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89-574: Mornington Island , also known as Kunhanhaa , is an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Shire of Mornington , Queensland , Australia . It is the northernmost and, at 1,018 km (393 sq mi), the largest of 22 islands that form the Wellesley Islands group. The largest town, Gununa , is in the south-western part of the island. The Lardil people are the traditional owners of

178-615: A Protector of Aborigines appointed by the Queensland Government, Protector Howard. Bleakley was the next Protector, from 1913, but did not visit the island until 1916, by which time the first missionary (Hall) had arrived (see below for mission history). Gununa Post Office opened by 1982. The Mornington Island Airport was a temporary airfield used by the RAAF and allied air forces during World War II . The Mornington Island State School opened on 28 January 1975. In 1978,

267-406: A special education program. The school works with the art centre and Kaiadilt elders to help revive their language and culture. There are no schools offering education to Year 12 on the island; nor are there any nearby. Distance education or boarding school would be the only options. Writer Ernestine Hill travelled to Mornington Island and a 1933 photograph she took of the island is held by

356-536: A tropical savanna climate ( Köppen: Aw), with a sweltering wet season from December to April, and a long dry season from May to November with cooler nights and lower humidity. Average daily maxima remain warm to hot year-round: from 25.8 °C (78.4 °F) in June and July to 33.3 °C (91.9 °F) in November. Average annual rainfall is 1,198.7 mm (47.19 in), and the highest daily rainfall recorded

445-523: A book about the Point McLeay mission. The Aboriginal Affairs Act 1962 abolished the position of "Protector." The "Chief Protector" role became the "Director of Aboriginal Affairs." The APB was replaced by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs . The act also created an Aboriginal Affairs Board , whose members were chosen by the governor. The Department of Aboriginal Affairs became part of

534-581: A chief protector was appointed. Matthew Moorhouse became the first non-interim Protector of Aborigines in South Australia in 1839. In 1841 he led volunteers who committed the Rufus River massacre , which slaughtered 30 to 40 Aboriginal people. From the 1890s, the role often included social control up to the point of controlling whom individuals were able to marry and where they lived and managing their financial affairs, through legislation like

623-618: A group of Indigenous Mornington Island people has been communicating with wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins for millennia. It is said that they have "a medicine man who calls the dolphins and 'speaks' to them telepathically . By these communications he assures that the tribes' [ sic ] fortunes and happiness are maintained". In November 2003 the Government of Queensland implemented an Alcohol Management Plan to 19 Indigenous communities in Queensland where alcohol abuse

712-766: A mission village at the Aboriginal camp on the Yarra where the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria now are. Replacing this effort, the Port Phillip Protectorate was established in 1839. Four full-time Assistant Protectors were allocated to a quarter of the district. In 1843, the Port Phillip District was greatly expanded. The Protectorate operated until 1849, when a Select Committee recommended its closure. At

801-412: A number of Aboriginal people sought refuge at Framlingham . By the 1940s most people of Aboriginal ancestry were considered by the board to be "legally white", and the board generally only had power over Aboriginal people living at Lake Tyers. General Inspectors and Secretaries: Presidents and Vice-Chairmen: The Child Welfare Act 1954 was used by police to remove Aboriginal children, without

890-586: A segment of our community which has been consistently underrepresented in the past." Walter MacDougall and Bob Macaulay were first appointed as "Native Patrol Officers" by the Commonwealth government for the state's rocket and nuclear testing, and were then also appointed as protectors by the SA government. From 1863 to 1911, the Northern Territory was a territory of South Australia. In 1864,

979-471: Is a new accommodation complex which includes another 34 rooms, and another 10 cabins added to the existing motel. The expansion will provide accommodation for tourists and enable medical staff and tradespeople to stay for longer periods of time on the island, with the added benefit of bringing in more revenue to the council. More social housing is also being built, along with a youth centre, an administration centre, and an Indigenous Knowledge Centre and library in

