Aboriginal peoples Yalanji (also known as
Kuku Yalanji,
Kuku Yalaja,
Kuku Yelandji, and
Gugu Yalanji) is an
Australian Aboriginal language of Far North Queensland. The traditional language region is
Mossman River in the south to the
Annan River in the north, bordered by the
Pacific Ocean in the east and extending inland to west of
Mount Mulgrave. This includes the local government boundaries of the
Shire of Douglas, the
Shire of Cook and the
Aboriginal Shire of Wujal Wujal and the towns and localities of
Cooktown,
Mossman,
Daintree,
Cape Tribulation and
Wujal Wujal. It includes the head of the
Palmer River, the
Bloomfield River,
China Camp,
Maytown, and
Palmerville.
Kuku Yalanji (also known as
Gugu Yalanji,
Kuku Yalaja, and
Kuku Yelandji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the
Mossman and
Daintree areas of North Queensland. The language region includes areas within the local government area of
Shire of Douglas and
Shire of Cook, particularly the localities of Mossman, Daintree,
Bloomfield River, China Camp,
Maytown,
Palmer,
Cape Tribulation and
Wujal Wujal.
Warungu (also known as
Warrungu,
Warrongo, and
Waroongoo.
) is an Australian Aboriginal language in North Queensland. The language region includes areas from the
Upper Herbert River to
Mount Garnet.
Yir Yiront (also known as
Yiront,
Jirjoront,
Yir-yiront, and
Kokomindjan) is an Australian Aboriginal language. Its traditional language region is in Western Cape York within the local government areas of
Aboriginal Shire of Kowanyama and
Shire of Cook, in the catchments of the
Coleman River and
Mitchell River. Following the removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands, it is also spoken in
Pormpuraaw and
Kowanyama.
Yidinji (also known as
Yidinj,
Yidiny, and
Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of North Queensland. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of
Cairns Region and
Tablelands Region, in such localities as
Cairns,
Gordonvale, the southern part of the
Atherton Tableland including
Atherton and
Kairi.
Mining Far North Queensland is the location of the first
amber fossils to be found in Australia. The four-million-year-old fossils were found on a beach in
Cape York Peninsula but were probably washed ashore after drifting with the currents for about 200 km. In the 1860s,
Richard Daintree discovered gold and copper deposits along several rivers which led early prospectors to the area. Many mining towns have come and gone, going through a boom and bust cycle as mines were depleted. The
Mount Mulligan mine disaster occurred on 19 September 1921. Seventy-five workers were killed, making it the third-worst coal
mining accident in Australia. Its pressure was measured at 914 hPa with a recorded
tidal surge of 13 m, the highest ever in Australia. The
1918 Mackay cyclone hit the Queensland coast in January of that year, killing 30 people. In December 2023,
Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North Queensland coast south of Cooktown as a category two cyclone. It later stalled over the southern York Peninsula resulting in record rainfall along the eastern coast that lead to the
2023 Cairns floods. Port Douglas received more than a metre of rain in a few days. ==Fauna==