About Namatjira Haven
Namatjira Haven is an Aboriginal residential rehabilitation service at Alstonville in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, open to men aged 18 and over since 1979. The programme supports healing from alcohol and other drug use and related harms, and enquiries go to (02) 6628 1098.
Its Gulgihwen programme is described as a culturally focused live-in programme of change, and stays run from two to nine months depending on what each man needs. Funding comes through NSW Health, so there is no cost to the client. The service’s website at https://namatjirahaven.com.au/ carries further detail, and health professionals, family or a man seeking help can start the conversation through the phone number above.
Facility Type
Setting and Surroundings
A town setting, 9.1 miles from the coast. The nearest town is Alstonville (population 5,662), 1.7 miles away.
Nearest named features
- Perrys HillHill · 2.4 miles
- Rous MillMountain · 4.2 miles
- Amphletts LagoonLagoon · 8.4 miles
- Lismore LakeLake · 8.9 miles
- Beswicks BeachBeach · 9.1 miles
- Billygoat PointPeak · 20 miles
Getting there
- Ballina Byron Gateway Airport (BNK)Regional airport · 9.0 miles
- Lismore Airport (LSY)Regional airport · 9.5 miles
Setting and distances are calculated from this facility’s coordinates against GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), OurAirports and Natural Earth. Distances are straight line, not driving distance.
Namatjira Haven Alcohol and Drug Services
Namatjira Haven provides residential rehabilitation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, with stays of two to nine months. The Gulgihwen programme is a culturally focused live-in programme of change that addresses alcohol and substance misuse together with related harms such as contact with the criminal justice system.
Because the stay is long rather than a short withdrawal admission, the work is about rebuilding routine and connection over months. Individual counselling, group therapy, medications, formal assessment arrangements and structured aftercare are not stated for Namatjira Haven, so ask staff directly what the daily programme involves, whether withdrawal must be completed first and what support follows a man’s departure.
Levels of Care
Substances and Addictions Treated
Counseling and Therapy
Specialized Programs
Where Is Namatjira Haven?
Namatjira Haven is based at Alstonville, New South Wales, on the plateau between Ballina and Lismore in the Northern Rivers district. A street address and postcode are not published for the property, so the office is the place to confirm exactly where to arrive.
Office hours are not stated for the service. Enquiries and intake discussions go through (02) 6628 1098, and the website at https://namatjirahaven.com.au/ sets out more about the programme. Men travel to Alstonville from well beyond the Northern Rivers for a stay this long, so confirm that a place is available and agree the arrival arrangements before setting out.
Near Namatjira Haven
- 7.9MILES AWAYLismoreAU4.2★★★★☆
20 Google reviewsDetoxInpatientResidentialState FundedRiverlands is an inpatient withdrawal management unit at Lismore in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, operated by Northern NSW Local Health District. The unit…
View facilityCall - 11.1MILES AWAYByron BayAU3.7★★★★☆
3 Google reviewsResidentialOutpatientAftercareSelf-PayPayment AssistanceFounded in 1973, The Buttery is a not-for-profit alcohol and other drug and mental health organisation whose residential therapeutic community sits at Binna Burra in the…
View facilityCall - 17.9MILES AWAYByron BayAU5.0★★★★★
3 Google reviewsDetoxResidentialAftercareSelf-PayTreatment at Aston Private is delivered one client at a time in private residences around Byron Bay, Bangalow and Lennox Head, staffed 24 hours a day,…
View facilityCall - 18.6MILES AWAY
- 19.2MILES AWAY
Byron Private Treatment Centre
Byron BayAU4.9★★★★★52 Google reviewsResidentialAftercareSelf-PayAt Myocum, about ten minutes' drive inland from the beaches of Byron Bay, Byron Private Treatment Centre is a private residential programme for adults dealing with…
View facilityCall - 47.7MILES AWAY
Kalwun Bilinga Health Clinic – Bilinga
BilingaAU3.7★★★★☆3 Google reviewsOutpatientState FundedFree TreatmentKalwun Bilinga Health Clinic is an Aboriginal community-controlled primary health clinic at Airport Central on the southern Gold Coast, run by Kalwun Development Corporation. GP and…
View facilityCall - 49.6MILES AWAYGold CoastAU3.0★★★☆☆
120 Google reviewsDetoxHospital detoxInpatientAccepts InsuranceSelf-PayOperated by Aurora Healthcare, Currumbin Clinic is a 104-bed private mental health hospital on the southern Gold Coast, a short distance from Currumbin Beach. Its addictive…
View facilityCall
How Much Does Treatment at Namatjira Haven Cost?
