Local government area in Queensland, Australia
The Shire of Mornington is a local government area in northwestern Queensland , Australia. The shire covers the Wellesley Islands , which includes Mornington Island ; the South Wellesley Islands ; Bountiful Islands ; and West Wellesley / Forsyth Islands groups in the Gulf of Carpentaria .
The administrative centre of the shire is the township of Gununa on Mornington Island.[ 3]
In the 2021 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 1,025 people.[ 1]
History
The shire includes the traditional lands of a number of Aboriginal Australian peoples.
The shire was formed in 1978 when the Queensland Government decided to take control of the islands over from the Uniting Church of Australia . The local community objected, and asked the Australian federal government to help overturn this decision. After negotiations, it was agreed that the community would become self-governing under a so-called "local government " model.[ 4]
Geography
The Shire Council covers 26 islands, which make up the Wellesley Islands , South Wellesley Islands , Bountiful Islands and Forsyth Islands (also known as West Wellesley) groups.[ 5]
The area has abundant flora and fauna, including tea trees, mangroves and sea oaks. The beaches are filled with a variety of marine life, including turtles and the endangered dugong . It is a fishing and diving locale with beaches and an emphasis on ecotourism .[ 6]
Demographics
The islands of the shire are inhabited by the Lardil , Yangkaal , Kaiadilt and Gangalidda peoples.[ 5] An Australian Aboriginal language , Lardil (also known as Gununa, Ladil), is spoken on Mornington Island and on the Northern Wellesley Islands , all within the Mornington Shire.[ 7] Another Australian Aboriginal language , Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida), is spoken in the Gulf Country, which includes the local government areas of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee and Shire of Mornington.[ 8]
In the 2001 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 934 people, of whom 88.2% were Indigenous (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander ).[ 9]
In the 2006 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 1,032 people.[ 10]
In the 2011 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 1,142 people.[ 11]
In the 2016 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 1,143 people, of whom 86.1% were Indigenous Australians.[ 12]
In the 2021 census , the Shire of Mornington had a population of 1,025 people.[ 1]
Amenities
The Mornington Shire Council does not operate any public libraries.[ 13]
Mayors
2008 - 2012: Cecil Goodman [ 14]
2012 - 2020: Bradley Wilson [ 15] [ 16]
2020 - present: Kyle Hector Yanner [ 17]
References
20°43′29″S 139°29′37″E / 20.72472°S 139.49361°E / -20.72472; 139.49361