The lower Mitchell River valley has supported cattle grazing since the earliest years of the 20th century at the Mitchell River mission (Kowanyama since 1987), and at the Rutland Plains, Dunbar and Koolatah pastoral properties. This has left a legacy of structures such as fence lines, bores, wells and yards throughout the landscape. Most of this infrastructure is now redundant since changes in droving practice from the late 1960s onwards, with the development of the stock route 'beef road' network and then the transport of cattle by truck.
Many of the surviving structures provide camping places for families in the dry season. Some provide the focus for more substantial homeland sites.
This gallery of photographs taken between 1996 and 2007 shows an evolution at some sites
from 'pack up and go' dry season 'holiday' camp sites to more established homeland settlements.
Many homelands aspire to year-round settlement. Logisitically, this is not possible for many, as they are inaccessible in the wet season. The photo gallery shows wet and dry season conditions at some sites. The 'wet season' and 'landscapes' maps in this collection give a synoptic view of seasonal accessibility and reveal a distinct homeland geography.
They show a drier hinterland of seasonal swamps in the wet season around Kowanyama. Sites are more accessible here and movement by 4WD vehicle is possible at times along the sand ridges which border larger swamps. People may even walk to camp sites or favourite fishing spots in drier spells in the wet season, when they are bored with their families and with township life and need a break.
The country adjacent to and north of the Mitchell River is only accessible in the dry season when families may also go hunting or camping in their traditional homeland country on the Koolatah and Dunbar pastoral properties that are adjacent to Kowanyama. Historically, many families lived in permanent 'Aboriginal camps' on these properties until they were relocated to Kowanyama in the later 1960s. Access to the Coastal ridges is precluded by their high cultural significance. Notions of 'poison country' and prohibition, and limited access prevail in various parts of these landscapes and trips there are discouraged.
Kin-related people, usually from three or four families from within the same tribal group, occupy a homeland site. The notion of a territory around each homeland is left vague (fences and gates or signs are rare) and negotiable. People come and go, but they usually ask permission if they are planning a camping or fishing trip in a homeland area. Present day homeland extents are broadly comparable to those estates mapped for family group descendants in fieldwork earlier in the 20th century (Sharp 1937).
A tribal area may contain a number of homelands which are referred to by the name of a senior Elder ('Alma's mob'), a family, a tradtional name ('Melderr') or a pastoral name ('Scrubby bore mob'). Some homelands may be referred to by more than one of these names.