“Non-Indigenous Mob have to learn to respect us people on the land in terms of our culture and other practices.”

Visiting Kuuku I’yu Northern Kaanju Ngaachi

Kuuku I’yu Northern Kaanju Ngaachi encompasses some 840,000 hectares and includes a number of ‘government’ land tenures which overlay the foundational original ancient Indigenous land tenure. The government tenures include Aboriginal Freehold, National Park, Pastoral Lease and Cape York Aboriginal Land. Access to Kuuku I’yu Ngaachi depends on the type of land tenure, as much of the country is private land with no public access and permission will need to be requested from the correct party depending on the tenure.

For the northern part of the Kuuku I’yu Northern Kaanju Ngaachi, for information with respect to the Batavia National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land) (NP (CYPAL)) and Batavia Nature Refuge, contact should be made with the Batavia Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

The Kaanju Ngaachi Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is on Aboriginal Freehold Land under the Mangkuma Land Trust (which holds legal title over the land). There is also another layer of governance with recent native title determinations made over country, which recognise native title rights and interests – Northern Kaanju Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC for Northern Kaanju determination area and Kaapay Kuuyun Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC for Kuuku Ya’u determination area. There are also matters that may require permission from the local government authority, which is the Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council.

Importantly, underlying all these layers of governance is Indigenous land tenure, which is clan based, and different clan groups with different clan governance and bloodlines will have cultural authority for different areas. So for people wanting to access country, for whatever reason, it is not an ’empty land view’ and the steps to request permission are complex.

Chuulangun Campgrounds ->

Cultural & Land Management Protocols ->

Dusty Lagoon, Kaanju Ngaachi IPA