Mapoon

About Mapoon

Mapoon is a remote coastal town on the western Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, administered by the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and the Shire of Cook. Located approximately 88 kilometres north of Weipa and more than 900 kilometres north-west of Cairns, Mapoon sits on a vast 6,500-square-kilometre locality fronting the Gulf of Carpentaria. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 469 residents, and the community is predominantly Aboriginal, with significant social housing representing over 70 per cent of dwellings.

Mapoon has a rich and significant Indigenous cultural history, and the community maintains strong ties to country on the western Cape York Peninsula. The town faces the Coral Sea coastline and is surrounded by pristine tropical wilderness including mangroves, beaches, and remote bushland. Essential services are limited and largely provided through government and community organisations; access to the town is typically via unsealed roads or by air, and the community is largely self-contained. Mapoon represents a unique and deeply connected Aboriginal community in one of Australia's most remote and environmentally significant landscapes.

Mapoon falls under postcode 4874 and is governed by the Cook Council (Local Government Area). For federal elections, residents vote in the electorate of Leichhardt, while state elections fall under the Cook electorate.

Nearby Suburbs

• Jardine River, QLD 4874
• Mission River, QLD 4874
• Shelburne, QLD 4874
• Wenlock, QLD 4874
• Coen, QLD 4871
• Lakeland, QLD 4871