Weipa Queensland
Weipa
Weipa
Coordinates	12°37′48″S 141°52′43″E / 12.63°S 141.8786°E / -12.63; 141.8786 (Weipa (town centre))
Population	4,097 (2021 census)[1]
Established	1961[2]
Postcode(s)	4874
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	651 km (405 mi) NW of Cooktown 820 km (510 mi) NW of Cairns 1,359 km (844 mi) NNE of Mount Isa 2,492 km (1,548 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Weipa Town
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal division(s)	Leichhardt
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 32.8 °C 91 °F 21.9 °C 71 °F 1,963.9 mm 77.3 in

Weipa (/wiːpə/)^[3] is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland.^[4] It is one of the largest towns on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is mainly involved in exports of bauxite. There are also shipments of live cattle from the port.^[5]

In the 2021 census, the town of Weipa had a population of 4,097 people.^[1]

Geography

Weipa is on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula facing the Gulf of Carpentaria.^[6]

Weipa is just south of Duyfken Point, which was named by Matthew Flinders on 8 November 1802 after the ship Duyfken commanded by the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon.^[7] It is claimed that Janszoon was the first European to sight the Australian coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606, 164 years before Lieutenant James Cook sailed up the east coast of Australia.^[8]

The town consists of three residential suburbs, Rocky Point, Trunding, and Nanum, in addition to the industrial suburb of Evans Landing; these suburbs are contiguous. The town also includes the suburb of Weipa Airport which is not connected to the other suburbs and contains the town's airport.^[6]

History

Traditional owners and languages

Yupanguthi (Yuputhimri, Jupangati, Yupangathi, Nggerikudi, Yupungati, Jupangati) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yupanguthi country. The Yupanguthi language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cook and Weipa Region.^[9]

Kugu Yi'anh is a language of Cape York. The traditional language area of Kugu Yi'anh includes landscape within the local government boundaries of the Cook Shire.^[10]

Kugu Nganchara (also known as Wik, Wiknantjara, Wik Nganychara, Wik Ngencherr. See also related Wik languages) is a traditional language of the area which includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Cook Shire.^[11]

Kugu Muminh (also known as Kuku-Muminh. See also related Wik languages) is one of the traditional languages which includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Cook Shire.^[12]

Thaynakwith (also known as Awngthim, Tainikuit and Winduwinda) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Western Cape York in the Weipa area taking in Albatross Bay and Mission River. The language region includes areas within the local government boundaries of Weipa Town Council and Cook Shire.^[13]

Weipa Mission

In 1895, Presbyterian missionary Reverend Nicholas John Hey established a mission at the junction of Embley River and Spring Creek which he called Weipa, which is believed to derive from the Anhathangayth word meaning "fighting ground". In 1932 the mission relocated approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) to Jessica Point, continuing under the same name,^[14] Weipa Mission.^[15]

Very restrictive legislation was enacted by the state of Queensland in 1911, making the Protector of Aborigines the legal guardian of every Aboriginal and part-Aboriginal child (until he/she was 21), and the right to confine (or expel) any such person within any Aboriginal reserve or institution, and the right to imprison any Aboriginal or part-Aboriginal person for 14 days if, in the Protector's judgement, they were guilty of neglect of duty, gross insubordination or wilful preaching of disobedience. It also gave powers to the police to confine Aboriginal people to reserves to "protect them from corruption". This latter power was given by Comalco^{[clarification needed]} in 1957 to justify the removal of Weipa Aboriginal people.^[16]

In 1932, the community had to relocate to its present site, at Jessica Point now called Napranum because of malaria. It is about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the present town of Weipa. At this time most of the people were Awngthim but soon different tribes and clans and other communities were forcibly removed from Old Mapoon. To prevent the spread of malaria, the Old Mapoon settlement was burnt down on 15 November 1963.^[17]

Mining town

In 1955 a geologist, Henry Evans (1912–1990), discovered that the red cliffs on the Aboriginal reserve, previously remarked on by the early Dutch explorers and Matthew Flinders, were actually enormous deposits of bauxite – the ore from which aluminium is made – and to a lesser extent tungsten.

The "Comalco Act 1957" revoked the reserve status, giving the company 5,760 square kilometres (2,220 sq mi) of Aboriginal reserve land on the west coast of the Peninsula and 5,135 square kilometres (1,983 sq mi) on the east coast of Aboriginal-owned (though not reserve) land.^[18] Mining commenced in 1960. In 1962, residents accepted Comalco's offer to rebuild the Jessica Point village at a cost of £150,000. By the time building began in 1965, it became clear that funding was inadequate to build houses for the whole community, which contributed towards the Presbyterian Church's decision to hand over responsibility for the mission to the Queensland Government. The community became known as Weipa South after this.^[15]

The Weipa Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns was established in 1982.^[19]

On 30 March 1985, the Weipa South community elected the Weipa South Aboriginal Council, and the Aboriginal reserve held by the government was transferred to the council on 27 October 1988 under a Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT). In 1990, the Weipa South community became known as Napranum, meaning "meeting place of the people". The DOGIT lands became known as the Napranum DOGIT in 1991. In 1992, the Peppan people, originally located to the east of Napranum, were granted freehold title to former Aboriginal reserve land, which had been leased to the Commonwealth for the construction of Scherger Air Force Base. This was the first real compensation to the people of Napranum for use of their land.^[15]

In 1995 a major industrial dispute occurred between Comalco and its workforce to maintain union coverage, pay and conditions.^[20]

On 1 January 2005, the Napranum Aboriginal Council became the Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council.^[15]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, the town of Weipa had a population of 3,899 people.^[21]

In the 2021 census, the town of Weipa had a population of 4,097 people.^[1]

Climate

Weipa has a tropical savanna climate, with high temperatures above 31.1 °C (88.0 °F) throughout the year. Three distinct seasons exist. The wet season, which runs from January to April, is characterised by heavy downpours on an almost daily basis. Monsoon lows and tropical cyclones cause even more extreme rainfall, up to 200 mm (8 in) in 24 hours. The dry season, running from May to September, features hot and dry days; however, night-time lows are cooler and rainfall is almost non-existent. The build-up season, running from October to December, is oppressively hot and humid, with frequent days over 35 °C (95 °F). Dewpoints in the wet season average 24 °C (75 °F); in the dry season they average 18 °C (64 °F).^[22] Rainfall during the build-up is infrequent, but when it does occur, it usually falls in brief, heavy downpours associated with severe thunderstorms.

These seasons are not always set, however; sometimes the wet season can start as early as November or the dry season can extend as late as December, and monsoonal downpours have occurred as late as May.

Extreme temperatures have ranged from 10.2 °C (50.4 °F) to 39.2 °C (102.6 °F). The highest daily rainfall recorded was 327.8 mm (12.9 in) during the passage of Tropical Cyclone Oswald in January 2013.^[23]