Doomadgee is located in the Gulf of Carpentaria, approximately 140km from the Northern Territory border and 93km west of Burketown. The community sits alongside the Nicholson River and provides access to the coast, freshwater rivers and Lawn Hill National Park, one of the Gulf’s most popular natural tourist attractions. The Waanyi and Gangalidda people are recognised as the Traditional Owners for the region surrounding Doomadgee.
English is the predominant language spoken in Doomadgee. However, several First Nations' languages are also spoken, including Waanyi, Gangalidda, Mingginda, Lardil and Garawa. Assistance may be required for some Aboriginal complainants, witnesses, victims and defendants who come before the court.
For 2011 and 2016 census information on education, employment, income, housing figures and more, build a statistical profile for Doomadgee on Know Your Community.
Search for native title information on the National Native Title Tribunal website.
[ Return to top ]
Doomadgee is about 1,200km from Cairns and 475km from Mount Isa. While most roads in the area are sealed bitumen, there are large stretches of graded dirt roads. Roads can easily and quickly become flooded during the wet season (October to April-May), making them impassable.
Regular flights operate from Cairns and Mount Isa to Doomadgee. Cairns to Doomadgee flights take around 4-5 hours, depending on stop-overs. From Mount Isa, the flight is about an hour.
Getting to Doomadgee during the wet season may be difficult, and the season can last beyond April and into May. Before planning travel, contact the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council or the Manager, Remote Service Delivery on 07 4796 7871.
Alcohol restrictions apply in Doomadgee.
Search the local government directory for information about the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council.
Sometimes in the Doomadgee community, the terminology “we had sadness in the family” means that someone has passed. The intensity of mourning is reflective of the importance of the family or person who has died. The mourning process enables healing for the family and community involved.
The death of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person impacts on the whole community. Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council has its own set of council-endorsed funeral protocols. For more information contact the CEO at Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council at ceo@doomadgee.qld.gov.au.
In Doomadgee, if a funeral is held in the morning, council staff generally do not attend work until 1pm. Where funerals are held after 1 pm, council staff members are generally unavailable after this time. The council office will also be closed during the morning or the afternoon depending when the funeral is to take place. Essential services such as policing, child safety, health, education and justice will continue throughout this period.
[ Return to top ]
The role of the Community Justice Group (CJG) is to ensure that clients of the service are given appropriate cultural support for court matters. The CJG also provides cultural reports to the courts at sentencing and bail applications, assistance to the courts in managing community-based offences, and networking to implement crime prevention initiatives.
Members of the CJG work closely with a number of justice agencies including the Queensland Magistrates Court, Department of Corrective Services, Queensland Police Service, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service. The CJG works to support the community’s understanding of and access to the justice system by working in conjunction with Shire Council by-laws and victim support agencies.
Key ways the CJG is able to assist the community and the courts include:
For more information about your local Community Justice Group:
[ Return to top ]
Use the Queensland Government's one place service directory to find up-to-date contact information for local support services including:
[ Return to top ]
[ Return to top ]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence