Mapoon is a coastal town in the
Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and a
locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and the
Shire of Cook in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. In the , the locality of Mapoon had a population of 469 people.
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]
History
Pre-European settlement
Teppathiggi (also known Tepithiki and Teyepathiggi) 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 ...
of the Western Cape York Peninsula, Middle Dulcie River, Lower Batavia River, Ducie River
The Ducie River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Formed by the confluence of the Palm Creek and South Palm Creek, the headwaters of the Ducie River drain the Richardson Range, part of the Great D ...
, and Mapoon. The language region includes areas within the local government boundaries of Cook Shire Council.
'' Uradhi'' (also known as ''Anggamudi'', ''Ankamuti'', ''Atampaya'', ''Bawtjathi'', and ''Lotiga)'' 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 ...
of the Western Cape York Peninsula. The traditional language region includes north of Mapoon and Duyfken Point
Duyfken Point is a point in the locality of Mission River, Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia ().
Geography
Duyfken Point is on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
History
Duyfken Point was named by Mat ...
and east of the coast strip to the north of Port Musgrave
Port Musgrave is a shallow, almost enclosed, estuarine bay located on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Two major rivers, the Wenlock and the Ducie, discharge into it. The bay itsel ...
(Angkamuthi country) incorporating the mouth of the Ducie River
The Ducie River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Formed by the confluence of the Palm Creek and South Palm Creek, the headwaters of the Ducie River drain the Richardson Range, part of the Great D ...
, the lower reaches of the Dulhunty River and the upper reaches of the Skardon River in the north. Following the displacement of Indigenous people by British settlement, it was also spoken in the Northern Peninsula Area Region
The Northern Peninsula Area Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering areas on the northwestern coast of Cape York Peninsula. It was created in March 2008 out of three Aboriginal Shires and two autonomous Is ...
including the communities of New Mapoon, Injinoo and Cowal Creek
Injinoo (formerly Cowal Creek) is a coastal town in the Northern Peninsula Area Region and a locality split between Northern Peninsula Area Region and the Shire of Torres in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is on the north-western coast of C ...
.
1891: Mission
In 1891 the Moravian Church
The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...
established a mission at Mapoon with the aim of providing education and health services to the Aboriginal people. It was their first mission in Cape York Peninsula and they established it at the request of the Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
. By 1907, under the ''Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1865'' (Qld) where missions were registered as schools, it was operating as a community for local people.
1950–2000
In the 1950s when 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 (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
was discovered on the Western Cape area, the Queensland Government passed legislation to help the interested companies Comalco and Alcan with the 'Comalco Act' (''Commonwealth Aluminium Corporation Pty Ltd Agreement Act 1957'' (Qld)). As a consequence some were excised from the mission reserve. The government, together with Comalco determined to evict the residents off the mission, and they were moved forcibly by the Queensland police from Old Mapoon to New Mapoon on 15 November 1963. The closing of the Mission was explained publicly as a measure to 'rationalise services' for the Cape indigenous people by centralising them in the Bamaga area. In November 1963, people were forced from their homes by armed police. They were then transported by ship. The police raid
A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law enforcement officers, which aims to use the element of surprise to seize Evidence (law), evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to Tampering with evidence, hide evidence, res ...
was ordered and overseen by Patrick Killoran, the then-director of Aboriginal Affairs in Queensland. Aboriginal residents' houses were burnt to the ground in 1963 by Queensland Police
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...
.
Many residents were unhappy at Bamaga, at one of the nearby communities now known as New Mapoon. Over the following years, many moved back to (Old) Mapoon and eventually the government provided new housing. Mapoon became known as one of the places involved in the fight for Indigenous land rights
Indigenous land rights are the rights of Indigenous peoples to land and natural resources therein, either individually or collectively, mostly in colonised countries. Land and resource-related rights are of fundamental importance to Indig ...
in the 1970s, and seven families had moved back by 1975. The Black Resource Centre
The Australian Union of Students (AUS), formerly National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS), was a representative body and lobby group for Australian university and college of advanced education students. It collapsed in 1984 and ...
in Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,[ led by ]Cheryl Buchanan
Cheryl is a feminine given name with multiple origins.
The name might have originated as a combination of the name Beryl with the prefix ''Cher-'' from the French ''chérie'', meaning ''darling'' (from the past participle of the verb ''chérir'' ...
