Black Star Radio Mapoon

Mapoon (also refered to as Old Mapoon) is an Aboriginal community in Cape York, eighty kilometres north of Weipa on the mouth of the Wenlock River, and about 700 km north west of Cairns.

Mapoon has a population of 317 and the traditional owners include Tjungundji, Yupungathi, Taepadhighi, Mbakwithi, Thankakwithi and Anathangay.  Local languages are English, languages of traditional owner groups from local and surrounding area and Creole.

Established as a church mission at what is now known as Cullen Point in 1891, it soon became known as Mapoon (a Tjungundji word meaning ‘place where people fight on the sand-hills).  In 1954, government officials decided to close the mission and to evacuate the people to Weipa or nearby stations.  This was done without consulting the residents and eventually a new mission was formed near Bamaga and became known as New Mapoon.  By 1963 all residents had relocated or been forcibly removed from the mission to New Mapoon.