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Lockhart River Queensland
Quintell Beach in Lockhart River
Lockhart River
Coordinates	12°47′11″S 143°20′34″E / 12.78639°S 143.34278°E / -12.78639; 143.34278
Population	640 (2021 census)
• Density	0.1089/km (0.2820/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4892
Elevation	17 m (56 ft)
Area	5,877.0 km (2,269.1 sq mi)
Location	2,413 km (1,499 mi) NW of Brisbane 754 km (469 mi) NW of Cairns 259 km (161 mi) E of Weipa
LGA(s)	Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River Shire of Cook
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal division(s)	Leichhardt
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 29.8 °C 86 °F 21.9 °C 71 °F 2,117.4 mm 83.4 in
Localities around Lockhart River: Wenlock Shelburne Iron Range Archer River Lockhart River Coral Sea Coen Coen Coral Sea

Lockhart River is a town in the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and a coastal locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and the Shire of Cook, on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The town is an Aboriginal community. From 1924 to 1967, the Lockhart River Mission was run by the Anglican Church. In the 2021 census, the locality of Lockhart River had a population of 640 people.

Geography

Lockhart River is a coastal Aboriginal community situated on the eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The population consists mostly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, whose ancestors were forcibly moved to the area beginning in 1924.

The locality includes a number of islands off the east coast: Chapman Island, Lloyd Island, Rocky Island, Sherrard Island, and Sunter Island (all of which are in the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River).

It is 800 kilometres (500 mi) north by road from Cairns and approximately 2,550 kilometres (1,580 mi) by road north of Brisbane. Lockhart River is the northernmost town on the east coast of Australia. The community is also located approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) inland from Quintell Beach and within the Kutini-Payamu National Park.

History

Early European history

Lockhart River takes its name from the river located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the community. The river was named by explorer Robert Logan Jack in January 1880, after a close friend, Hugh Lockhart.

Non-Indigenous people first arrived in 1848, when the explorer Edmund Kennedy set up a base camp near the mouth of the Pascoe River at Weymouth Bay. Kennedy left eight men at the camp but by the time they were located by the supply ship, only two remained alive, the other six having died from disease and starvation.

By the 1870s, fishermen with luggers looking for trepang, pearl shell, and trochus were in the coastal areas. Miners in search of tin and gold, along with timber cutters, were in the hills around Gordon Creek and the country inland around the Wenlock River.

Lockhart River Mission (1924–1967)

The Anglican Church established a mission at Orchid Point near the Lockhart River in 1924, at a location that had been a centre of a sandalwood trade. Aboriginal people came and were collected from parts of the Cape York Peninsula and placed at the mission, known as the Lockhart River Mission, Old Lockhart River Mission, or just Lockhart Mission. Six months later, the mission was relocated to Bare Hill, south of Cape Direction. In the 1930s, Lamalama people were forcibly relocated to the mission from the Port Stewart area, but they later returned. In 1939, many people who had earlier been removed from Coen to the mission, returned to the Coen area.

After the Second World War broke out, the European superintendent went on furlough in 1942, and the Aboriginal people were told to go to several bush camps and fend for themselves. After six months, in July 1942, the mission was reopened but with poor resources and a lack of funding. Things improved under superintendent John Warby in the 1950s. A cooperative society was created in 1954 by the Rev. Alf Clint for the management of the trochus shell industry, until the market failed. New houses were built and a village was created on the ocean side.

In 1967, the church handed over the mission to the Queensland government, which tried to relocate the people to Bamaga. Most of the people refused to go. In 1968–1969, the people were relocated from the traditional area of the Uutaalnganu people on the coast to a new site in Kuuku Ya'u country, further north and inland from Quintel Beach. This move and the assimilation policy of the new administration resulted in much discontent and friction.

The Lockhart River Community was given Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) title to the lands in 1987. Locally elected councillors now provide administration for the Lockhart River DOGIT.