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1068-916: Is also a significant history of performance on the island, and the Mornington Island Dancers was one of the earliest established Aboriginal performing arts groups in Australia. They performed publicly in Cairns in August 1964, and again in 1973 at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House . Since 2009 and as of 2022 the dancers operate as a business unit of MGAC called MIDance. The dancers celebrate Lardil culture through traditional dance and song. They have toured overseas many times, including in Italy, France, Germany, Luxembourg ,

1157-755: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Mornington Island and the Northern Wellesley Islands , within the local government boundaries of the Mornington Shire . Kuku-Thaypan (also known as Gugu Dhayban, Kuku Taipan, Thaypan) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in Hann River, Laura and Musgrave River and on Mornington Island, within the local government boundaries of the Cook Shire . Lardil , who prefer to be known as Kunhanaamendaa (meaning people of Kunhanhaa),

1246-530: Is an Australian Aboriginal language . The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cloncurry . Kayardild (also known as Kaiadilt and Gayadilta) is a language of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Kayardild language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Mornington Shire Council . The first European explorer to visit

1335-502: Is between two and three metres (6.5 and 10 ft). The Gulf and adjacent Sahul Shelf were dry land at the peak of the last ice age 18,000 years ago when global sea level was around 120 m (390 ft) below its present position. At that time a large, shallow lake occupied the centre of what is now the Gulf. The Gulf hosts a submerged coral reef province that was only recognised in 2004. Yulluna (also known as Yalarnga, Yalarrnga, Jalanga, Jalannga, Wonganja, Gunggalida, Jokula)

1424-468: Is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea , which separates Australia and New Guinea . The northern boundary is generally defined as a line from Slade Point, Queensland (the northwestern corner of Cape York Peninsula ) in the northeast, to Cape Arnhem on the Gove Peninsula , Northern Territory (the easternmost point of Arnhem Land ) in

1513-605: Is gradual. In September and October the Morning Glory cloud appears in the Southern Gulf. The best vantage point to see this phenomenon is in the Burketown area shortly after dawn. It has been hypothesized that the Gulf experienced a major asteroid impact event in 536 AD. The Gulf of Carpentaria is known to contain fringing reefs and isolated coral colonies, but no near-surface patch or barrier reefs exist in

1602-673: Is part of the larger East Australian Basins physiographic division. 14°S 139°E  /  14°S 139°E  / -14; 139 Protector of Aborigines The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Aboriginal Tribes, (British settlements.) of

1691-488: Is the predominant nation on Mornington Island and they are the traditional owners of the land and surrounding seas. Kaiadilt people arrived more recently (1947–8) after being relocated from nearby Bentinck Island , and more people of other nations arrived from Doomadgee Mission in 1958. Macassan trepangers once travelled thousands of kilometres from Sulawesi to Mornington Island and other Australian mainland destinations in search of sea cucumbers . The eastern cape of

1780-490: The Aboriginal Protection Act 1886 gave the board extensive new powers over the lives of Aboriginal people , including regulation of residence, employment and marriage. It was used to release the government station-living "half-castes" aged under 35 into the community. From about 1898, all "half-caste" children on the stations, after leaving school, were given vocational training and sent out to work by

1869-578: The Aboriginal Affairs Act 1967 meant that in 1968, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs was established. Approximately 40% of its staff were Aboriginal. In the late 1960s, the residents of Manatunga and then Rumbalara requested that they be transitioned to mainstream housing, and they were. The Aboriginals Land Act 1970 transferred the remaining land at Lake Tyers and Framlingham to Aboriginal trust ownership in 1971. In January 1975,

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1958-922: The Aborigines Welfare Board in 1940. ACT/JBT regulation was separated from NSW between the enacting of the Aborigines Welfare Ordinance 1954 and the Aborigines Welfare Repeal Ordinance 1965; however the regulating body remained the NSW Board. The Aborigines Welfare Board become the Aborigines Welfare Directorate in 1969 through the Aborigines Act 1969 . The Directorate was abolished on 1 July 1975, with most of its functions being transferred to

2047-628: The Advisory Council of Aborigines was established to advise the Chief Protector. It was composed mainly of Protestant clergy, and was largely ignored. The Aborigines Act 1939 created the Aborigines Protection Board (APB), which was "charged with the duty of controlling and promoting the welfare" of Aboriginal people. The Chief Protector was typically Secretary of the board. Chief Protector Bartlett wrote

