Cape York History Assessment
7
Through
History
1606
Pre 1606
Aboriginals migrated to Australia during ice age, approximately 60 000 years ago. This formed 250 separate language groups formed after migration while coming into Australia in boats, canoes and bridges. They lived a traditional stone age hunter gatherer life style.
1606-1890
First European contact of mainland in Australia
happened in 1606, but a Dutch explorer by the name of
Willem Janszoon, the ship they were on is called ‘the
duyfken’. Duyfken point located just to the northwest of
Weipa is named after the vessel they were sailing on,
Dutch is a symbol of a ‘dove’. In 1770 James Cook explored
the east coat in a ship named ‘TheEndeavour’, while
navigating what is now called the Great Barrier Reef the
ship hit a reef nowknown as the Endeavour reef. After
running aground on the reef, they sailed into what is
now known as Cooktown and then beached the
boat where repairs were undertaken for 7
weeks.
Captan Cook and the Endeaour
Captain Cook and the Endeavour
In 1770 the Endeavour and his crew of 86 men spent 48 days (7 weeks) in Cooktown. Cooks long stay at Cooktown was due to the Endeavour hitting a Coral head in the Great Barrier Reef causing damage to the ship, on the 17th of June they had to beach the ship to start repairing it. “While Cook was at Cooktown, he climbed Grassy Hills and other ranges, made numerous flora and fauna discoveries, communicated with Indigenous locals and explored the extensive coastline as they searched for a safe passage out through the reef.” (Luke, 1993) The aboriginals that were living in Cooktown didn’t like cook and his crew because they would go out in their long boat and get turtles, “Cook got 12-15 turtles” (Jack, 1989)and didn’t share any with the aboriginals on land because the 12-15 turtles had to feed 87 men, the aboriginals didn’t like this because if anyone gets turtles, they have to share with them but Cook didn’t know that at the time
From the 1800-1970 the government had rights to take aboriginal kids away from their family and send them to a white family or into missions for their ‘protection’. These kids were forced to act the white way.
1890-1950
1890-1950
From the 1800-1970 the government had rights to take aboriginal kids away from their family and send them to a white family or into missions for their ‘protection’. Kids in Cape York that had mixed parents got taken and placed in missions. Mappon mission located 170 kilometres south-west of the tip, the Weipa mission, south-west of Mapoon, in 1898, and the Aurukun mission south of Weipa in 1904.
Post Contact 1950-1972
1950-1972
In 1961 the first Shipment of bauxite left from Weipa to Japan. In 1955 geologist Harry Evans discovered bauxite and, realised that Matthew Flinders 'reddish cliffs' were pure bauxite.
History Of Weipa
Weipa is located 2,478 km north of Brisbane. Weipa is a bauxite mining town which is unique as it is owned and run by Rio Tino and not a local government. Historically it started life as the traditional home of the Alngith Aboriginal people and still is to this day. Bauxite was discovered in the Weipa region in 1955 by a geologist named Harry Evans. Harry and his teams of people were looking for oil, no oil was found but they discovered red cliffs South of Weipa and that’s where the discovery of bauxite happened. In 1960 work began on a pilot bauxite processing plant at Evans Landing by the mining company Comalco. It was successful and in 1961 the first shipment of bauxite left Weipa and headed to Japan. By 1963 commercial quantities of bauxite were being exported out of Weipa. In 1967 Weipa was officially recognised as a town with and official opening by the premier of Queensland at the time, also in 1967 the existing ship loader facility had been constructed and completed "Weipa is still the biggest bauxite mining town in the word" (John, 2019)
1972-2000
In 1974 everyone who lived in Mapoon got removed and relocated out of their house and got sent down to New Mapoon near Bamaga. Once everyone was out of this town Patrick Killoren (the protector of Aboriginals at the time) burnt it.
Contemporary-1972-2000
After 2000
Western Cape Communities Co-Existence Agreement (WCCCA) is a land use agreement. This Agreement is between eleven Traditional Owner Groups, Rio Tinto (the mining company which holds the lease over this Weipa region), the Queensland State Government, the Cape York Land Council and four local aboriginal councils which include Napranum, Aurukun, old Mapoon and new Mapoon. Rio Tinto pays royalties every year to the traditional owner groups.
Bibliography
References
2022. [online] Available at: <https://cooktownexpo.com.au/our-story/> [Accessed 25 August 2022].
Retrieved 25 August 2022, from https://www.weipatownauthority.com.au/about-weipa/western-cape-history
Western Cape Communities Trust / (07) 4069 7945. (2022). Retrieved 25 August 2022, from https://www.westerncape.com.au/