the Centre on (02) 6874 4717 twenty four hours before visiting.

Industries

The Centre is a working farming property, maintained by inmates under officer supervision.

Education

Accredited courses, with nationally recognised qualifications, are made available to inmates at each correctional centre.

The Adult Education and Vocational Training Institute (AEVTI) provides literacy, numeracy and communications courses in all centres. Many centres also offer vocational courses such as Information Technology, Horticulture, Construction, Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft.

AEVTI contracts TAFE NSW and other providers to deliver courses in a range of vocational areas such as Hospitality, Business Skills, Building, Cleaning, Transport, Aboriginal Studies, Horticulture and various WorkCover licenses.

AEVTI also co-ordinates traineeships and offers support for distance education.

Each centre has a library giving inmates access to a range of fiction, non-fiction and reference books. Inmates can also login to a secure internal network called the Inmate Legal Portal which gives them access to material of a legal nature.

For more information regarding these programs visit the AEVTI WebPage.

Special Programs

The Yetta Dhinnakkal Centre programs are conducted on site. The programs include a number of behavioural change programs e.g. Family violence, and SMART Recovery. The programs target first time young Aboriginal offenders through culturally relevant intensive case management.

The Centre also has a mobile outreach facility which is used for community and emergency projects. Up to 10 inmates under the supervision of officers can be relocated from the Centre in a self-contained camping vehicle.

Community Involvement

The Centre has a community projects section which can include up to seven inmates under the supervision of an officer. Inmates undertake maintenance for community areas.