Yarrabah, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Yarrabah is an Aboriginal
community situated approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi) by road from Cairns
CBD on Cape Grafton. It is much closer by direct-line distance but is separated from Cairns by the Murray Prior Range and an inlet of the Coral Sea
. At the 2006 census
, Yarrabah had a population of 2,371. The Yarrabah area was originally inhabited by the Gungganydji people.
In 1957, the Yarrabah residents staged a strike to protest poor working conditions, inadequate food, health problems and harsh administration. The church expelled the ringleaders and many others left voluntarily, never to return. A few years later, the Government of Queensland
assumed control of the mission.
In 1965, an advisory council was set up which allowed Aboriginals to give "advice" to the Department of Aborigines, but it had no actual power and the government continued to control all aspects of the people's lives. In 1979, several community members joined a union but were stood down.
Eventually, on 27 October 1986, the community received Deed of Grant in Trust
land tenure, making it subject to the Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984, which allowed for self-governing Aboriginal Community Councils with a range of powers and controls over the land. With the passage of reforms in 2005, the Council became an "Aboriginal Shire" and gained the authority of a legal local government.
On 23 July 2007, Yarrabah hosted the Cabinet
of the Queensland Government in the first ever Cabinet meeting to be held in an indigenous Australian
community. On 1 October 2007, the Howard
Coalition Government chose Yarrabah as the first recipient of what was said to be a 'landmark housing and welfare reform agreement'.
At the 2006 census, Yarrabah and its outstations recorded a population of 2,371. Of those, 96.9% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The median age of Yarrabah residents was 21, compared with 34 for the Cairns statistical district. The majority of the Yarrabah workforce was engaged as either labourers or as community and personal service workers, and worked in local government administration or social assistance services. The median individual income was $224 per week compared with $534 per week for the Cairns statistical district.
.
The Yarrabah community has a public library which serves a number of purposes including access to computers and the Internet, equipment to watch movies on DVD, and educational links including a Homework Centre (a Federal Government initiative) and access to the RATEP (Aboriginal Teacher Education Program) at James Cook University
in Townsville for those training to be teachers.
The Yarrabah community has its own newsletter entitled "Yarrabah News", published monthly since the late 1970s.
. The road to the community is bitumen sealed and is accessible all year round despite weather conditions.
Ergon Energy powers the station and the residences. Ergon Energy power lines power the whole community as far as the Oombunji suburb (5-10 kilometres from the Community). Residents who live further than Oombunji & other places/suburbs in Yarrabah such as Wungu, Back Beach, Buddabaddoo, King Beach, Turtle Bay & Jilji have to use power generators for electricity. People who live in these outer places/suburbs can also adapt to live without power. The area is subjected to power blackouts especially during the wet season. During the blackouts there are no cooking facilities. Some blackouts have been known to last up to 5 days.
Yarrabah's medical needs are serviced by a multi-disciplinary primary health care centre, which handles emergencies and general practice care, but does not have inpatient facilities. It is staffed 24 hours a day by nurses who mostly commute from Cairns.
. The bus service provides travel between Yarrabah-Edmonton-Gordonvale-Cairns. it is approximately A$
13.00 adult and A$9.00 Child/student for a one-way ticket from Yarrabah to Gordonvale/Edmonton/Cairns or vice versa.
The Paradise bus operates services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday departing Yarrabah at 8:30 am and arriving in Cairns at approximately 10 am. It departs for the return trip at 11:00 am to arrive back in Yarrabah at around 12:40 pm.
The Paradise Bus also is available for charter and is readily used by footy fans commuting to Yarrabah matches in the Cairns & District Rugby League.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
community situated approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi) by road from Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
CBD on Cape Grafton. It is much closer by direct-line distance but is separated from Cairns by the Murray Prior Range and an inlet of the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Yarrabah had a population of 2,371. The Yarrabah area was originally inhabited by the Gungganydji people.
History
An Anglican church missionary, Ernest Gribble, began to regularly visit an Aboriginal group who inhabited the Yarrabah area living a very traditional lifestyle. These visits by Gribble were to encourage the tribe to move to a mission settlement he was in the process of setting up. With the help of the tribes’ leader, Menmuny, the tribe moved to the mission now known as Yarrabah Community. The mission was settled in 1893. Over time, many people (including some South Sea Islanders) were relocated from homelands in the surrounding area to Yarrabah.In 1957, the Yarrabah residents staged a strike to protest poor working conditions, inadequate food, health problems and harsh administration. The church expelled the ringleaders and many others left voluntarily, never to return. A few years later, the Government of Queensland
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
assumed control of the mission.
