Aurukun is a town and coastal

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Shire of Aurukun The Shire of Aurukun is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. The shire covers part of western Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local g ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Australia. It is an

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

community. In the , the locality of Aurukun had a population of 1,269 people.

Geography

Aurukun is situated approximately south of

Weipa Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is the largest town on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is mainly involv ...

. The town faces west to the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

, and during the wet season, roads are extremely hard to drive on. The area is rich in

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(O ...

History

Kugu Mu'inh (also known as Wik Muinh, Kuku Muinh, Wik Muin, Kuku-Mu'inh) is a traditional language of the area which includes landscape within the local government boundaries of the

Cook Shire 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 ...

. The first recorded contact between Europeans and

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

was near Aurukun on the

Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 Willem Janszoon captained the first recorded European landing on the Australian continent in 1606, sailing from Bantam, Java, in the ''Duyfken''. As an employee of the Dutch East India Company ( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), J ...

StateLibQld 1 389873 Aurukun sawmill, North Queensland, ca

The Aurukun

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

(known then as the

Archer River The Archer River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia. Course and features The headwaters of the river rise in the McIlwraith Range and it flows west, traversing tropical savanna plains and wetlands, ...

Mission Station) was established on 4 August 1904 for the

Presbyterian Church of Australia The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. (The larger Uniting Church in Australia incorporated about two-thirds of the PCA in 1977.) History Beginnings When captain James Cook lande ...

by the Reverend Arthur and Mrs Mary Richter, two Moravian missionaries and managed under the provisions of the Queensland ''

Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 The ''Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897'', long name ''A Bill to make Provision for the better Protection and Care of the Aboriginal and Half-caste Inhabitants of the Colony, and to make more effectual Provision ...

''. Aboriginal people were relocated from a large surrounding area, many against their will, to the mission settlement. Aurukun was "ruled" for 40 years by

Reverend William Mackenzie William Frederick MacKenzie (16 February 1897 – 29 June 1972) was a Christian missionary and the Aurukun superintendent from 1923-1965. He served as that mission's Chief Protector for the Aboriginal Protection Board. MacKenzie was born in Ambr ...

, as the missions

Chief Protector The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...

for the

Aboriginal Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...

. The town once had a

cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

, butcher and bakery. With the coming of the missionaries, children were confined to

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

to isolate them from the influence of their people. However, many people remained outside the mission up until the 1950s, ensuring the culture remained strong. Aurukun Post Office opened on 1 July 1972. Wik woman Alison Woolla was the first female mayor of Aurukun, serving from 1983 to 1985, and again 1991–1994. She was largely responsible for establishing a

women's shelter A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also frequently used to ...

in the community, and was honoured by having an award named after her in 2020 (see below). In 1978, the

Queensland government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

decided to take over the administration of both the Aurukun and

Mornington Island Mornington Island, also known as Kunhanhaa, is an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Shire of Mornington (Queensland), Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia. It is the northernmost and largest of 22 islands that form the Wellesley I ...

missions. Both communities were against this, and protested, seeking the help of the

Federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

. After lengthy negotiations, legislation for self-management of the two reserves was introduced into federal parliament and the '' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Queensland Reserves and Communities Self Management) Act 1978'' was passed on 7 April 1978. Further negotiations took place between State and Federal Ministers and on 22 May 1978, the '' Local Government (Aboriginal Lands) Act 1978'' came into force, giving a 50-year lease to the

to be trustee for the land within the boundaries, with an elected Aboriginal Council. Aurukun and Mornington Shire remain the only Aboriginal communities in Queensland constituted as local authorities. Following the ''

Wik Peoples v Queensland ''Wik Peoples v The State of Queensland''. (commonly known as the Wik decision) is a decision of the High Court of Australia delivered on 23 December 1996 on whether statutory leases extinguish native title rights. The court found that the stat ...

'' determination in December 1996, the land reverted to

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

held by the

Wik people The Wik peoples are an Indigenous Australian group of people from an extensive zone on western Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, speaking several different languages. They are from the coastal flood plains bounding the Gulf of Carpentar ...

