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Aurukun was established as a Presbyterian Mission in 1904 and the name comes from the Dutch word ‘turn back’. This is because the coastal aboriginal people had a role in forcing Dutch explorers to retreat during the 1700s. The traditional people include 50 clan groups with the generic group being Wik. A bauxite rich area, the State Government tried to take control of the land in the 1970s but the local indigenous community were granted a 50 year lease on the land under the administration of a shire clerk.
418 KM N of MountIsa
History –The Burke area was first chartered by Matthew Flinders in 1802 but further exploration didn’t occur until Captain J Stokes retraced Flinders’ route and discovered the Albert River. Doctor Ludwig Leichardt was the next to explore the area in 1848 followed by the ill-fated expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria of Burke and Wills in 1860. Meanwhile, it was Frederick Walker and William Landsborough who opened up the whole Gulf area for settlement in the early 1860s whilst searching for the missing Burke and Wills. Burke became prosperous during the 1860s with boiling works set up on the banks of the Albert River with beef from the area successfully salted and smoked for export. But, in 1866 the local population was struck down with Gulf Fever and those who were alive were evacuated. The Boiling Works was then closed down and people eventually moved back to the area in the 1870s.
Indigenous Groups – Jokula, Wandji, Janggal and Mingin
Industries – fishing, tourism and cattle grazing
- Burketown – the capital of barramundi fishing and the home of the Morning Glory (a single crest of rolling clouds of up to 1000 KM long that move over the Burke Shire during October and November without changing its shape or speed– only two places in the world experience this phenomenon).
- Gregory – established in 1876 when the Watson brothers found clean running water after a long trip droving 900 cattle from the Dotswood Station. They built a homestead, a store and pub which still stand today and are used by travellers passing through.
1757 KM N of Brisbane
(Formed after the amalgamation of Cairns City Council and Douglas Shire Council - March 15 2008)
History of the Cairns region – Captain James Cook was the first European to sail into the inlet of Cairns in June 1770 which he named Trinity Bay but Cairns wasn’t settled by Europeans until October 1873, following the discovery of gold at Palmer River. Cairns began as a small swampy tent settlement which supported the gold rush in far north Queensland. It was proclaimed a town in 1876 and was named after the State Governor of the day – Sir William Cairns. Cairns was the initially the least popular settlement in far north Queensland. It was only when the gold rush was finished Cairns began to grow with the establishment of both the pearling and fishing industries. A railway line servicing tin and timber industries in the Atherton Tablelands sustained Cairns in the early years until after the World War 2 when Cairns started becoming the city it is today. As awareness of the Great Barrier Reef grew so did the tourist numbers. This was further boosted by the establishment of the international airport in 1984.
Indigenous Groups – Irukandj, Tjapukai, Buluwai, Indindji Madjandj,i Kokokulunggur and Kongkandji people.
Industries – Tourism, sugar, fruit growing, cattle, ship building and a base for fishing fleets.
- Cairns – the city is between two of the World Heritage Listed areas with the Great Barrier Reef on one side and the Wet Tropics rainforest on the other. The Cairns area includes Queensland’s highest mountain Bartle Frere.
- Mossman – named after minerals explorer Hugh Mosman. It is the sugar hub for the region.
- Port Douglas – This area was first explored by North Queensland pioneer George Dalrymple who was searching for a port for the Palmer Goldfields in 1873. The area was settled in 1877, however, as gold dwindled in the early 1900s so did the population in Port Douglas, especially when a cyclone destroyed the area in 1911. It was only in 1960 when development changed the town from a sleepy fishing village to the international tourist destination it is today.
- Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation – the World Heritage listed Daintree Forest is 110 million years old and is the world’s oldest living rainforest and is the second largest untouched forest.
- Other community centres of Cairns included Babinda, Gordonvale, Edmonton, and Smithfield.
712km W of Cairns
History – The lower Gulf of Carpentaria was initially discovered by Abel Tasman in 1664 and Matthew Flinders in 1802. However, real exploration didn’t take place until 1861 when Frederick Walker found the Norman River whilst searching for the ill-fated Burke and Wills. Settlement at Normanton began after 1867 when William Landsborough sailed up the Norman River and chose the site of what was to become an important port in northern Australia. Normanton became a popular town in the late 1800s, especially following the discovery of gold at Croydon. A railway line was established between Croydon and Normanton and a meatworks was opened. However, the town experienced a decline in the early 1900s when the gold diggings stopped and cattle were taken to Mount Isa. Recently, it has picked up with the development of the prawn fishing and tourism industries.