, was involved, and she also took Lionel Fogarty to meet the displaced residents.
Mapoon State School opened on 30 January 1995. On 1 January 2002, it became the Mapoon campus of Western Cape College.
21st century
In 2000, the Mapoon Aboriginal community was formally recognised under 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 '' ...
arrangements. The Mapoon Aboriginal Council administers the community affairs with government support.
Demographics
In the , the locality of Mapoon had a population of 239.
In the , the town of Mapoon recorded a population of 263 and 90% of the town's population was of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
In the , the locality of Mapoon had a population of 317 people.
In the , the locality of Mapoon had a population of 469 people.
Geography
Mapoon is on the western side of Cape York Peninsula
The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
in Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
, Australia.
The town of Mapoon is on a peninsula that extends into the Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...
with Cullen Point (also known as Tullanaringa Point) at its tip (), creating a side bay of the Gulf called Port Musgrave
Port Musgrave is a shallow, almost enclosed, estuarine bay located on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Two major rivers, the Wenlock and the Ducie, discharge into it. The bay itsel ...
(), which is probably named after Sir Anthony Musgrave, the Queensland Governor
The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...
from 1883 to 1888. Ducie River
The Ducie River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Formed by the confluence of the Palm Creek and South Palm Creek, the headwaters of the Ducie River drain the Richardson Range, part of the Great D ...
() and Wenlock River
The Wenlock River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range below Jacks Knob, west of Nundah homestead. The river ...
() flow though the locality into Port Musgrave.
Red Beach is a sandy strip facing Port Musgrave adjacent to the south side of the town (). The government-built housing is spread out in bushland
In Australia, bushland is a blanket term for land which supports remnant natural area, remnant vegetation or land which is disturbed but still retains a predominance of the original floristics and structure.
Human survival in bushland has a wh ...
along Red Beach Road towards Cullen Point, rather than being clustered together as in other Western Cape communities.
Flying Fox Island is a marine island () in the west of Port Musgrave close to the coastline north of the town.
During the wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
from December to April the town is largely inaccessible except by air and sea.
There is an airstrip south of the town ().
The Alcan Weipa mining lease covers of the locality of Mapoon. It is a 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 (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
mine. It includes the Myerfield Strip, an aircraft landing strip (). The name ''Myerfield'' was proposed by Alcan Pty Ltd, which had built the airstrip.
Climate
Mapoon experiences a tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
(Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Aw'', Trewartha: ''Awha''), with hot conditions year-round. There is a shorter wet season from mid-November to April, and a longer dry season from May to mid-November.
Economy
There is a fishing business, providing mudcrabs to southern markets from the Port Musgrave Bay and Dulhunty and Wenlock rivers.
Education
Western Cape College is a primary (Early Childhood-6) school headquartered at Rocky Point, Weipa
Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is one of the largest towns on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is main ...
. Its campus in Mapoon is on Red Beach Road ().
Facilities
Presently the town has a primary school, nursing station, council office and small shop providing fuel and food. Local people are employed on the Council which as well as providing services for the local community in 2006 won the contract to provide road maintenance for the all-weather dirt road from the town of Weipa.
In cooperation between the council and the State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
, the new Mapoon Indigenous Knowledge Centre (IKC) was opened on Thursday, 18 August 2022, within the new Mapoon Cultural Centre. The IKC includes computers and a library connection.
Attractions
Camping facilities near the town are found at Cullen Point and Janie Creek. The area is known for excellent fishing and crabbing.
Alcohol Management Plan
An alcohol management plan (AMP) exists in the community, with restrictions on the amount and type of liquor that may be carried on persons or vehicles in the area. This AMP was formulated and requested by the majority of Elders within the community and passed by law by the Government of Queensland into section 168 of the ''Liquor Act 1992''. It is enforced by the Queensland police
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...
based at Weipa
Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is one of the largest towns on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is main ...
.
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
*
Mapoon oral histories 1992-2014
State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
Mapoon: from Ideas Box to IKC
State Library of Queensland blog
New Mapoon IKC: Making history
State Library of Queensland blog
{{authority control
Australian Aboriginal missions
Populated places in Far North Queensland
Aboriginal communities in Queensland
1963 in Australia
Shire of Cook
Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon
Coastline of Queensland
Localities in Queensland