The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gove Airport.

The peninsula was involved in a famous court case known as the Gove land rights case, when local Yolngu people tried to claim native title over their traditional lands in 1971, after the Australian Government had granted a mineral lease to a bauxite mining company without consulting the local peoples.

[1] The Gove Peninsula is nearly pristine, apart from Nhulunbuy, along with the bauxite mine and associated alumina refinery which brought the town into existence and closed in 2014.

[5] There are savannah woodlands, wetlands, monsoon forests and rocky escarpments stretched across its huge area, as well as many beaches, bays and islands.

[6] Ecosystems on the Gove Peninsula and in its coastal waters are of great conservation significance, being largely undisturbed due to isolation, huge area and sparse population.

Yolngu however recognise eight seasons derived from changing behaviours and patterns apparent in the land, flora and fauna, as follows:[citation needed] On the night of the 2001 Census there were 13,080 people living in the East Arnhem region, which covers most of the Gove Peninsula.

Rather than the name of a clan or family group, Yolngu is the word that Aboriginal people from East Arnhem Land, including the Gove Peninsula, use to refer to themselves.

Nhulunbuy is a purpose-built town developed by the former owner of Alcan Gove (Nabalco), a huge bauxite mine and now closed alumina refinery 15 km (9.3 mi).

[20] The Commonwealth Government carried out mineral explorations in the 1950s and was successful in discovering a bauxite deposit that covered 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) and contained an estimated 250 million tonnes.

[citation needed] The construction of the mine lead to the Gove land rights case (see above), which initially resulted in ruling in favour of the mineral company.

[32] The population had already dropped by mid 2014, with some of the workforce retained to monitor the shutdown and survey holding ponds full of toxic compounds but most will be gone by January 2015.

[33] A range of measures were announced to support the town and its former workers through the closure and the following three years, but locals anticipated further cuts to services since the school, hospital, power plant and flights were backed by Rio Tinto.

[35] The Arnhem Space Centre has created employment for local people, and brought NASA staff and many tourists to the town when three rockets were launched in mid-2022, booking out accommodation for weeks.

[35] It is possible to hire four wheel drives, conventional vehicles or bicycles in Nhulunbuy and an airport bus and taxi company service the town.

The Garma Festival, which celebrates Yolngu culture, is held each August at Gulkula, attracting thousands from around Australia and the world to enjoy and learn from music, dance, art and craft, and sport.

[6] Arnhem Land, including the Gove Peninsula, is home to what is commonly referred to as the didgeridoo, known as the yidaki locally, and Yolngu are master players and craftsmen of the instrument.

In recent times, the Yothu Yindi band and Djalu Gurruwiwi - "Mr Didgeridoo" - has done much to popularise the yidaki around the world.

Apart from the months of December to April when cyclones can affect the coast line, the waters surrounding the Gove Peninsula provide excellent sailing conditions.