Mapoon
QLD 4874 • Queensland
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.
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Income
ATO taxable income Postcode 4874
Median taxable income for individual taxpayers in postcode 4874 for the 2023–24 financial year (2019–20 data not published for this postcode).
Source: ATO Taxation Statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 8 (median & average taxable income by postcode). Covers all individuals who lodged a return in postcode 4874; postcodes with fewer than 200 lodgments are suppressed by the ATO.
Transport & Commute
Bus Services
- No scheduled bus services — N/A N/A
Commute to Cairns
🛣️ Access is primarily by 4WD via Cape York development road or by light aircraft to Weipa then road; extremely remote
Remote Aboriginal community with no retail centre; vehicle or community transport required for all services
Supermarkets Nearby
No major supermarkets listed for this suburb.
Schools
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Red Beach Road
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Central Avenue
Demographics
Population Growth
Gender Distribution (Census 2021)
Crime Statistics LGA-wide
These are the latest rates for the Cook Local Government Area, which contains Mapoon. Rates are per 100,000 residents for calendar year 2025; trends compare 2 and 10 year periods.