Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire
Located on Lloyd Bay on Cape York Peninsula's east coast, approximately 750 kilometres north-northwest of Cairns on Kuuku Ya’u, Wuthathi, Umpila, Kaanju and Uuthalganu country, the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River takes its name from the river fourteen kilometres south of the community named by geologist Robert Logan Jack in January 1880. Jack named it after his acquaintance Hugh Lockhart.
The Shire was formerly the Lockhart River Mission, established by the Anglican Church between 1924 and 1964 when the Queensland government assumed responsibility for the mission and attempted to relocate the people to Bamaga. Although the people refused to relocate, they agreed to move the settlement to a new location in Kuuku Ya'u country, closer to the airport and the jetty facilities at Portland Roads. The relocation took the settlement from a reasonably neutral location to one owned by a significant group in the community and resulted in discontent and friction.
In 1987, the Lockhart River Community received a Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) title to the lands. The majority of the land held by Council under the Deed of Grant in Trust was handed over to Traditional Owners under the Queensland Aboriginal Land Act in 2001. The Mangkuma Land Trust holds the land on behalf of the Traditional Owners. Lockhart River Aboriginal Council became the Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council on New Year's Day 2005.
The Shire shares Lockhart River town with the Cook Shire and includes several islands off the East Coast, including Chapman Island, Lloyd Island, Rocky Island, Sherrard Island, and Sunter Island.
Source:
Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council: Our History: https://lockhart.qld.gov.au/our-history
Wikipedia (Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Shire_of_Lockhart_River