2136-466: The Carpentaria tropical savanna . The woodlands also extend up the west and east coast of the Gulf. They are dominated by Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species from the family Myrtaceae. The climate is hot and humid with two seasons per year. The dry season lasts from about April until November and is characterized by very dry southeast to east winds, generated by migratory winter high pressure systems to

2225-565: The Department of Social Welfare and Aboriginal Affairs in 1970. The latter became the Department of Social Welfare in 1972. In 2018, the South Australian government established the role of "Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People". At the role's creation, the Premier Stephen Marshall was quoted saying, "In creating this new position, we have established a highly visible and powerful champion for

2314-543: The Doomadgee Mission , and by the late 1950s the practice of separating children from parents in dormitories had been abandoned, so many residents of Doomadgee moved to Mornington Island at this time. In 1978 the Queensland Government took over the administration of both Aurukun and Mornington Island mission stations . In the 2016 census , the population was 1,143 people. The majority of

2403-570: The Half-Caste Act . A. O. Neville was a notable Chief Protector of Aborigines and later Commissioner of Native Affairs in Western Australia , and was in office from 1915 to 1940. By 1969 all states and territories had repealed the legislation allowing for the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy of protection. Protectors of Aborigines around Australia included the following: On 29 December 1880, George Thornton

2492-737: The Health and Aboriginals Branch of the North Australia administration was established. The roles of "Chief Medical Officer" and "Chief Protector of Aborigines" were simultaneously held by Dr Cecil Cook. On 12 June 1931, the two territories were reunited as the Northern Territory. About this time, the North Australian body became the Northern Territory's Medical Services, Health and Aboriginals Branch, and operated until 1939. Chief Protectors of Aborigines: In 1939,

2581-606: The Queensland government decided to take over control of both the Aurukun and Mornington Island missions. Cyclones routinely hit the island. In 2000 Cyclone Steve passed directly over the island. Tropical Cyclone May passed in February 1988 and Tropical Cyclone Bernie passed to the west in early 2002. Tropical Cyclone Fritz passed directly over the island on 12 February 2003. Severe Tropical Cyclone Harvey caused damage on

2670-643: The University of Queensland 's library in their Ernestine Hill collection. Mornington Island was the site of research over several decades by British anthropologist David McKnight and described in a series of books, People, Countries, and the Rainbow Serpent: Systems of classification among the Lardil of Mornington Island (1999), From Hunting to Drinking: The devastating effects of alcohol on an Australian Aboriginal community (2002), Going

2759-470: The 1950s, later using acrylic paint on bark, and started selling their work in the 1970s. In the mid-1980s Mornington Island Art and Craft(s) (MIAAC) was established by Brett Evans, with a new building and a dedicated coordinator. Some of the women from the Kaiadilt "old ladies' camp" established on Bentinck Island in the 1980s and 1990s, after moving to Mornington Island again in the 21st century, formed

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2848-599: The Aborigines was established in 1860. (Some contemporary sources call it the Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines). It was headed by a President, who was responsible for its work. It appointed Superintendents in the colony's Aboriginal stations and "Honorary Correspondents" in other areas who worked with the Aborigines being watched over. This board was replaced by a firmly-named Central Board for

2937-476: The Aborigines of the state. The board was headed by a chairman (a politician with various simultaneous appointments), and had a superintendent as its executive officer. The act also removed the alcohol consumption ban. The Aborigines Act 1958 made minor changes. In 1958, the board established the Rumbalara settlement near Mooroopna to provide transitional housing for people living in camps. In 1960, it opened

3026-645: The Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs . The remaining state responsibilities were then transferred to the new Aboriginal Services Branch which operated within the Department of Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs. The first European charged with protecting the Indigenous people of NSW's semi-autonomous Port Phillip District was George Langhorne. He was employed by the district's superintendent as "Missionary" in 1837. He built

