The Shire of Carpentaria 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 ...

, Australia on 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 ...

, for which it is named.

Geography

The Shire of Carpentaria covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1883. Its two main population centres are the towns of

Karumba Karumba is a town and a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people. Geography Karumba is in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, by road from Norma ...

, a fishing port, and Normanton, the administrative centre, both of which are located on the

Norman River The Norman River is a river in the Gulf Country, Queensland, Australia. The river originates in the Gregory Range 200 km southeast of Croydon and flows 420 km northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is joined by three major tributari ...

History

The

Doonmunya Division #REDIRECT Shire of Carpentaria The Shire of Carpentaria is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia on the Gulf of Carpentaria, for which it is named. Geography The Shire of Carpentaria covers an area of , and has existed as ...

was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 396. However, the divisional board appeared to be completely inactive, perhaps because the division was so large (being the area surrounding the southern part of the

) and was very sparsely settled. Nonetheless some of the citizens were unhappy about this. Consequently, on 11 January 1883, the Doonmunya Division was abolished and a new

Carpentaria Division ''Carpentaria acuminata'' (carpentaria palm), the sole species in the genus ''Carpentaria'', is a palm native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory, Australia. It is a slender palm, growing to tall in the garden situa ...

was created to replace it. Given the size of the Carpentaria Division, the distance to its headquarters in Normanton was an issue for residents in the

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as ...

area, leading to a desire to create their own local division. On 7 February 1884, part of Carpentaria Division was separated to create the new

Cloncurry Division #REDIRECT Shire of Cloncurry The Shire of Cloncurry is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1884. The major town and administrative centre of the ...

. However, once the Carpentaria Divisional Board became operational, the residents of the

Burketown Burketown is an isolated outback town and coastal locality in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Burketown had a population of 238 people. It is located west of Cairns and west of Normanton on the Albert R ...

area became concerned that their rates were likely to be spent on the Normanton area rather than their own and began to agitate for their own division west of the

Leichhardt River The Leichhardt River is a river in north west Queensland, Australia. Course The source of the river is in the Selwyn Range under Rifle Creek Hill and fed by Rifle Creek approximately south of the mining town Mount Isa. It runs in a generally n ...

. On 30 January 1885, the

Burke Division #REDIRECT Shire of Burke The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of , a ...

was created from lands formerly within the Carpentaria Division with some adjustments to the

. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Carpentaria Division became the Shire of Carpentaria on 31 March 1903. Prior to 2005, two Aboriginal communities (

Kowanyama Kowanyama is a town and coastal locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Kowanyama, Queensland, Australia. It is the site of the former Mitchell River Mission, founded in 1916, after the nearby Trubanamen Mission (established not far away on Tops ...

and Pormpuraaw) administered 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 '' ...

by community councils since the mid-1980s, were part of the Shire's area, but they were formally excised and given a new status as Aboriginal Shires.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Carpentaria includes the following settlements: * Normanton (pop 1,100) *

(pop 518) *

Carpentaria ''Carpentaria acuminata'' (carpentaria palm), the sole species in the genus ''Carpentaria'', is a Arecaceae, palm native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory, Australia. It is a slender palm, growing to tall in the g ...

* Fielding *

Howitt Howitt may refer to: Surname Notable people with the surname Howitt include: *Alfred Howitt (politician) (1879–1954), English medical doctor and politician *Alfred William Howitt (1830–1908), Australian anthropologist and naturalist *Anna Mary ...

* Maramie *

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

* Stokes * Yagoonya

Chairmen and mayors

* 1927: J. K. Casey * March 2004 – 2008: Ashley Gallagher * March 2009 – March 2016: Fred Pascoe * March 2016– : Lyall Vincent (Jack) Bawden

Population

Prior to 1971, Aboriginal people who form a majority of the population were not counted in census statistics. Until 1 July 2002, the Australian Bureau of Statistics included the Island and DOGIT councils within the Shire of Cook statistical local area. Information for the reduced Shire back to 1996 has been provided on the ABS website through the Time Series Profile.

Amenities

The Carpentaria Shire Council operates libraries in Normanton and

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carpentaria Shire Local government areas of Queensland 1883 establishments in Australia Gulf of Carpentaria North West Queensland