Other 20th-century history

Lockhart State School opened on January 1, 1924.

During World War II, Lockhart River Airport was constructed as a large American bomber base with three airstrips operating. The US bombers flew to Papua New Guinea and were met by their fighter escorts based at Bamaga and Horn Island further north. Many thousands of troops, both US and Australian, passed through as part of their jungle training before being shipped to southeast Asia, and many sorties from the base were flown against Japanese forces during the critical Battle of the Coral Sea, May 4–8, 1942. Portland Roads community, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Lockhart River, was the supply port for the war effort with a large jetty. This jetty has since been removed. Many old bunkers and rusting 44 gallon drums can still be found in bush areas.

Iron Range Post Office opened on November 5, 1936, closed in 1942, reopened in 1950, and was renamed Lockhart River in 1978.

On May 7, 2005, a Fairchild Aircraft Inc. SA227-DC Metro 23 aircraft, registered VH-TFU, with two pilots and 13 passengers, was being operated by Transair on an instrument flight rules regular public transport service from Bamaga to Cairns, with an intermediate stop at Lockhart River, Queensland. At 1143:39 Eastern Standard Time, the aircraft impacted terrain in the Kutini-Payamu National Park on the north-western slope of South Pap, a heavily timbered ridge, approximately 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north-west of the Lockhart River aerodrome. At the time of the accident, the crew was conducting an area navigation global navigation satellite system (GNSS) nonprecision approach to runway 12. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact forces and an intense, fuel-fed, post-impact fire. There were no survivors.

On April 11, 2014, the former locality of Lockhart was split into two new localities: Iron Range and Lockhart River.

Governance

Lockhart River is both a town located in the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and a coastal locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and the Shire of Cook.

Climate

Lockhart River has a tropical savannah climate (Köppen: Aw), with an oppressive wet season between November and May and a dry season from June and October with somewhat cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Temperatures remain warm to hot year-round, with average maxima varying from 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) in July to 32.3 °C (90.1 °F) in December. Due to its average annual rainfall of 2,074.9 mm (81.69 in), Lockhart River only has 36.4 clear days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on 19 November 1990 to 3.3 °C (37.9 °F) on 20 July 1965.

Demographics

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A mix of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders live in the community. The population is 650–700, with most being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Approximately 30 are contract workers, including teachers, nurses, police, shop employees, council administration, council workshops, carpenters, and plumbers.

The Lockhart River 'local' population consists of five different clan groups: the Wuthathi from the north of the Olive River; the Kuuku Ya'u from Lloyd Bay and Weymouth Bay; the Uutaalnganu from the Lockhart River south to Friendly Point; the Umpila from Friendly Point to the Massey River; and the Kaanju from the inland mountain areas behind the coast.

Most of the population lives in the community town area. There are two Outstations." The first is at 'Old Site' and is normally used only during the dry season when vehicles can drive to that location on a rough inland road. It is sometimes used as a "weekender" by some local families during the calm weather over the Christmas-January period. The second Outstation is at Chilli Beach and is normally occupied all year by the Hobson family group. It remains accessible by road and water most of the time.

A number of smaller communities also exist: Wattle Hills Station, Pascoe River 'Farm', Chili Beach, Packer's Bay and Portland Roads. Wattle Hills Station is located just inside the mouth of the Pascoe River, north of Lockhart River. It is a share arrangement for persons opting out of mainstream society. Approximately 30 persons live in open-plan style houses. This station has its own airstrip and mail service once a week. Some of the houses have telephones connected and all are linked by their own private UHF radio network under the Rural Fires scheme.

The Pascoe River 'farm' is located on the banks of the Pascoe River quite some distance inland. Access to the farm is from the main Lockhart River to Archer River road, 52 kilometres (32 mi) from the Lockhart River community. A track leads a further 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the farm. It is occupied by the Fyfe extended family group. Approximately 10 to 15 people live on the farm.