3115-588: The English navigator Matthew Flinders in 1802 and 1803. The first overland expedition to reach the Gulf was the Burke and Wills expedition , led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills which left Melbourne , Victoria in August 1860 and reached the mouth of the Bynoe River in February 1861. However, both men died on the return journey. The land bordering the Gulf is generally flat and low-lying. To

3204-813: The Gulf at the present time. However, this has not always been the case. Expeditions carried out by Geoscience Australia in 2003 and in 2005 aboard the RV ; Southern Surveyor revealed the presence of a submerged coral reef province covering at least 300 km (120 sq mi) in the southern Gulf. The patch reefs have their upper surfaces at a mean water depth of 28.6 ± 0.5 m (94 ± 1.5 ft), were undetected by satellites or aerial photographs, and were only recognised using multibeam swath sonar surveys supplemented with seabed sampling and video. Their existence points to an earlier, late Quaternary phase of framework reef growth under cooler-climate and lower sea level conditions than today. In

3293-513: The Gulf. Zinc, lead and silver is mined from the McArthur River zinc mine and exported via the Gulf. Another zinc mine, Century Zinc is in the gulf on the Queensland side of the border. It exports its product through the port facility at Karumba . The cattle industry is also a very important part of the regional economy in the gulf. According to the then Chairman of the Gulf of Carpentaria's Commercial Fisherman's Organisation, Gary Ward,

3382-650: The Kaiadilt art movement, led by Sally Gabori ( c. 1924–2015). Evans established MIAAC to produce and market traditional crafts, including Gabori's fine weaving. The Kaiadilt community had no two-dimensional art traditions before 2005. In 2002, Mornington Island Art and Craft became part of Woomera Aboriginal Corporation. The art centre incorporates the MIArt studio and a gallery. The artists, both men and women, work in many different mediums and represent their Lardil and Kaiadilt cultures in their artwork, and exhibitions by

3471-406: The Mornington Island Dancers. The general topography of the island, which lies on the eastern (Queensland) side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, is flat with the maximum elevation of 150 metres (490 ft). The island is fringed by mangrove forests and contains 10 estuaries , all in near pristine condition. The Manowar and Rocky Islands Important Bird Area lies about 40 kilometres (25 mi) to

3560-421: The Protection of Aborigines in 1869 (via the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 ). This act made Victoria the first colony to enact comprehensive regulations on the lives of Aborigines . The Secretary now not only did the bulk of administrative work of the board, but was credited with making proclamations in public notices. The Chairman and the other Board members directed policy. The General Inspector inspected

3649-681: The Superintendents and their stations. The 1869 Act authorised the removal of neglected Aboriginal children from their families. From the late 1870s, it became customary for the Colonial Secretary (aka Premier ) to be the Chairman. By the 1880s, the Honorary Correspondents had been replaced by "Guardians" (later "Local Guardians") operating from "depots". Prompted by the contested situation at Coranderrk ,

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3738-547: The Sweers Island Resort. After the tavern was shut down, locals took to home brewing, and in 2017 Mornington Shire Council called for the ban to be lifted so that alcohol could be better regulated from a single legal outlet. Alcohol continued to be a major social and health problem as of 2019, and in 2021 the tavern was reopened, which had started to improve the community's relationship with alcohol. On 16 April 2022, after much consultation with community elders ,

3827-832: The Top End, the Roper River , Walker River and Wilton River flow into the Gulf. The Cox River , Calvert River , Leichhardt River , McArthur River , Flinders River , Norman River and the Gilbert River drain the Gulf Country. A number of rivers flow from the Cape York Peninsula into the Gulf, including Smithburne River , Mitchell River , Alice River , Staaten River , Mission River, Wenlock River , and Archer River . Extensive areas of seagrass beds have allowed commercial shrimp operations in

3916-819: The UK's Parliamentary Select Committee on Aboriginal Tribes . On 31 January 1838, Lord Glenelg , Secretary of State for War and the Colonies sent Governor Gipps of NSW the report. The report recommended that protectors of Aborigines should be engaged. They would be required to learn the Aboriginal language and their duties would be to watch over the rights of Indigenous Australians (mostly mainland Aboriginal Australians , but also Torres Strait Islander people ), guard against encroachment on their property and to protect them from acts of cruelty, oppression and injustice. In many colonial, state, territory and similar jurisdictions