. The focal area of the Wik lies between the

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...

and Edward Rivers of Western Cape York Peninsula and inland to Coen. Most Wik people still live in this triangle.

21st century

In December 2007, nine Aurukun males received

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

and other light sentences after being found guilty of

raping Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or a ...

a ten-year-old girl. The mild sentences received international condemnation and were the catalyst for a review of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

sentencing in Queensland Indigenous communities. In March 2008, it was widely reported that standards of justice, education and child safety had collapsed in Aurukun, and that the local community justice group had called for children to be removed from the town for their own safety and wellbeing. Aurukun is home to a plethora of Aboriginal groups. there were some 50 to 60 families from five major clan groups. In the , the locality of Aurukun had a population of 1,269 people, including 1,147

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

people, up from a total population of 1,043 in 2006. 95.8% of people were born in Australia. 10.6% of people only spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at home. Other languages spoken at home included

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

languages 61.6% and Wik Mungkan 14.7%. The most common responses for religion were Uniting Church 44.3%, No Religion 29.3% and Presbyterian and Reformed 11.0%. On 1 January 2020 Aurukun was rocked by a stabbing death and a riot involving over 250 people, in which a number of houses were burned down. It is believed that alcohol illegally brought into the alcohol-free community was a contributing factor in the violence. One fifth of the town's population fled to avoid the violence, with 110 sheltering in bushland outside the town and 120 fleeing to the town of Coen away. By 21 January 2020 there were still 280 residents unwilling to return to the town, and emergency dog food was flown into Aurukun to feed the 70 dogs abandoned by those who had not returned. Some staff members of the Aurukun Shire Council resigned their positions, unwilling to return to the community. In July 2020, the Local Government Association of Queensland's Alison Woolla Memorial Award was created, to "acknowledges those individuals who are making a significant, local contribution to awareness and prevention of domestic and family violence". The inaugural award, which went to

Pormpuraaw Pormpuraaw (pronounced ''porm-pure-ow'') is a coastal town and a locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Pormpuraaw, Queensland, Australia. Pormpuraaw is an Aboriginal community situated on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula approximately halfway ...

women Myrtle Foote and May Ballie in October 2020, was presented by Woolla's daughter Keri Tamwoy, Mayor of Aurukun.

Education

Aurukun has a primary school which is operated by Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) in a unique partnership with Education Queensland. The school opened on 29 January 1974 and caters for students from pre-prep to year 7. The school remains the only school in Aurukun. Classroom instruction is dedicated to teaching mainstream curriculum in English literacy and numeracy using

Direct Instruction Direct Instruction (DI) is a term for the explicit teaching of a skill-set using lectures or demonstrations of the material to students. A particular subset of direct instruction, denoted by capitalization as Direct Instruction, refers to a speci ...

. The Direct Instruction method focuses on individual student outcomes, repetition and weekly tests with the aim to ensure students are mastering literacy and numeracy basics. Students are also taught a comprehensive Indigenous culture and language program which aims to give children fluency in their own cultures and enjoy the best of both worlds. The school provides an extended school day which involves artistic, musical and sports programs (in partnership with national bodies) which aims to give children increased confidence and socially prepare them for moving between homelands, work and study in the wider world. In 2008, one in three children were not enrolled for primary school. Following welfare reform trials introduced in July 2008, school attendance had risen from an average of 37 per cent to 63 per cent in September 2009. Following incidents where teachers and the principal were threatened, rocks were thrown at their housing, and children as young as six tried to steal a car, all teachers were evacuated from the school in May 2016. As a result, the school was closed for six weeks with only distance education programs being continued. The incidents have drawn the effectiveness of the Direct Instruction method into question, and as of July 2016 the Queensland Government is implementing an Australian curriculum into the school alongside Direct Instruction.

