Caring for Olkola Country

The Olkola people have been custodians of their lands located in south-central Cape York peninsula for thousands of years.

This year the Olkola people and corporation are celebrating the 10th anniversary of when, after thirty years of campaigning, the Queensland Government returned 33,630 hectares of their ancestral home. Today the Olkola Aboriginal Corporation manages a staggering 869,822 hectares of land making them the largest non-government landholders in the region. Olkola are again living on Country, united in their quest to care for Country.

ACF has long held an important relationship with the Olkola people and in 2010, partnered with them to help negotiate land hand-backs from the Queensland Government.

ACF staff and supporters have been fortunate to have seen first-hand the deep care the Olkola people and corporation have for Country and the incredible work that has been done to rebuild connection, education and employment opportunities for Olkola people.

Former ACF Councilor Sue Richardson who traveled with Olkola said:

“I came away with a great respect for the ambition, vision and capability of the Olkola people that we met. It was exciting too to see the close and constructive role that the ACF has played in supporting the Olkola in their ambitions.”

ACF supporters and staff were lucky enough to join the inaugural Journey on Olkola Country in 2015 – an innovative on-country tourism experience led by Olkola guides. ACF’s Graham Tupper and Andrew Picone played a leading role in supporting this new business. Olkola’s objective was to create new income from ventures like Journey on Olkola Country to support the return of their community to their country. Everyone who joined the tour was blown away by the rich landscapes, wildlife, stories and knowledge generously shared by the Olkola rangers and team. Today these tours are now entirely run and owned by Olkola. A new Cultural Knowledge Centre is also being built to house important artifacts and be a place to further education and understanding.

Another major campaign being led by the team at Olkola is the program to protect the Golden-shouldered parrot in partnership with Bush Heritage Australia. The Golden-shouldered Parrot or Alwal is a totem for the Olkola People and endemic to Olkola Country. To further protect Alwal, Olkola had formed and is leading the first Indigenous-led threatened species recovery team in QLD.

Olkola have started the initial process of tentative listing for World Heritage over their Country, and completed most of their healthy country plan – a 10-year plan from 2016-2026. Olkola Land Managers work in partnership with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers to manage and care for the National Parks including pest and weed management, fire management, monitoring wildlife, and more.

In this anniversary year ACF extends our thanks for the generosity Olkola have shown ACF staff and supporters and we offer our heartfelt congratulations on their decade of achievement.