4005-547: The United States, United Kingdom, India and Sweden. Mornington Island State School is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-10) school for boys and girls at Lardil Street ( 16°39′59″S 139°10′57″E  /  16.6663°S 139.1825°E  / -16.6663; 139.1825  ( Mornington Island State School ) ). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 263 students with 25 teachers and 14 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent). It includes

4094-621: The Whiteman’s Way: Kinship and marriage among Australian Aborigines (2004) and Of Marriage, Violence and Sorcery: The quest for power in northern Queensland (2005). Indigenous art of Mornington Island is described in The Heart of Everything: The art and artists of Mornington & Bentinck Islands , ed. Nicholas Evans , Louise Martin-Chew and Paul Memmott (2008). According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2008),

4183-430: The artists have been mounted in Brisbane and Darwin . Two of the most well-known artists to have worked in the art centre are Sally Gabori and Dick Roughsey , and members of their families continue to work at the centre. The manager of the art centre as of 2022 is John Armstrong, while the gallery manager is Bereline Loogatha. The art centre works with Kaiadilt elders to help revive their language and culture. There

4272-408: The board's face to the public, reporting to a relatively hands-off Vice-Chairman. In 1917 it was decided to close all the stations except that in Lake Tyers , and to encourage all the station dwellers to move there. Most had moved by 1922. Almost all of the Depots had closed by this point. The Aborigines Act 1928 (from 1931) allowed more children and sick adults to live on the stations. In the 1930s,

4361-438: The control of the strongly "small government" John Hart . It was decided that the Office of Protector should again be absorbed into that of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. According to J. D. Woods in 1879, "With the cessation of the Protectorate of Aborigines as the function of a separate staff, all official interest in the native seems to have expired, and nothing is now done for them except periodically to give to them, through

4450-403: The different tribes, more especially of those in the vicinity of the settled districts. 2nd. To protect them in the undisturbed enjoyment of their proprietary rights to such lands as may be occupied by them in any especial manner. 3rd. To encourage as much as possible the friendly dispositions towards the emigrants which at present exist. 4th. To induce them to labour, either for themselves or

4539-414: The end of the Protectorate, Assistant Protector William Thomas was made "Guardian of Aborigines" starting 1 January 1850, predominantly acting in the Greater Melbourne area. The Port Phillip District became the Colony of Victoria in 1851. His position was a hands-on role that continued after a new administrative structure for protection was created. The Central Board appointed to Watch Over the Interests of

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4628-421: The entire east and south-east coast, is responsible for the typical pattern of a well-watered coastal strip, a fairly narrow band of mountains, and then a vast, inward-draining plain that receives little rainfall. In the Gulf Country, however, there are no mountains to restrict rainfall to the coastal band and the transition from the profuse tropical growth of the seaside areas to the arid scrubs of central Australia

4717-560: The expense of having a dedicated "Protector", combining the role with that of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. In 1860, a Legislative Council Select Committee investigating "The Aborigines" found that a dedicated Protector should again be employed. In 1866, during illness by Protector Walker, his office became known as the Aborigines Office . 1868 saw Protector Walker die days after a new premier and cabinet were appointed. A political crisis over how to best sell and develop land possessed by Aborigines had just resulted in new government under

4806-414: The first "Protector of Aborigines" for the Territory was appointed. A public set of instructions for the Protector was published in 1874. For a long time, the Protector was typically also the chief medical officer, coroner and registrar of births, deaths and marriages of the NT. Protectors of Aborigines: The Northern Territory Aboriginals Act 1910 (passed by the South Australian parliament ), created

4895-446: The government. The Aborigines Act 1910 re-affirmed that the board had the power to apply all the measures in the 1886 act to "half-castes". The board reduced its administrative function from 1912, it not publishing another annual report until 1922; and it didn't meet at all between 1914 and 1916. The Aborigines Act 1915 removed most Aboriginal people from the bounds of the board's regulation by removing their Aboriginal status for