In 1965, an advisory council was set up which allowed Aboriginals to give "advice" to the Department of Aborigines, but it had no actual power and the government continued to control all aspects of the people's lives. In 1979, several community members joined a union but were stood down.
Eventually, on 27 October 1986, the community received Deed of Grant in Trust
Deed of Grant in Trust
A Deed of Grant in Trust is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former reserves and missions...
land tenure, making it subject to the Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984, which allowed for self-governing Aboriginal Community Councils with a range of powers and controls over the land. With the passage of reforms in 2005, the Council became an "Aboriginal Shire" and gained the authority of a legal local government.
On 23 July 2007, Yarrabah hosted the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of the Queensland Government in the first ever Cabinet meeting to be held in an indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
community. On 1 October 2007, the Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
Coalition Government chose Yarrabah as the first recipient of what was said to be a 'landmark housing and welfare reform agreement'.
Demographics
The area has a population of approximately 2,600 people as at 2008—the Australian Bureau of Statistics, however, note that official estimates of population may be undercounts due to both language barriers and the transient nature of residence of the outstations.At the 2006 census, Yarrabah and its outstations recorded a population of 2,371. Of those, 96.9% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The median age of Yarrabah residents was 21, compared with 34 for the Cairns statistical district. The majority of the Yarrabah workforce was engaged as either labourers or as community and personal service workers, and worked in local government administration or social assistance services. The median individual income was $224 per week compared with $534 per week for the Cairns statistical district.
Education
The Yarrabah community has a state pre-school, primary school and high school, which extends to Year 10 only. The nearest school for students continuing on to senior years (Year 11-12) is located in GordonvaleGordonvale, Queensland
Gordonvale is a small sugar-growing suburb situated in the southern end of Cairns on the Mulgrave River. At the 2006 census, Gordonvale had a population of 4,420....
.
The Yarrabah community has a public library which serves a number of purposes including access to computers and the Internet, equipment to watch movies on DVD, and educational links including a Homework Centre (a Federal Government initiative) and access to the RATEP (Aboriginal Teacher Education Program) at James Cook University
James Cook University
James Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
in Townsville for those training to be teachers.
The Yarrabah community has its own newsletter entitled "Yarrabah News", published monthly since the late 1970s.
Facilities
Yarrabah has one small supermarket run by local people, two hot food take-away shops, a local bakery and a drive-in pub, as well as a service station. For most other commercial needs, people need to travel to Gordonvale or EdmontonEdmonton, Queensland
Edmonton used to be an independent township supporting a sugar mill, but in recent times has become a suburb of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south of the centre of Cairns on the Bruce Highway and within the Cairns Region local government area...
. The road to the community is bitumen sealed and is accessible all year round despite weather conditions.
Ergon Energy powers the station and the residences. Ergon Energy power lines power the whole community as far as the Oombunji suburb (5-10 kilometres from the Community). Residents who live further than Oombunji & other places/suburbs in Yarrabah such as Wungu, Back Beach, Buddabaddoo, King Beach, Turtle Bay & Jilji have to use power generators for electricity. People who live in these outer places/suburbs can also adapt to live without power. The area is subjected to power blackouts especially during the wet season. During the blackouts there are no cooking facilities. Some blackouts have been known to last up to 5 days.
Yarrabah's medical needs are serviced by a multi-disciplinary primary health care centre, which handles emergencies and general practice care, but does not have inpatient facilities. It is staffed 24 hours a day by nurses who mostly commute from Cairns.
Transport
Yarrabah is serviced by the Paradise Bus, which is based in BabindaBabinda, Queensland
Babinda is a small town 60 km south of Cairns, Queensland. It is located in the Cairns Region.The town is noted for its proximity to two of Queensland's highest mountains Mount Bartle Frere and Mount Bellenden Ker....
. The bus service provides travel between Yarrabah-Edmonton-Gordonvale-Cairns. it is approximately A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
13.00 adult and A$9.00 Child/student for a one-way ticket from Yarrabah to Gordonvale/Edmonton/Cairns or vice versa.
The Paradise bus operates services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday departing Yarrabah at 8:30 am and arriving in Cairns at approximately 10 am. It departs for the return trip at 11:00 am to arrive back in Yarrabah at around 12:40 pm.
The Paradise Bus also is available for charter and is readily used by footy fans commuting to Yarrabah matches in the Cairns & District Rugby League.