The Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, north of the town of

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

. The majority of the Shire consists of Deed of Grant land that is held for the benefit of Aboriginal people particularly concerned with the land and their ancestors and descendants.

History

Guugu Yimithirr (also known as Koko Yindjir, Gugu Yimidhirr, Guguyimidjir) is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

Hope Vale Hope Vale (also known as Hopevale) is a town within the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and a coastal locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and the Shire of Cook, both in Queensland, Australia. It is an Aboriginal community. I ...

and the

area. The language region includes the local government area of the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and the

Shire of Cook The Shire of Cook (The Shire) is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland. It covers an area ...

, particularly the localities of Cape Bedford, Battle Camp and sections of the

Normanby River The Normanby River, comprising the East Normanby River, the West Normanby River, the East Normanby River North Branch, the East Normanby River South Branch and the Granite Normanby River, is a river system located in Far North Queensland, Aust ...

and

Annan River The Annan River ( Kuku Nyungkal: ''Yuku Baja'') is a river located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river rises in the Yorkey Range below Mount Romeo near , north-northwest of . The river flows g ...

. The area originally was set up as a German Lutheran mission in 1885 by missionaries, at what came to be known as the

Cape Bedford Mission The Cape Bedford Mission was the first Christian mission on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving mission in northern Queensland. Founded by Lutheran staff from the Cooper Creek area of South Australia (wh ...

, from what is now Hope Vale. The residents were evacuated to

Woorabinda Woorabinda is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woorabinda had a population of 962 people. It is an Aboriginal community. Geography Woorabinda is in Central Queensland, inland abo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1942, and the land was used by the army. Many of the people died, and the survivors were not allowed to return until 1949. In September 1952, the land was formally gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve. In 1986, under the ''Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984'', a

Deed of Grant in Trust A Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former Aboriginal reserves and missions. They came about through the enactment by the Queensland Government of the '' ...

was given to the Hope Vale community. Like other DOGIT communities of the time, Hope Vale had a Community Council elected by Aboriginal people living in the community.

Responsibilities

The Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council operates under the requirements set out in the Queensland Local Government Act. However, in the township of Hope Vale the council is also the Trustee of the land and as such has added responsibilities that are quite different from a typical local government body. This includes responsibility for fisheries, alcohol management and employment initiatives. The Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council operates an Indigenous Knowledge Centre (Nganthaanun-Milbi\Guugu Magubadaaygu), at the Jack Bambie Memorial Centre, in

Mayors

* 2008-2020 : Gregory Raymond McLean *2020–present: Jason Grant Woibo

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope Vale Shire Local government areas of Queensland Aboriginal communities in Queensland Far North Queensland 1986 establishments in Australia

History

Responsibilities

Mayors

See also

References

External links