Wujal Wujal
Encyclopedia
Wujal Wujal is in northern Queensland
, Australia
. Wujal Wujal is the name of a relatively small Aboriginal
community on the north and south sides of the Bloomfield River
. It has an area of 19.94 square kilometres of land. At the 2006 census
, Wujal Wujal had a population of 326.
It is located approximately 30 km north of Cape Tribulation and 60 km south of Cooktown
. Access to the community is via a partly unsealed road which is only suitable for four wheel drive
vehicles due to the gradient of the terrain and the many streams and rivers that make up the Daintree
Drainage Basin which cross the path at very regular intervals. During high waterflow the road is unpassable. This is if you come from Cape Tribulation. If some one comes from the Cooktown direction the road is partly sealed as well but well driveable with a two wheel drive in the dry season. In the wet season it might be a bit slipery. Be cautious on this track because there is regular traffic of heavy trucks.
The rare Bloomfield River Cod
(Guyu wujalwujalensis) is found only in the Bloomfield River and is named after this community.
Visitors are warned not to bring any alcohol into the community as part of the Queensland governments aims at tackling aboriginal alcohol abuse. Traffickers of such contraband substances have found themselves paying excessive fines. The government also help the community by giving small one day a week jobs involving community service to try and deter the members away from boredom and therefore alcohol abuse.
The community has a helicopter landing pad just beside the hospital Royal Flying Doctor Service. Non-emergency medical services are provided in the community health clinic, by a dedicated nursing staff and 2-3 per week visits from doctors based at Cooktown Hospital.
In 1980 the Aboriginal Council came into being, with the area regaining its traditional name, Wujal Wujal.
The community has an Indigenous Knowledge Centre
'Binal Mangka Bayan (which means house of knowing things). The centre provides access to books, magazines and other educational material.
Councillors of Wujal Wujal Community:
vehicles can travel on the uncoated tracks. Tours are available for those without such transportation in small groups from Cape Tribulation's Ferntree and Coconut Lodge Resorts and are reasonably priced for the wealth of information gained and for the experience of visiting such an exceptional area of natural beauty.
In 2003 the Walker family, one of the family groups of the Kuku Yalanji people, commenced their rainforest tours on their traditional country at Thompson Creek, six km south of Wujal Wujal. Guided walks to the Bloomfield Falls have recently been added as another opportunity in their business.
As their tour attracts business from the Bloomfield area, mainly the Bloomfield Wilderness Lodge, the guests come by boat to their landing site on the Bloomfield River bank - creating the need for a jetty or ramp.
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...
. Wujal Wujal is the name of a relatively small Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
community on the north and south sides of the Bloomfield River
Bloomfield River
The Bloomfield River is a river situated in Queensland, north of Daintree. The river enters the sea north of Cape Tribulation and is noted for its Bloomfield River cod fish species, found only in the river...
. It has an area of 19.94 square kilometres of land. 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,...
, Wujal Wujal had a population of 326.
It is located approximately 30 km north of Cape Tribulation and 60 km south of 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...
. Access to the community is via a partly unsealed road which is only suitable for four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
vehicles due to the gradient of the terrain and the many streams and rivers that make up the Daintree
Daintree River
The Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres. The river, along with the Daintree...
Drainage Basin which cross the path at very regular intervals. During high waterflow the road is unpassable. This is if you come from Cape Tribulation. If some one comes from the Cooktown direction the road is partly sealed as well but well driveable with a two wheel drive in the dry season. In the wet season it might be a bit slipery. Be cautious on this track because there is regular traffic of heavy trucks.
The rare Bloomfield River Cod
Bloomfield River Cod
The Bloomfield River cod is a very small fish in the Guyu genus and the Percichthyidae family that is only found in an 11 kilometre stretch of the Bloomfield River in North Queensland, Australia...
(Guyu wujalwujalensis) is found only in the Bloomfield River and is named after this community.
Community
Wujal Wujal was formerly known as the Bloomfield River Mission and the people are Kuku Yalanji. The community has an estimated population of 470 (2001). The community at Wujal Wujal is thought to have existed on the site for thousands of years and is set around the highly sacred waterfalls of Wujal Wujal meaning many falls in the local language.Visitors are warned not to bring any alcohol into the community as part of the Queensland governments aims at tackling aboriginal alcohol abuse. Traffickers of such contraband substances have found themselves paying excessive fines. The government also help the community by giving small one day a week jobs involving community service to try and deter the members away from boredom and therefore alcohol abuse.
The community has a helicopter landing pad just beside the hospital Royal Flying Doctor Service. Non-emergency medical services are provided in the community health clinic, by a dedicated nursing staff and 2-3 per week visits from doctors based at Cooktown Hospital.
In 1980 the Aboriginal Council came into being, with the area regaining its traditional name, Wujal Wujal.
The community has an Indigenous Knowledge Centre
Indigenous Knowledge Centre
There are two library services operating in Australia that have adopted the appellation 'Knowledge Centres' in relation to the delivery of library services for Indigenous clients. The Northern Territory Library first developed the Indigenous Knowledge Centre model of service and later changed this...
'Binal Mangka Bayan (which means house of knowing things). The centre provides access to books, magazines and other educational material.
Councillors of Wujal Wujal Community:
- Mayor: Desmond Tayley
- Deputy Mayor: Talita Nandy
- Cr Allister Gibson
- Cr Cedric Friday
- Cr Zelia Gordon
- CEO Peter Opio-Otim
The waterfalls
The waterfalls are of the highest standard of natural beauty and for the community the falls are very sacred. The general public have access only to one waterfall as the other larger falls are only for the eyes of the female members of the community.Tours
Access to most vehicles is limited and only four wheel driveFour Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
vehicles can travel on the uncoated tracks. Tours are available for those without such transportation in small groups from Cape Tribulation's Ferntree and Coconut Lodge Resorts and are reasonably priced for the wealth of information gained and for the experience of visiting such an exceptional area of natural beauty.
In 2003 the Walker family, one of the family groups of the Kuku Yalanji people, commenced their rainforest tours on their traditional country at Thompson Creek, six km south of Wujal Wujal. Guided walks to the Bloomfield Falls have recently been added as another opportunity in their business.
As their tour attracts business from the Bloomfield area, mainly the Bloomfield Wilderness Lodge, the guests come by boat to their landing site on the Bloomfield River bank - creating the need for a jetty or ramp.