Indigenous Groups – Araba, Kereldi, Kalibamu, Marrago, Kukatja, KunggaraWalangama and Maikulan people Industries – cattle grazing, recreational fishing, mining and tourism
- Normanton – known as ‘Outback by the Sea’ and home to the largest crocodile ever shot. The crocodile was reported to be 28 foot long and was killed by crocodile hunter Krystina Pawloski in the Norman River in 1957. However, because the crocodile was so large it couldn’t be dragged to shore and so was lost. A replica model of the crocodile now sits in the main street of Normanton.
- Karumba – is on the mouth of the Norman River and is the centre of the Gulf’s prawning industry. It is also the habitat for a large array of bird life which migrate to northern Australia each year. Birds include pelicans, cyrus cranes, brolgas and black swans.
83 KM S Cairns
(formed after the amalgamation of Cardwell and Johnstone Shire Councils on 15 March 2008).
History – Edmund Kennedy was the first European to explore the Cardwell region during the 1840s as he searched for a way across the surrounding mountains. However, settlement did not occur until 1864 when George Dalrymple and the Scott brothers founded the Cardwell port in the Hinchinbrook channel to service the Valley of Lagoons pastoral holdings on the upper Burdekin River. Meanwhile, Robert Johnstone discovered the Johnstone River where Innisfail is situated in 1872 when his search party came to the rescure of the survivors of a shipwreck off the coast. European cedar cutters and Chinese gold seekers arrived later in the 1870s but indigenous resistance by the Mamu people prevented it from being settled until 1879 by an Irishman Thomas Henry Fitzgerald.
Indigenous Groups – Jirrbal, Bandjin, Djiru, Girramay, Kerbamai, Gulngay, and Mamu Wanjuru peoples.
Industries – bananas, sugar, aquaculture, tropical fruit, ornamental horticulture, tea, beef, agriculture (sugar and bananas), forestry, fishing and tourism.
Innisfail – many of the immigrants that came to Australia settled in the Innisfail area so that it is now culturally diverse with people coming from about 63 countries and speaking 48 languages. Cardwell – oldest town in tropical north Queensland Tully – originally called Banyan – Tully is Australia’s wettest town with a record 7900 mm falling in 1950 Hinchinbrook Island – Australia’s largest island National Park, largely untouched. Other small communities include South Johnstone, Wangan, Mourilyan, Mundoo, Jarpoo Vale, Mission Beach, Moresby, Belvedere, Bingil Bay, Boogan, Cowley, Cullinane, Silkwood, Palmerston, and Paronella.
326 KM N Cairns
History – Includes Australia’s most historic town at Cooktown which sits on the Endeavour River. Cooktown is the first area in Australia where Captain James Cook set foot on land in 1770 after his ship the Endeavour experienced problems on the Great Barrier Reef. Phillip Parker King and Allan Cunningham explored the area in 1819 and Edmund Kennedy in 1948; but it was not until gold was discovered by William Hann and James Mulligan at Palmer River in 1872 that people began to settle in the shire. The main centre - Cooktown was officially founded by George Dalrymple as the port for the gold in 1873. Cooktown experienced substantial growth in the early years and was at one stage the second largest town in Queensland. However, Cooktown experienced a downturn when there was a decline in the goldfields; it was nearly destroyed by a cyclone in 1907; and residents were evacuated when there was the threat of invasion during World War 2. The Cook Shire now relies on local industries and tourism, with few people travelling past Cooktown.
Indigenous Groups – Over 50 groups inhabited the far north Queensland region including the Wik people. Aboriginal historian NormanTindale has detailed these in Aboriginal Tribes of Australia.
Industries – cattle, tourism, mining, fishing and horticulture
- Cooktown – has the distinction of being the first place in Australia where Europeans landed. Captain Cook’s landing is re-enacted every year at a Discovery Festival.
- Marton – upper reaches of the Endeavour River – this is as far as botanist Joesph Banks got when travelling up the river to collect specimens and recorded the first written European description of a kangaroo.
- Laura – well known for it large array of aboriginal rock art
- Lakeland – has the largest coffee plantation in Australia is known for its diversity in crops including a successful peanut farming operation.
- Coen – a wild gold mining town in the late 1870s and now a small service town for local aboriginal communities and cattle stations.
- Lizard Island – first explored by Captain James Cook. It was declared a national park in 1939 and includes a resort and a research station. Other small communities include Ayrton, Rossville, and Portland Roads.
562 KM W of Cairns
History – Croydon was settled by pastoralists in the 1880s but became Australia’s last gold rush town in 1886 when W.C Brown found gold on his Croydon Downs Station. In its hey day in the late 1800s, Croydon was Queensland’s fourth largest town with a population of 35,000 people. However, the boom only lasted 20 years with small scale mining continuing after that until 1923. It is now mainly a supply town for the surrounding cattle stations.
