On 20 November 1978 the Central Land Council lodged an application under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 on behalf of Aboriginals claiming to have a traditional land claim to pastoral lease No. 637 (Utopia station), an area of 1963 square kilometres 200 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs, and to a small piece of adjoining land known as portion 1497.
Later the claim was amended to include the Sandover stock route which runs through the lease.