4984-402: The interest and welfare of Aborigines, and to protect them against injustice, imposition and fraud." It also allowed them to remove children that were deemed to be neglected, and this was very often the case. A chairman continued to be appointed, however the administrative power was now vested in a dedicated secretary. This regulatory environment remained in the Federal Capital Territory after it

5073-410: The involvement of the board. In response to dissatisfaction with the shanty towns on the edges of country towns (and overcrowding in Melbourne dwellings), Charles McLean was commissioned by the government to review the Aboriginal people of the state in 1955. The resulting Aborigines Act 1957 replaced the existing Board with the Aborigines Welfare Board. It was empowered to improve the welfare of all

5162-410: The island in February, 2005. The Mornington Island Mission was established in 1914 by Robert Hall, the Presbyterian assistant superintendent from Weipa Mission, who ran it until his murder in October 1917. There were also Moravian missionaries there. Rev. Wilson took over, serving as superintendent until about 1941; mission staff were evacuated during the Second World War . James (Bert) McCarthy

5251-440: The island introduced limited, regulated access to liquor. Residents and visitors are now permitted to have up to 4.5 L (0.99 imp gal; 1.2 US gal), or 12 cans, of low or mid-strength beer or pre-mixed spirits for consumption in the home. The strategy has been adopted in order to address the problem of harms from people creating potent strength homebrews, as well as sly grogging . Mornington Island experiences

5340-419: The island was named Cape Van Diemen after Anthony van Diemen . Commander Matthew Flinders named the island after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley who was known when younger as the Earl of Mornington . Wellesley had tried to have Flinders released from detention in Mauritius. On 22 April 1905 all of the Wellesley islands apart from Sweers Island were proclaimed as an Aboriginal reserve , under

5429-432: The island, but there are also Kaiadilt people, who were relocated from nearby Bentinck Island , as well as people of other nations on the island. The Mornington Island Mission operated from 1914 until 1978, when it was taken over by the Queensland Government , which had proclaimed the islands an Aboriginal reserve in 1905. The Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation owns and manages an art centre, MIArt, and dance troupe,

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5518-431: The islanders are Aboriginal . The majority of the people live in the township of Gununa . In the 2021 census , the population was 1,025 people, the majority of whom (at least 80.2%) are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. There has been a lack of infrastructure on the island. Before December 2023 there were around 30 rooms for visitors to the island. With a scheduled completion date of Christmas 2023, there

5607-454: The mission. It was ten years after the relocation, completed in 1948, before one of the removed Kaiadilt woman gave birth to a child who survived. The final relocation of the people was spurred by the pollution of the islanders' water supply by seawater after it was badly damaged by a cyclone , with the relocation assisted by the Queensland Government . It was reported that some of the people had to be "induced" to move. One of those relocated by

5696-423: The missionaries was artist Sally Gabori ( c. 1924–2015), who later mapped her traditional lands in her artwork at the Mornington Island Art Centre. Douglas Belcher arrived when Taylor was superintendent, taking over as superintendent in May 1953. Belcher ran a more humane administration than his predecessors, and respected the Lardil culture. Mission conditions were not as severe and restrictive as they were at

5785-460: The mounted police, flour, tea, sugar, &c., and even this modicum of generosity is administered in a loose and perfunctory manner, owing to the pressure of more urgent duties on those who are in charge." "There is a Sub-Protector whose duties are centred in Adelaide and are merely clerical [Edward Hamilton], and there is only one other in the Far North [JP Buttfield], who is also a Stipendiary Magistrate." During much of this period, Edward Hamilton

5874-493: The northwest of Mornington. The town of Gununa is located on the south-western end of the island overlooking the Appel Channel ( 16°40′55″S 139°11′31″E  /  16.682°S 139.192°E  / -16.682; 139.192  ( Appel Channel ) ) which separates it from Denham Island ( 16°42′52″S 139°09′35″E  /  16.7144°S 139.1597°E  / -16.7144; 139.1597  ( Denham Island ) ). Lardil (also known as Gununa, Ladil)

