Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire
The Aboriginal Shire of Kowanyama, located on Kokoberra, Yir Yoront and Kunjen country on the western side of Cape York Peninsula due west of Cooktown and thirty kilometres from the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Mitchell River Delta, takes its name from a Yir Yoront word describing the delta's 'many waters'.
Originally established as an Anglican Aboriginal mission on Topsy Creek, south of Kowanyama, in 1905, the mission moved to its current site fourteen years later. After a cyclone badly damaged it in 1964, the rebuilt mission was transferred to the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs in 1967.
Under the Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984, the community received a Deed of Grant in Trust over 250 square kilometres in the Mitchell River Delta in July 1987. Four years later, they took a proactive step and established a Land and Natural Resources Management Office to more effectively control the use of their environment and several groups returned to their homelands once the community was more secure.
As the Shire operates under the Local Government Act, the Council's responsibilities are generally the same as other local government bodies in remote Queensland, including fisheries, alcohol management and operation of some commercial enterprises.
Sources:
Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council: https://www.kowanyama.qld.gov.au/
Queensland Places: https://queenslandplaces.com.au/kowanyama-aboriginal-shire-council
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Shire_of_Kowanyama
