Traditional Owners in Far North Queensland have been handed back more than 131,900 hectares of land for conservation as part of a major land acquisition by the state government.
It has been called one of the most “significant purchases” in Queensland history, and will add to 3.85 million hectares across Cape York, with all of the land now owned and managed by Traditional Owners.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government had purchased two former cattle properties, the Bramwell Station and Richardson Station, about 630 kilometres north-west of Cairns.
“Conservation is vital when it comes to tackling climate change and supporting the local tourism industry,” said Ms Palaszczuk.
“This is one of the most significant purchases in Queensland history – linking close to one million hectares of protected land in a picturesque part of our state.
“Conserving and returning this land to Traditional Owners will create jobs and opportunities for local workers in the future.”
Executive Director of Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation Gerhardt Pearson said he was delighted that Traditional Owners of the properties would now be able to enjoy the cultural and economic benefits of their ancestral lands.
A map showing where the land area has been acquired and given back to Traditional Owners. Source: Supplied
“I congratulate the state for successfully concluding this complex and long-running matter,” said Mr Pearson.
“[We were] pleased to help the state broker the outcome after many years of negotiation and planning.
“Traditional Owners of these strategic lands – gateway to northern Cape York, including the start of the telegraph track – can now work with the Traditional Owners of surrounding lands to better manage country and protected areas.”
Environment minister Meaghan Scanlon said the property would return to First Nations ownership and management through negotiation as part of the highly successful Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program.
Open grassy plains show some large termite mounds, south of Bramwell Station. Source: Kerry Trapnell. (Supplied)
“The area includes significant, undisturbed ecosystems and habitat that will become part of the protected area estate,” she said.
“Through the Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program, we will negotiate for which areas of the land will be made jointly managed national park and which areas become Aboriginal freehold land.
“The lands also provide further opportunity to protect the Great Barrier Reef by stabilising two catchment areas that flow into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
The land purchased connects freehold land owned by the Bromley Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and the Wuthathi Aboriginal Corporation both of which worked with the Queensland Government to protect their traditional homelands from mining.