5963-401: The number of sightings of Indonesian vessels fishing illegally in the gulf's waters increased in early 2005. By 2011, the numbers of illegal fishing boat interceptions had declined significantly with the cause attributed to enforcement efforts and education programs in Indonesia. In 2012, a major new port located to the west of Karumba and rail connection to the North West Minerals Province

6052-404: The office of "Chief Protector of Aborigines" and the Northern Territory Aboriginals Department . This department continued after the NT passed to Commonwealth government control in 1911. The powers of the department were then broadened by the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918 . On 1 February 1927, the Northern Territory was split into two territories, North Australia and Central Australia . In 1928,

6141-413: The purposes of the act. In 1916, the state's Chief Secretary (Premier) Alexander Peacock , asserted his authority as Chairman, and convened the board for the first time in two years. He gave renewed responsibility of the organisation to its Vice-Chairman, who did so under his state government title of Under-Secretary (administrative head of the government). By 1920, the role of "Secretary" had again become

6230-408: The region (and Australia) was the Dutch Willem Janszoon (whose name is also written as Jansz) in his 1605–06 voyage . His fellow countryman, Jan Carstenszoon (or Carstensz ), visited in 1623 and named the gulf in honour of Pieter de Carpentier , at that time the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies . Abel Tasman also explored the coast in 1644. The region was later explored and charted by

6319-432: The responsibility for Aboriginal affairs passed to the federal government and general Victorian agencies. In Adelaide's first year, 1836, its Province's first interim Protector was appointed by the Governor with the advice of his Legislative Council , and this practice continued for his replacements. The tasks for the third interim Protector, William Wyatt , were: 1st. To ascertain the number, strength, and disposition of

6408-620: The role. However, this would not come to pass, and instead Edward Hamilton would be given the title of "Protector of Aborigines" soon afterwards. Inspired by the Half Caste Acts in WA and Victoria, the Aborigines Act 1911 would greatly increase the control of Aborigines by the state. When enacted in 1912, the "Office" became the Aborigines Department , and the title of "Protector" was changed to "Chief Protector". In 1918,

6497-552: The same time establishing three discrete business units : MIDance, MIArt and MI Festival. The buildings were upgraded in 2010–11, including the addition of a dedicated studio for the artists. Mornington Island Art (MIArt), owned and run by the Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation, is one of the oldest Indigenous Australian art centres in Australia. People of the islands started making artefacts and bark paintings using natural ochres in

6586-590: The settlers. 5th. To lead them by degrees to the advantages of civilization and religion. In March 1838, in response to the killing of a Mr Pegler by one or more Aboriginal people, a committee was formed to advise the Protector on his protecting. Of its twelve members, six (including the Protector) were appointed by the governor, while the other six were elected by the colonists. A list of instructions for Protector Matthew Moorhouse (longer than those for Wyatt)

6675-472: The similar Manatunga settlement near Robinvale . (The Aborigines (Houses) Act 1959 made it clearer that the board could contract the Housing Commission to build houses on Board land). After severe criticism, in June 1964 the board lost its executive powers, and became an advisory body to the state government; though it still continued to administer Aboriginal affairs. In June 1965, the board

6764-561: The south. The wet season lasts from December to March. Most of the year's rainfall is compressed into these months, and during this period, many low-lying areas are flooded. The Gulf is prone to tropical cyclones during the period between November and April. The gulf experiences an average of three cyclones each year that are thought to transport sediments in a clockwise direction along the Gulf's coast. In many other parts of Australia, there are dramatic climatic transitions over fairly short distances. The Great Dividing Range , which parallels

6853-514: The town of Gununa. The council is funding most of the new construction, with some funding from the federal government's Growing Regions program and the state housing department, specifically for the visitor accommodation centre and duplexes. The Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation (MGAC) was founded as the Woomera Aboriginal Corporation in 1973, which was incorporated in 1983. It adopted its present name in 2009, at

6942-571: The wake of WA's Fairburn Report . It was part of the Department of Police, and apart from its first year, was chaired by the Inspector-General of Police (later known as Commissioner of Police). The Aboriginal Protection Act 1909 was enacted in NSW on 1 June 1910. This reconstituted the board. It now reported to the colonial secretary , and had its purpose defined as being "to exercise a general supervision and care over all matters affecting

