Protecting Shelburne Bay
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One of the outstanding environmental features of Cape York is the white sand country of Shelburne Bay on the east coast of the Peninsular. The traditional homelands of the Wuthahi people, the pure silica sand dunefields of Shelburne were earmarked for sandmining in the late 1980’s.
A concerted community campaign led by conservation groups and traditional owners stopped the mine, however the land remained unprotected.
For the past 30 years, Shelburne Bay has been run as a cattle lease.
In 1999, this lease expired. Due to the high conservation values of the property, the Queensland Government decided against renewing the cattle lease and offered the previous leaseholders, Dallas and Eileen Nixon a compensation package of ½ million dollars and an offer to coexist on the land with the traditional owners on a special homestead lease.
The Nixon’s rejected this offer and have refused to leave the land. It is proposed that eventually these special lands will become a mixture of National Parks and aboriginal land. The National Parks should be managed by the Wuthahi people, the traditional owners of this country for the millennia.
Support the Queensland Government’s stand and write, phone, fax or email the Premier, Peter Beattie, and offer support for his government’s decision to protect Shelburne Bay and return management of this place to its traditional owners.
Hon Peter Beattie
Premier and Minister for Trade
PO Box 185, Brisbane Albert Street QLD 4002
Tel: 3224 4500
Fax: 3221 3631
Email:
Premiers@ministerial.qld.gov.au
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