Yarrabah, Queensland

Yarrabah (coord|16|54|34|S|145|52|13|E|region:AU-QLD_type:city|display=title,inline) is an independent Aboriginal community situated approximately 7 km southeast from Cairns CBD on Cape Grafton. Separated by the Murray Prior Range. While it is close to Cairns in a straight line, it is approximately 45 km away by road. The road is bitumen sealed and is accessible all year round despite weather conditions.

The historic church influence in the town was the Australian Board of Mission.Fact|date=March 2008

The Yarrabah area, south of Cairns, was originally inhabited by the Gungganydji people.Fact|date=March 2008

Mission/History

An Anglican mission was established in 1892, with a policy of dormitories for children and a ban on all traditional activities. Gradually many people removed from their own homelands were relocated to Yarrabah.

In 1957 as a result of intolerable living and working conditions a strike was staged. The "ringleaders' were expelled from the mission and others persuaded to leave.

In 1960 the Government took over the mission forcing people to live within the confines of the settlement as all outstations were closed.

In 1965 an advisory Aboriginal Council was established which reported to the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. Yarrabah received a Deed of Grant in Trust similar to other communities in Queensland in 1979.

Anglican Church Missionary Ernest Gribble began to regularly visit an Aboriginal tribe who originally inhabited the Yarrabah area living a very traditional lifestyle. These visits by Missionary Ernest Gribble were to encourage the tribe to move to a mission settlement he was in the process of setting up. The mission was settled in 1893.

With the help of the tribes’ leader, Menmuny, the tribe moved to the mission now known as Yarrabah Community. With the closing of the mission in the late 1960s, the new Yarrabah Community came under the Queensland Government.

The first Yarrabah Community Aboriginal Council was established. In 1986, Yarrabah Community received its Deed Of Grant in Trust land tenure status making the Yarrabah Community Council self-governing.

On July 23, 2007, Yarrabah hosted the Cabinet of the Queensland Government in the first ever Cabinet meeting to be held in an indigenous Australian community [Queensland Cabinet Meets in far north, news.com.au; [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,22606,22118024-5005962,00.html] ] .

On October 1, 2007, the Howard Coalition Government chose Yarrabah as the first recipient of what was said to be a 'landmark housing and welfare reform agreement' [ [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,22606,22510690-5005962,00.html "Yarrabah, Govt to sign welfare deal"] news.com.au website, "Retrieved on October 2, 2007"] .

On November 30, 2007, The Australian newspaper published a report "Suicide capital reclaims its doleful title", beginning:

A SPATE of suicides in Yarrabah in far north Queensland has authorities concerned that the community once dubbed Australia's suicide capital may be returning to its shameful past... ["Padraic Murphy", The Australian "Suicide capital reclaims its doleful title", Friday November 30, 2007, p9]

Population

The area has a population of around 4,000 persons; however, this can vary due to the transient nature of the people. Yarrabah, as with most Aboriginal communities, suffers from high unemployment and high rate of alcohol abuse.Fact|date=March 2008

Education

The Yarrabah Community has a State Pre School, Primary School and High School to Year 10 only. All students going on to senior years must travel to Gordonvale by bus which leaves at around 7.30 am each morning, returning around 4.15 pm. Most officers stationed previously at Yarrabah have chosen to send their children to school in Gordonvale.

The Yarrabah Community has a public library which allows people to borrow or read a book, surf the internet, watch a movie (DVD/VIDEO), type up & print documents (using the library cpus), photocopy, unwind or just pull in for a yarn. Internet access is free to the public, and there is also a HomeWork Centre & R.A.T.E.P. Centre (for students studying to be a teacher).

The Yarrabah Community has its own Newsletter titled: YARRABAH NEWS. It is a regular Monthly Newsletter that has been published since the late 1970s.

Utilities

;Electricity supply: 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. ;Reliability of supply: 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.Fact|date=May 2007;Type and quality of water supply: There is clean water available to use for showers and washing clothes. Fact|date=May 2007;Type of sewerage: Yarrabah has a sewer system in place

Medical

Yarrabah is serviced by St Luke's Public Hospital. The hospital staff work on a 24 hour roster and the full time resident doctor also provides his services to the surgery. The hospital is a 13 bed facility and is staffed 24 hours a day by nurses who mostly commute from Cairns. There is a Community Health Clinic operating as an extension of the Cairns Base Hospital on a full time basis. There are no specialists located in Yarrabah and no dental facilities. There is a QAS office in Yarrabah.

hopping

Yarrabah has one small supermarket run by local people, two hot food take-away shops, a local bakery and a drive-in pub.;Availability of Fresh Produce: Good in Yarrabah.Fact|date=May 2007 Available from Gordonvale, Edmonton or Cairns. Yarrabah people also grow their own fresh produce.;Access to hairdresser, haberdashery and clothing stores: Nil - have to travel to Cairns, Gordonvale or Edmonton. ;Petrol & Diesel: There is a small service station in Yarrabah which provides petrol and diesel fuels only, normally at about current Cairns selling price. It also provides gas bottle refills.

Recreation

The area is well known for enjoying great fishing, prawning, crabbing and crayfishing from the beach, creeks and the ocean. Fact|date=May 2007

Transport

Yarrabah is serviced by the Paradise Bus, which is based in Babinda. The bus service provides travel between Yarrabah-Edmonton-Gordonvale-Cairns. As of 2007 it is approximately AU$13.00 adult and AU$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.Fact|date=May 2007

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.Fact|date=March 2008

References