CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL Information

Carpentaria Shire is located on the Savannah Way in North Western Queensland in the south eastern region of the Gulf of Carpentaria and covers an area of 64,373km2. The region is uniquely placed to offer residents and visitors' opportunities and experiences in lifestyle, holidays, employment and investment opportunities. Carpentaria Shire has a friendly, laid-back lifestyle and is a place where children still ride their bikes down to the river to go fishing after school without parents having to worry as they wold in the larger towns and cities. Carpentaria Shire is the traditional country of many indigenous groups and the townships of Normanton and Karumba are the traditional land of the Gkuthaarn, Kukatj and Kurtijar people. The Shire has a population of approximately 2,500 with the countryside ranging from vast inland plains to mangrove forests, deltas and sultans along the coastal areas of the Gulf. Carpentaria Shire has a diverse industry base with agriculture, fishing, mining and tourism and government administration providing the majority of the Shire's income. Normanton is the Region's government and administrative centre with much of the Shire's commercial activity coming through Karumba which has an active port around export of zinc and lead and until recently live cattle to Asia and a substantial fishing industry which targets prawns, barramundi, Spanish mackerel, salmon and mud crabs. The Region offers good infrastructure and facilities with sealed access roads, well serviced airports, and sporting facilities and the standard infrastructure to be expected in a modern community.