Facilities

Health

The Aurukun Primary Health Care Centre is run in partnership by Torres and Cape Health Service and Apunipima Cape York Health Council, a community controlled Aboriginal Medical Service. Doctors conduct clinics 5 days each week, with other visiting specialists regularly conducting outreach clinics. Emergencies are flown to Cairns by the RFDS. The clinic is open 8-5 365 days a year, with nurses covering after hours for emergencies. (https://www.health.qld.gov.au/services/torres-cape/capeyork_auruk_phcc) Aurukun Shire Council engages a qualified vet to visit every two to three months, and de-sexing of pets is free for indigenous residents.

Utilities

Electricity is supplied by

Ergon Ergon may refer to: * Ergon, alien from the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''Arc of Infinity'' * Ergon, concept from Aristotle's ''Nicomachean Ethics'' that is most often translated as function, task, or work * Ergon, Inc., petroleum company based in Jacks ...

(formerly FNQEB) through diesel generators supplying power 24 hours a day. Station stability is excellent, typically better than grid supplied sites. The Water supply for Aurukun is drawn from five bores located across the town. From October 2014, fluoride was introduced to the Aurukun water supply, following public consultation. A sewer system is in place in the community. In 2011 and 2012, the Aurukun water and sewerage services were upgraded extensively, including to replace water mains, upgrade bore facilities and install new sewerage lines. In 2007, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' reported that few people in Aurukun had phones. The community also has no ADSL broadband service and receives all communications services via radio transmission towers.

Security

Aurukun is one of the most closely monitored communities in Australia. In mid-2008 34

security cameras Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly tr ...

were installed throughout the community after consultation with the Aurukun Shire Council. The cameras cover almost all areas of the township and are constantly monitored from

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

. The cameras cost $12,000 a month to operate, which is a significant reduction from the $60,000 a month that was previously paid to a private security company to patrol the community.

Amenities

The Wik and Kugu Art Centre in Aukurun opened in 1987, making it the oldest established art centre on Cape York Peninsula. The centre has about 30 members, and artists from the Centre participate in competitions and exhibitions worldwide. Aurukun artists are famous for their sculptures, which traditionally were carved from soft woods for use in ceremony. The Aurukun Shire Council operate the Wik Mungkan Indigenous Knowledge Centre at 39 Kang Kang Road. Aurukun is home to a community swimming pool, and a new large basketball hall / recreational centre. There are outdoor basketball courts and a rugby field. Aurukun participates in football carnivals and softball with other communities in the Cape region every couple of months. Aurukun Uniting Church is at 502 Kang Kang Street (corner Themp Street, ).

Attractions

Bushwalking, fishing and some camping are the dominant pursuits for tourists visiting. Visitors are required to apply for a permit from the Aurukun Shire Council prior to entering the community. Possum Creek is a swimming hole West of the town. Sandy Creek is a swimming hole from Possum Creek. Emu Creek is a 4wd track to the old road turn off and then of Bush track. Aurukun landing is from town and provides access to

(

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

s present). Umban is a 4wd camping ground just under 2 hrs drive.

Alcohol ban

In 1978 the community was without a canteen and most of the locals wanted it to stay that way but the Queensland government pushed for one. It coincided with the imposition of a local council to open up the land to mining hitherto opposed by the community. When social problems ensued the government used it as justification for intervention. However, by 2009 Aurukun Council introduced an alcohol management plan to the community which completely banned alcohol. A previous alcohol management plan had restricted drinking at the Tavern to three hours each day. Aurukun is one of 19 communities across Queensland with alcohol restrictions in place. The Aurukun alcohol ban has been unable to rid the community of alcohol completely, and has spurred some black-market "sly-grogging".

References

External links

Aurukun Shire Council

*

{{authority control Towns in Queensland Australian Aboriginal missions Indigenous Australian reserves Australian Aboriginal freehold title Populated places in Far North Queensland History of the Australia work of the Moravian Church Gulf of Carpentaria Aboriginal communities in Queensland Wik peoples Shire of Aurukun Localities in Queensland