Laura, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Laura is a small town north of Lakeland
in Cook Shire
, Cape York Peninsula
in northern Queensland
, Australia
. It is on the only road north towards the tip of the peninsula, and is the centre for the largest collection of prehistoric rock art
in the world. It also forms the northern apex of the "Scenic Triangle" between Cooktown
, Lakeland
, and Laura. At the 2006 census
, Laura and the surrounding area had a population of 225.
Some of the world's most extensive and ancient rock painting galleries surround the tiny town of Laura, some of which are available for public viewing. Laura boasts an impressive new Interpretive Centre from which information on the rock art and local Aboriginal culture is available and tours can be arranged.
Laura is only a few kilometres from the southern entrance to Lakefield National Park
.
There is a small community website that describes Laura, the town in the centre of Quinkan country. See Quinkan Country Website.
valley for at least 50,000 years. In the wet season, they would camp under rock shelters on the high ground. This is where their rock art can be found.
Some of the earliest pastoral leases on Cape York Peninsula
were taken up in the Laura district. However, the town of Laura did not develop until the discovery of gold on the Palmer River
.
In 1873 gold was discovered on the Palmer River. Travellers coming from Cooktown to the Palmer gold fields would cross the Laura River at Laura. This was a very violent period, as local aboriginal clans waged a war of resistance. A Native Mounted Police camp was established near the Lower Laura crossing to protect travellers.
During the gold boom a railway line was planned between Cooktown and the Palmer gold fields. By 1888 the line had been built to Laura. An impressive bridge over the Laura River was opened, to great fanfare, in 1891. However, since the Palmer gold fields were in decline, a new Queensland government decided to abandon the project. Only one train ever crossed the bridge - the train that ran on the day that it opened.
The rail line contributed to the growth of Laura. It was used by miners and by peninsula cattle properties. The Cooktown to Laura Railway finally closed in 1961.
It was during the 1960s that many of the rock art galleries were found by Percy Trezise
, an airline pilot who opportunistically surveyed the area from the air for likely sites and later walked in to rediscover them.
Lakeland, Queensland
Lakeland, Queensland - also known as Lakeland Downs - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.It is at the junction of the main Peninsula Development Road , and the Mulligan Highway. It is located in the Shire of Cook.It contains a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a...
in Cook Shire
Shire of Cook
The Shire of Cook is a Local Government Area located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland....
, Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is on the only road north towards the tip of the peninsula, and is the centre for the largest collection of prehistoric rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
in the world. It also forms the northern apex of the "Scenic Triangle" between Cooktown
Cooktown, Queensland
Cooktown is a small town located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. At the 2006 census, Cooktown had a population of 1,336...
, Lakeland
Lakeland, Queensland
Lakeland, Queensland - also known as Lakeland Downs - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.It is at the junction of the main Peninsula Development Road , and the Mulligan Highway. It is located in the Shire of Cook.It contains a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a...
, and Laura. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Laura and the surrounding area had a population of 225.
Some of the world's most extensive and ancient rock painting galleries surround the tiny town of Laura, some of which are available for public viewing. Laura boasts an impressive new Interpretive Centre from which information on the rock art and local Aboriginal culture is available and tours can be arranged.
Laura is only a few kilometres from the southern entrance to Lakefield National Park
Lakefield National Park
Lakefield is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,707 km northwest of Brisbane and 340 km north-west of Cairns by road, on Cape York Peninsula. At 5,370 km2 Lakefield is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,707 km northwest of Brisbane and 340 km north-west of...
.
There is a small community website that describes Laura, the town in the centre of Quinkan country. See Quinkan Country Website.
History
Aboriginal people have made their home in the Laura RiverLaura River (Queensland)
The Laura River is a river in Cook Shire in the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. It starts north of Mount Murray and flows north-west on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, shadowed by the Peninsular Development Road from nearby Lakeland...
valley for at least 50,000 years. In the wet season, they would camp under rock shelters on the high ground. This is where their rock art can be found.
Some of the earliest pastoral leases on Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
were taken up in the Laura district. However, the town of Laura did not develop until the discovery of gold on the Palmer River
Palmer River
The Palmer River is a river southwest of Cooktown in northeastern Australia. It was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1872. The Palmer River flows west across Cape York to the Gulf of Carpentaria, via the Mitchell River...
.
In 1873 gold was discovered on the Palmer River. Travellers coming from Cooktown to the Palmer gold fields would cross the Laura River at Laura. This was a very violent period, as local aboriginal clans waged a war of resistance. A Native Mounted Police camp was established near the Lower Laura crossing to protect travellers.
During the gold boom a railway line was planned between Cooktown and the Palmer gold fields. By 1888 the line had been built to Laura. An impressive bridge over the Laura River was opened, to great fanfare, in 1891. However, since the Palmer gold fields were in decline, a new Queensland government decided to abandon the project. Only one train ever crossed the bridge - the train that ran on the day that it opened.
The rail line contributed to the growth of Laura. It was used by miners and by peninsula cattle properties. The Cooktown to Laura Railway finally closed in 1961.
It was during the 1960s that many of the rock art galleries were found by Percy Trezise
Percy Trezise
Percy Trezise AM was an Australian pilot, painter, explorer and writer as well as, notably, a discoverer, documenter and historian of Aboriginal rock art. He was born in Tallangatta, Victoria but is associated especially with Far North Queensland and the rock art galleries of the Cape York Peninsula...
, an airline pilot who opportunistically surveyed the area from the air for likely sites and later walked in to rediscover them.