Treatment at Namatjira Haven is provided at no cost to the client. The residential programme is funded through NSW Health, so a man entering the Gulgihwen programme is not charged for his stay, the accommodation or the programme itself, however many months he remains at Alstonville.
No private pay rate is stated for the service, and private health insurance is not needed to be accepted. Medicare, NDIS and WorkCover arrangements are not stated. Travel to Alstonville and personal items for a stay of several months are the costs worth planning for, and the office can explain what is provided on arrival.
Payment Options
Key Locations Served Near You
Is this your facility?
Get Verified to rank above unverified listings, show the Verified badge and be contacted directly.
Namatjira Haven — Compiled From Public Records
This listing is compiled from public directory and licensing sources rather than confirmed firsthand by our editorial team.
Namatjira Haven Reviews
Namatjira Haven draws warm comment from around the web, where the Alstonville programme is often described through its cultural grounding and the length of time men spend there. RehabSeekers hosts reviews for the service, and any man who has completed the Gulgihwen programme is welcome to add his own account.
Public feedback tends to speak about the setting and the staff rather than the structure of a week on the programme. First-hand detail about how a man was welcomed, what the daily routine involved and what help was offered on leaving would give families a much clearer sense of what a stay here is like.
I found the haven to be very beneficial to my treatment, When you arrive you are given the opportunity to either get the appropriate program in place and get the help you need,And you need to put in place boundary's and… listen and learn and when you finish ,keep in contact and seek on going help in the community. Or you can take the other option that a councillor might give and that's if you want to play the game stay under the radar and finish the program but leave the same as you come in no different cause you didn't bother to give yourself a chance, I'm know each situation is different, but where all there for the same kind of reason that had bought us there ,I had a mad experience there and with mad brother's!!!
No reviews match those filters.
Ratings and reviews from Google, collected 30 October 2026. RehabSeekers does not edit or remove them.
More Rehab Centers Near a Hill
- 1.5MILES FROM Big Burleigh
Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS) Gold Coast – Palm Beach
Palm BeachAUOutpatientState FundedFree TreatmentAlcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS) Gold Coast operates from level 1 of the Palm Beach Community Health Centre on Fifth Avenue, serving the southern Gold…
View facilityCall - 2.1MILES FROM MudgeerabaNeranwoodAU4.8★★★★★
53 Google reviewsDetoxInpatientResidentialSelf-PaySalt Recovery is a small private recovery house on a 17-acre bushland estate at Neranwood, in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Queensland. The service takes up…
View facilityCall - 1.5MILES FROM Big Burleigh
Lives Lived Well Mirikai – Burleigh Heads
Burleigh HeadsAU3.4★★★☆☆33 Google reviewsResidentialMirikai is a live-in alcohol and other drug programme run by Lives Lived Well at West Burleigh on the Gold Coast, Queensland, for young adults aged…
View facilityCall - 1.5MILES FROM Big Burleigh
Lives Lived Well Specialist Centre – Burleigh Heads
Burleigh HeadsAU5.0★★★★★8 Google reviewsOutpatientState FundedFree TreatmentLives Lived Well Specialist Centre stands at 191 West Burleigh Road in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, Queensland, run by the not-for-profit Lives Lived Well.…
View facilityCall - 1.5MILES FROM Big Burleigh
QuIHN Gold Coast – Burleigh Heads
Burleigh HeadsAU4.6★★★★★9 Google reviewsOutpatientTelehealthState FundedFree TreatmentQuIHN Gold Coast combines a needle and syringe programme with free, confidential alcohol and other drug counselling at Burleigh Heads, run by the Queensland Injectors Health…
View facilityCall - 1.4MILES FROM North Nobby
AIR Detox (Addiction In-Home Recovery) – Burleigh Waters
Burleigh WatersAUDetoxInpatientTelehealthSelf-PayAIR Detox (Addiction In-Home Recovery) is a doctor-led home withdrawal service based at Burleigh Waters on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The service manages alcohol, cannabis and…
View facilityCall - 0.6MILES FROM North Nobby
Kalwun Miami Health Clinic – Miami
MiamiAU4.2★★★★☆22 Google reviewsOutpatientKalwun Miami Health Clinic sits on the Gold Coast Highway and is part of Kalwun Development Corporation, an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation. GP, dental, allied health, psychology…
View facilityCall