The community is nestled on the edge of Lake Evella in North East Arnhem Land, and 420km West of Nhulunbuy.
Gapuwiyak has a population of 900 people today, and was established in the late 1960s by the Methodist missionaries to supply timber for missions in the region.
In the 1970s the mission ended and Gapuwiyak became Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. In 2008, Gapuwiyak become part of the East Arnhem Shire and the Council took responsibility for local government for the community.