Hull River Aboriginal Settlement
Encyclopedia
Hull River Aboriginal Mission was an Aboriginal Mission
located at what is now referred to as Mission Beach
in the Hull River National Park
, Queensland, Australia.
-speaking Aboriginal people who inhabited this island coast were linguistically, culturally and socially related to the Dyirbal, Girramay and Gulngay groups of the Tully and Murray River districts. Hunters, fishers and gatherers of the rainforests and coast, they utilised the rich plant and animal resources to provide their needs. They excelled in making and using canoes and rafts and were expert fishermen of both fresh and marine waters.
Contact with early navigators and coastal surveyors as well as with beche-de-mer
fishing boats was established long before the first white people settled the beach areas in 1882. Timber-getters also camped on the beaches during their cutting expeditions and occasionally utilised Aboriginal labour in return for tobacco or tools.
were numerous after 1900. They cleared garden plots and grew bananas that they sent to southern markets, loading them from their sampans onto the lighters which took the fruit out to the coastal steamer waiting at the river mouth. The Chinese employed Aboriginal labourers and opium
addiction became a problem. Other problems arose from the inevitable conflict resulting from white settlers moving into the traditional hunting territories of the Aboriginal people. The Queensland Government proposed to establish the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement on high ground at the north end of what is now South Mission Beach
to combat the opium and other problems. Superintendent John Martin Kenny
arrived on 1 September 1914 and commenced organising the clearing and building of three large houses on the hillside overlooking the beach
and tidal wave swept across the area and wiped out the Aboriginal settlement at Hull River
, the homes and the orchards of the scattered settlers on the coast. The afternoon the cyclone hit, a telephone
link had been set up between Banyan (the forerunner of Tully
township) and the "mission". It was not to be replaced for some time.
During the cyclone the camping area at the beach was covered to a depth of ten feet by the tidal wave which swept away the bark and grass huts, and several people were also swept away and drowned. Superintendent Kenny and his daughter died, killed by flying debris, as did a number of Aboriginal people. Records show that 37 people were killed in Innisfail
itself and a further 40-60 people killed in the surrounding area. It is likely that many more people were killed at the time. Record keeping was sketchy and it is possible that well over 100 people were killed making it the worst natural disaster in Australian history. Some 90 years later another cyclone, Cyclone Larry
, passed over Innisfail
and may have been as big.
.
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
located at what is now referred to as Mission Beach
Mission Beach, Queensland
Mission Beach is a small village along the Coral Sea in Queensland, Australia. The popular tourist destination of Dunk Island lies 4 km offshore.-History:...
in the Hull River National Park
Hull River National Park
Hull River is a national park in Queensland , 1275 km northwest of Brisbane. GIS mapping data from Queensland Department of Natural Resources showed an area of 3,240 hectares, of which about 2,100 hectares are estuarine mangroves, with the remainder being swamp forests dominated by Melaleuca and...
, Queensland, Australia.
Aboriginal History
The DyirbalDyirbal language
Dyirbal is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in northeast Queensland by about 5 speakers of the Dyirbal tribe. It is a member of the small Dyirbalic branch of the Pama–Nyungan family...
-speaking Aboriginal people who inhabited this island coast were linguistically, culturally and socially related to the Dyirbal, Girramay and Gulngay groups of the Tully and Murray River districts. Hunters, fishers and gatherers of the rainforests and coast, they utilised the rich plant and animal resources to provide their needs. They excelled in making and using canoes and rafts and were expert fishermen of both fresh and marine waters.
Contact with early navigators and coastal surveyors as well as with beche-de-mer
Bêche-de-mer
Bêche-de-mer can refer to:* Bislama; Vanuatu Pidgin English* Sea cucumber...
fishing boats was established long before the first white people settled the beach areas in 1882. Timber-getters also camped on the beaches during their cutting expeditions and occasionally utilised Aboriginal labour in return for tobacco or tools.
Chinese Influence
Chinese banana growers along the Tully RiverTully River
The Tully River is a river situated within the Cassowary Coast Region of North Queensland, named after William Alcock Tully, Queensland Surveyor-General from 1875-89.The Bruce Highway crosses the river south of Tully...
were numerous after 1900. They cleared garden plots and grew bananas that they sent to southern markets, loading them from their sampans onto the lighters which took the fruit out to the coastal steamer waiting at the river mouth. The Chinese employed Aboriginal labourers and opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
addiction became a problem. Other problems arose from the inevitable conflict resulting from white settlers moving into the traditional hunting territories of the Aboriginal people. The Queensland Government proposed to establish the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement on high ground at the north end of what is now South Mission Beach
Mission Beach, Queensland
Mission Beach is a small village along the Coral Sea in Queensland, Australia. The popular tourist destination of Dunk Island lies 4 km offshore.-History:...
to combat the opium and other problems. Superintendent John Martin Kenny
John Martin Kenny
John Martin Kenny was a superintendent during the Queensland Aborigine Protection era. He arrived at Hull River on 1 September 1914 and established the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement....
arrived on 1 September 1914 and commenced organising the clearing and building of three large houses on the hillside overlooking the beach
Cyclone
On 10 March 1918 a furious cycloneCyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
and tidal wave swept across the area and wiped out the Aboriginal settlement at Hull River
Hull River National Park
Hull River is a national park in Queensland , 1275 km northwest of Brisbane. GIS mapping data from Queensland Department of Natural Resources showed an area of 3,240 hectares, of which about 2,100 hectares are estuarine mangroves, with the remainder being swamp forests dominated by Melaleuca and...
, the homes and the orchards of the scattered settlers on the coast. The afternoon the cyclone hit, a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
link had been set up between Banyan (the forerunner of Tully
Tully, Queensland
Tully is a small town in Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Bruce Highway approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the 2006 census, Tully had a population of 2,457....
township) and the "mission". It was not to be replaced for some time.
During the cyclone the camping area at the beach was covered to a depth of ten feet by the tidal wave which swept away the bark and grass huts, and several people were also swept away and drowned. Superintendent Kenny and his daughter died, killed by flying debris, as did a number of Aboriginal people. Records show that 37 people were killed in Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
itself and a further 40-60 people killed in the surrounding area. It is likely that many more people were killed at the time. Record keeping was sketchy and it is possible that well over 100 people were killed making it the worst natural disaster in Australian history. Some 90 years later another cyclone, Cyclone Larry
Cyclone Larry
Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005-06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March and was monitored by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in...
, passed over Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
and may have been as big.
Relocation
After the cyclone, none of the buildings were rebuilt and the entire settlement was relocated to Palm IslandPalm Island, Queensland
Palm Island is an Aboriginal community located on Great Palm Island, also called by the Aboriginal name "Bwgcolman", an island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia The settlement is also known by a variety of other names including "the Mission", Palm Island Settlement or Palm...
.