Indigenous Groups – Bugulmara, Maikulan and Walangama peoples
Industries – Cattle grazing and tourism
Croydon – the town is situated on the Gulf Savannah Way which is tourist route from the east coast to the west coast of Australia. The town’s most distinguishable feature is the local railway and the Gulflander train which was built in 1889 to transport gold to Normanton and is still running today without a profit.
Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council
It was originally known as Dumaji and was situated at Bayley Point near Burketown after a police sergeant suggested that the local Gundalita people would be happier if they were moved from the fringes of the town. The Christian Brethren established the mission in 1931 but when it was destroyed by a cyclone in 1936 it was moved to the Nicholas River near the Gulf of Carpentaria.
412 KM S of Cairns
History – Etheridge Shire was developed primarily as a result of the gold rush in the late 1800s. Parts of the shire had already been taken up by Pioneer pastoralist John Graham MacDonald on Carpentaria Downs cattle station, which was the farthest anyone had settled inland in far north Queensland at that time. However, that all changed when Queensland’s first government geologist for north Queensland, Richard Daintree found gold at the Gilberton, Etheridge and Einasleigh field in 1868. During the Gold Rush period – Etheridge Shire was literally littered with hundreds of gold mines and led to the development of a number of small communities. Mining diversified as vast deposits of copper, silver, lead and tin were found. However, as the mining boom subsided in the 1920s so did the population numbers. Etheridge Shire is now known far more for its cattle and the development of the Droughtmaster breed.
Indigenous Groups – Tagala, Janga, Ewamin and Kutjal peoples
Industries – tourism, mining and grazing
- Georgetown – owes its existence to the gold mining era and was named after the Assistant Gold Commissioner in Gilberton – H. St George.
- Mt Surprise – first settled and named by immigrant Ezra Firth who took up 300 sq miles in the area well known for the Undara Lava field which was caused by an ancient volcanic eruption 190,000 years ago. Other towns include Einasleigh and Forsayth which are historical artefacts of a gold mining era in Etheridge.
Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council
45 Kilometres north of Cooktown, Hope Vale was established as a Lutheran Mission in 1949. It is the home of the Guugu Yimithirr people. It was the first indigenous community to be granted Deed of Grant in Trust in 1986. Prominent aboriginal leaders Noel and Gerhardt Pearson are from Hope Vale, as are Cowboys players Matt and Brenton Bowen.
This community is situated on the Mitchell River delta area on the west side of Cape York Peninsula. Originally, in 1903, it was the Trubanamen Mission situated inland on Topsy Creek where the Aboriginal peoples of the region gradually moved into the settlement. In 1911, the Trubanamen Mission was abandoned and another - Mitchell River Mission was set up on the present site of Kowanyama. Indigenous people continued to move into the community during the 1900s and in 1987 it was established as the Kowanyama Deed of Grant in Trust lands.
Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council
On the east on the tip of Cape York Peninsula, Lockhart River was established as a mission in the 1920s and was the place where indigenous people from throughout the Cape were taken to. It became a centre for sandalwood trade but when World War 2 broke out the aboriginals were told to go back bush and fend for themselves. The mission was re-established in 1947 with strict procedures on how locals should live and behave. In 1964, the State Government took control of the mission and tried to move people to Bamaga with great resistance. While some did move to a new settlement at Umagico, most stayed.
On the western side of Cape York Peninsula, Mapoon was established as a Presbyterian Mission in 1891 and by 1907 was operating as an industrial school for children removed from other communities. However, when bauxite was discovered at Mapoon in the 1950s the mission was closed down and people forced to move to new Mapoon which is north of Bamaga. People were stopped from coming back with the burning down of houses within the community. It was only in the 1970s when people began returning to the old site and rebuilt the community.
Mornington Shire Council
It is situated in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria and includes 21 of the 22 islands of the Wellesley Group with Mornington Island the largest. It was established as a mission by the Uniting Church in 1914. It has three major indigenous clans which are Lardil, Yangkal and Kaiadilt. The State Government tried to take over the mission in 1978 but protests succeeded in establishing a self-regulating government authority.
Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council –
Formally named Weipa, Napranum was formed in 1898 by the Moravian Missionaries. However, when a bauxite deposit was discovered on the reserve in the 1960s, attempts were made to relocate the indigenous community with little success. So while the largest bauxite deposit in the world is being mined at Napranum, a new town called Weipa was formed on the other side of the bay for miners. A Weipa Town Committee was established in 1994 to manage the town on behalf of Comalco.
Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council
(formed after the amalgamation of Bamaga, Injinoo, New Mapoon, Seisia and Umagico Aboriginal Councils on 15 March 2008).
