History

Sea turtle| York Lockhart Shire Aboriginal Peninsula Cape River Indigenous Community Council
Sea turtle

Lockhart River Aboriginal Community is an extremely remote community on the eastern coastline of Cape York Peninsula. 

About 800 people, mostly from six major traditional Aboriginal language groups in the surrounding region, live in the Lockhart River community.

The Lockhart River people’s traditional territories span from Double Point to Breakfast Creek and inland to the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. You will discover more about our unique location, lands, people, history, plants and animals and seasons in this section. For a visual introduction to the people and places of Lockhart River community, go to our video gallery and photo gallery.

  • Maps

    Lockhart River township is located on the traditional lands of the Southern Kuuku Ya'u (Kanthanumpu) and is bounded by rainforest, low mountain ranges and the sea. A downloadable map is available here to help you gain a better understanding of the remote geographic location of Lockhart River and our traditional language groups.

  • Our location

    Stunning Quintell Beach
    The remote and beautiful Lockhart River community is the northern-most town on the east coast of Australia.

  • Our people

    Lockhart dancers together at Laura
    About 800 people call Lockhart River home. Together, our people face many hardships and challenges in health, education, economic and social development. Yet our cultural life is rich and diverse.

  • Our lands

    World Heritage rainforest river
    Land and sea country is integral to our people's past and future.The residents of Lockhart River are the traditional owners of the largest tropical lowland rainforest area in Australia.

  • Our history

    Lockhart traditional dancing
    It is fair to say the Lockhart River community has had a tough but proud history. Marked by the good intentions but often misguided policies of successive governments and missionaries, our history is steeped in the culture of our peoples.

  • Our seasons

    Bush tucker
    Hunting, fishing and collecting in the Lockhart River region is influenced by the seasonality of natural resources and weather.

  • Our plants and animals

    Pandanus
    The sheer beauty and diversity of the wildlife and habitat known to exist only in the Lockhart River region makes it a 'must see' destination for bird watchers and nature lovers.