She spearheaded projects to pass on local ecological knowledge between generations.

In the 1960s she established a housing project on her homelands.

Baymarrwangga also started the Yan-nhangu dictionary project to preserve her native language, without any English, or funding.

Her cultural maintenance projects include the Crocodile Islands Rangers, a junior rangers group and an online Yan-nhangu dictionary for school children.

In 2010, after a struggle stretching back to 1945, she finally received back payments for rents owed to her.

The great, great, grandmother donated it all - $400,000 - to improve education and employment opportunities on the island and to establish a turtle sanctuary.

Baymarrwangga, who was the NT nominee for the award, was unable to come to Canberra to accept it.

"My name, the names of these places, the languages of these islands were .. given to us by the ancestors," she said in a video presentation.

"I have made a school .. a homeland for the children."