- Bamaga - Bamaga is situated on the far northern tip of Cape York Peninsula and is Queensland’s northernmost town. It was founded in 1947 when the people of the Saibai Islands in the Torres Straits were relocated due to flooding and water shortages.
- Injinoo - This community was established near the tip of Cape York Peninsula by a group of people led by a Wuthathi man called Allelic Whitesand. Even though the community was self-sufficient requests were made to the Anglican Church to make it a mission. Permission was granted to allow the community to function through an elected council. There are five tribal groups of the Injinoo community including Wuthathi, Anggamuthi, Atambaya, Yadhaykenu, and Gudang peoples. During the Second World War, the population increased with Torres Strait Islanders who were fleeing the large military presence in the area.
- New Mapoon - New Mapoon was established north of Bamaga in 1963 as a relocation area for indigenous people from the old Mapoon.
- Umagico - On the western tip of Cape York Peninsula, Umagico was established as a community in the late 1960s on Injinoo’s market garden site when people were moved up from the Lockhart River and lower Cape York Peninsula.
Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council
Originally known as Edward River, Pompuraaw was established on the west side of Cape York Peninsula as an Anglican Mission in 1938. The local tribes are the Thaayorre and Mungkan people. The name changed occurred in 1987 when a Deed of Grant in Trust was granted. The name comes from a local dreamtime story about a burnt hut or Pormpur in the local indigenous language. Pormpuraaw has the oldest established crocodile farm in Australia. The Edward River Crocodile Farm was set up in the 1970s when crocodiles were becoming endangered. The purpose of the farm was to repopulate the local rivers and streams.
64 KM SW of Cairns
(Formed after the amalgamation of Atherton, Eacham, Herberton and Mareeba Shire Councils - 15 March 2008)
History (90KM SW Cairns) John Atherton was the area’s first European pastoralist and pioneer, who saw the potential of the area for agricultural purposes during the 1870s, as well as discovered tin and gold within the area. The area also became known for its timber production after cedar was discovered by William Mazlin in 1881.
Indigenous Groups – Ngatjan, Djirubal, Tjapukai, Kokopatun, Mamu, Wakaman, Wakara, Kutjal, Barbaram, Muluridji, Djankun, Araba, and Ngundjan peoples Industries – Mainly agriculture – fruit and vegetables including peanuts, maize, corn, potatoes, avocadoes, mangoes, lychees, macadamia nuts and dairy; beef cattle; sugar; tourism; timber
- Atherton – first settled in the 1880s as a camp for cedar cutters. It was initially called Prior’s Pocket before being renamed Atherton in 1885.
- Tolga – well known for the use of timber salvaged from cyclones, bushfires and old age.
- Kairi – the position of a research station, established in the early 1900s and renown for its role in the development of Australia’s only tropical dairy industry and in breeding maize varieties suited to the tropics.
- Malanda - well known for its milk and is reputed to have the longest milk run in the world with deliveries to Mount Isa, Weipa, Darwin and into parts of western Australia.
- Ravenshoe – at 930 metres above sea level, Ravenshoe is the highest town in Queensland. It came to prominence in 1987 when 900,000 hectares of rainforest around Ravenshoe controversially became World Heritage listed – stopping the local timber industry.
- Mareeba – location to 90% of Australia’s Hot Air Ballooning
- Kuranda – home to the world’s largest butterfly habitat
- Chillagoe – a former quarry town it is the home of some of Australia’s oldest caves and rock formations at 400 million years old.
- Irvinebank – an old tin mining town, it has Queensland’s oldest highset building. It is the house of John Moffatt and is over 115 years old.
Located on the tip of the Cape York Peninsula, the council is responsible for over 100 islands in the Torres Strait, including Thursday Island. The shire mainly consists of Torres Strait Islanders as well as residents with Asian, Papua New Guinean, European and Aboriginal heritage. The first non-indigenous person to navigate the Torres Strait was its namesake Louis Van Torres in 1606, followed by Captain James Cook. The Torres Strait was officially proclaimed a council 1903 to provide a more direct and efficient government in the area.
Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council
Originally known as the Bloomfield River Mission, Wujal Wujal was set up in 1886 but was abandoned in 1902, and the Kuku Yalanji people moved to camps in the area. In the 1950s the State Government tried to move Kuku Yalanji people to Cooktown but that was met with protests in the Cooktown community. Wujal Wujal was then established as an Aboriginal council in 1980, regaining its traditional name.
Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council
37 KM south of Cairns, Yarrabah was set up as an Anglican Mission in 1892 for the tribes of Gungandji and Yidinji peoples. The mission was closed in the late 1960s and the first Yarrabah Community Aboriginal Council was established with Deed of Grant in Trust established in 1986.
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