Chilli Beach has a number of dwellings squatting along the secluded beaches and headlands. Approximately 10–20 people live there. Packer's Bay also has a number of open-plan and full residential style houses occupied by people opting out of mainstream society. Approximately 10 people live there. The Portland Roads community is a standard housing area with some open-plan style houses and no power, water, or sewerage facilities. It was predominantly a fishing community until the recent changes to the Fisheries Regulations. Many prawn trawlers, crab boats, and yachts use this sheltered anchorage. Approximately 10 people live here.

In the 2006 census, the town of Lockhart River had a population of 542 people. In the 2011 census, the town of Lockhart River had a population 642 people. In the 2016 census, the locality of Lockhart River had a population of 724 people. In the 2021 census, the locality of Lockhart River had a population of 640 people.

Education

Lockhart State School is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) school for boys and girls at Puchewoo Street (12°47′07″S 143°20′39″E / 12.7854°S 143.3441°E / -12.7854; 143.3441 (Lockhart State School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 97 students with 14 teachers and 1 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education programme.

Amenities

The Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council operates an Indigenous Knowledge Centre, which includes a library, on Poucheewee Street.

Notable people

• Rosella Namok, artist

See also

• Skytrans Airlines

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Lockhart River (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. Bureau of Meteorology Archived 26 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-07-05
3. "Our History". lockhart.qld.gov.au. Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017. Lockhart River was established in 1924 when people from five traditional territories in the area were coerced into a new Anglican mission (now known as the 'Old Site'). They spoke a number of different languages and were not used to living together.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
5. "Lockhart River (river) (entry 19857)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
6. ^ Edgar Beale. Kennedy, Edmund Besley (1818–1848). National Centre of Biography. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017 – via adb.anu.edu.au.
7. Athol Chase (1981). "'All Kind of Nation': Aborigines and Asians in Cape York Peninsula" (PDF). Aboriginal History. 4 (1). ANU Press: 7–19. ISSN 0314-8769. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
8. "Coen". Queensland Government. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
9. "Nature, culture and history - Lama Lama National Park (CYPAL)". Parks and forests. Queensland. Department of Environment and Science. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
10. ^ "Old Lockhart River Mission Site". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
11. ^ "Lockhart River Mission (1924–1967)". Find & Connect. 27 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
12. "Clint, William Alfred (1906–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: William Alfred Clint. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
13. State Library Qld. Archived 8 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine URL accessed 2006-05-07
14. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
15. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
16. ATSB accident summary
17. "Lockhart River – locality (Shire of Cook) (entry 49103)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
18. "Lockhart River – town (entry 19856)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
19. "Lockhart River – locality in Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River (entry 45900)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
20. "Lockhart River – locality in Shire of Cook (entry 49103)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
21. "Interactive Australia / New Zealand Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map". www.plantmaps.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
22. "Lockhart River Airport Climate (1956-2024)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
23. "Lockhart River Airport Climate Statistics (1956-2024)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
24. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Lockhart River (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
25. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lockhart River (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
26. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockhart River (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
27. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
28. "Lockhart State School". Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
29. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
30. "Library and Internet". Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
31. "Shire Council library services". Public Libraries Connect. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.

Further reading

• Bora is like Church. (1982). David Thompson. Revised and Reset edition, 1985. Australian Board of Missions, Sydney, N.S.W.
• Thompson, D. (1995) 'Bora Belonga White Man' Missionaries and Aborigines at Lockhart River Mission, Unpublished MA thesis, University of Queensland. (Pdf available from the author)

External links

• Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council - Official Website
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Lockhart River
• State of Queensland's Department of Communities webpage "Lockhart River" Accessed 1 August 2009

• Towns in Queensland
• Populated places in Far North Queensland
• Aboriginal communities in Queensland
• Queensland in World War II
• Shire of Cook
• Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River
• Coastline of Queensland
• Localities in Queensland