Aurukun

Description:

The Shire of Aurukun includes much of the traditional country of the Wik, Wik Way and Kugu people. It has rare and beautiful environmental values. They, as the traditional owners, are very proud of their country. They are also proud of their traditional culture which is strong within their community. The community of Aurukun is located on the north-west coast of the Cape York Peninsula, 178 kilometres (two and a half hours) by road south of the mining town of Weipa and 811 kilometres (11 hours) from Cairns. Nearly the entire population (99.6 per cent) lives within the township. The shire has an area of 7500 square kilometres and is bounded by the Holroyd River and Pormpuraaw Deed of Grant in Trust lands to the south, Cook Shire and Archer Bend National Park to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west and Cook Shire to the north. It has about 107 kilometre of Gulf of Carpentaria coastline. Aurukun has an Alcohol Management Plan (AMP). AMPs aim to reduce alcohol-related violence. AMPs vary from community to community. They include alcohol restrictions, home brew bans and dry place declarations which operate within a defined boundary, known as a 'restricted area'. These strategies set the quantity and type of alcohol you may possess in the restricted area. Penalties apply for possessing or attempting to bring illegal alcohol into a restricted area. To find out more about AMPs for each community, visit the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs web site.