After 31 years of work by Traditional Owners and supporters, Justice Bernard Murphy of the Federal Court of Australia awarded exclusive native title to the Payarri title claim group on Thursday.
The lead applicant in the Payarri native title claim, Ngalia man Kado Muir, told the ABC that 31 years ago he first sat down with two of his Elders and a lawyer to discuss lodging a native title claim for his ancestral Country.
"The process has been one of navigating through legal decisions, political ramifications, commercial interactions, and then of course within the community itself," he said.
"It's been quite a journey."
The decision recognising the Native Title of the Payarri Traditional Owners in the Northern Goldfields means native title now covers more than three quarters of Western Australia; the largest area of any state or territory in the nation.
The outcome follows more than three years of negotiation between the State and Payarri Traditional Owners, with the determination covering approximately 3,702 square kilometres of land to the west of Lake Wells, roughly 180 kilometres north of the Goldfields town of Laverton.
The Payarri Aboriginal Corporation will become the registered native title body corporate for the determination, with the establishment of Payarri rangers to protect Country planned for the future.
The event was celebrated in the Northern Goldfields, with Traditional Owners and WA government representatives on Thursday.
Central Desert Native Title Services chief executive Johanna Ramsay told the ABC the Payarri determination provided hope for other claimant groups across the state.
"That's 150 formal acknowledgements, by the Australian legal system, that Aboriginal people have maintained their connection to country since time immemorial," she said.
"It demonstrates that the Native Title process, although it's arduous, it can and does deliver outcomes."
Dr Muir told the ABC the determination area is largely untouched country of spinifex, sandhills, clay pans, and granite breakaways.
"There's no pastoral activity, there's no mining activity," he said.
"This land is basically a magical environment... there's a lot of diversity and wildlife and native vegetation, flora and fauna."
WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch noted it has been twenty-five years since Western Australia's first consent determination.
"I congratulate the Payarri Native Title holders on this significant achievement," he said.
"The WA government acknowledges the 125th consent determination recognising native title in Western Australia and looks forward to building an enduring and collaborative relationship with the Payarri Aboriginal Corporation.
"Our government is committed to working with Traditional Owners to resolve native title matters through collaboration and agreement-making."
The WA government said it "remains committed to supporting the recognition of Traditional Owners' connection to Country", including "working with native title holders in a way that respects their rights, protects cultural heritage, strengthens land management aspirations, and creates opportunities for local communities".