7031-756: The west is Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt , the largest island in the Gulf. To the east is the Top End of the Northern Territory, including the Cape York Peninsula , and the Torres Strait which joins the Gulf to the Coral Sea . The area to the south (like the Cape York Peninsula, part of Queensland) is known as the Gulf Country . The Gulf Country supports the world's largest intact savanna woodlands as well as native grasslands, known as

7120-413: The west. At its mouth, the Gulf is 590 km (370 mi) wide, and further south, 675 km (420 mi). The north-south length exceeds 700 km (430 mi). It covers a water area of about 300,000 km (120,000 sq mi). The general depth is between 55 and 66 metres (30 and 36 fathoms ) with a maximum depth of 69 metres (38 fathoms). The tidal range in the Gulf of Carpentaria

7209-408: Was 477.2 millimetres (18.79 in) on 1 March 2011. The island averages 110.6 clear days and 77.0 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) on 9 July 1974 to 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 6 December 2012. Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria ( / k ɑːr p ən ˈ t ɛər i ə / ) is a sea off the northern coast of Australia . It

7298-548: Was Superintendent from 1944 to 1948, and he imposed a strict regime of adhering to Christian customs and eroded the authority of the elders . It was during this time that all of the Kaiadilt people living on nearby Bentinck Island were moved by the missionaries onto the Mornington Island Mission. The missionaries separated the children from their parents and placed them into separate dormitories for boys and girls, while their parents built humpies around

7387-548: Was appointed the first NSW Protector of Aborigines. Measures similar to those overseen by chief protectors in other states had previously occurred, usually being organised by either the Chief Secretary (Premier)'s department, or by the police. The Aborigines Protection Board was established to manage reserves and the welfare of the estimated 9000 Aboriginal people living in New South Wales on 2 June 1883 in

7476-490: Was created in 1911, and in the Jervis Bay Territory after its creation in 1915. The Aborigines Protection Amending Act 1915 greatly reduced the requirements needed for Aboriginal children to be removed. The Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1936 extended the powers of the board further, giving them complete control of Aborigines resident in NSW. The Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940 created

7565-461: Was handling most of the policy and administrative matters relating to Aborigines. In May 1881, it was decided to abolish the small Aborigines Office. This would combine the administrative Sub-Protector position with the "Secretary to the Commissioner of Crown Lands" to become the "Secretary to the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Protector of Aborigines", with protection being a very small part of

7654-595: Was proposed by Carpentaria Rail. The advantages of a port at Karumba compared to Townsville was that it was three or four days closer to Asia via shipping routes. Additionally, expansion is taking place of the Bing Bong Port which services the McArthur River zinc mine , awarded the Northern Territory Earth award. The Gulf is one of the distinct physiographic sections of the larger (and surrounding) Carpentaria Basin province, which in turn

7743-410: Was published in 1839. The Aboriginal Orphans Act 1844 empowered the Protector to apprentice out orphan Aboriginal children and, with parental consent, other Aboriginal children until the age of 21. It also gave the Protector the right to visit children and to penalise employers who mistreated the apprentices. On Moorhouse's retirement in 1856, the SA government decided that it could no longer justify

7832-502: Was rampant, including Mornington Island. The plan restricted tavern opening hours, limits sales to only light and mid-strength beers, bans takeaway alcohol sales and home brewing . Riots broke out when the tough new alcohol laws were introduced. A total ban on alcohol was in place across all foreshores and the 23 islands in the Wellesley , South Wellesley Islands , Forsyth and Bountiful Islands groups and Sweers Island , apart from

7921-722: Was transferred from the Chief Secretary's Department to the Housing Department, with the Housing Minister gaining the title "Minister in Charge of Aboriginal Welfare". At this time, the Minister was given a similar role to that previously held by the Chairman. The board was now largely devoted to improving Aboriginal housing. A dedicated Minister was appointed in 1967. The board now had an increased focus on education, health and other welfare matters. The passing of

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