Weipa facts for kids

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Weipa
Queensland

Weipa

Location in Queensland

Population

4,097 (2021 census)

Established

1961

Postcode(s)

4874

Elevation

15 m (49 ft)

Time zone

AEST (UTC+10:00)

Location

651 km (405 mi) NW of Cooktown
820 km (510 mi) NW of Cairns
1,359 km (844 mi) NNE of Mount Isa
2,492 km (1,548 mi) NNW of Brisbane

LGA(s)

Weipa Town

State electorate(s)

Cook

Federal Division(s)

Leichhardt

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
32.8 °C ^{91 °F}	21.9 °C ^{71 °F}	1,963.9 mm ^{77.3 in}

Weipa is a mining town located on the coast in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest towns on the Cape York Peninsula. The town exists because of huge amounts of bauxite found along the coast. Bauxite is a rock used to make aluminium. The Port of Weipa mainly ships out bauxite. They also ship live cattle from the port.

In the 2021 census, Weipa had a population of 4,097 people.

Where is Weipa Located?
Weipa's History
People in Weipa
Weipa's Climate
Weipa's Economy
Schools in Weipa
Things to Do and Places to Visit
Sports and Fun
Images for kids
See also

Where is Weipa Located?

Weipa is on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula. It faces the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Weipa is just south of Duyfken Point. This point was named by Matthew Flinders in 1802. He named it after the ship Duyfken. This ship was led by Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon. Janszoon is thought to be the first European to see the Australian coast. This happened in the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. This was 164 years before Lieutenant James Cook sailed up the east coast of Australia.

The town has three main living areas. These are Rocky Point, Trunding, and Nanum. They are all connected. There is also an industrial area called Evans Landing. The town also includes Weipa Airport. This area is separate and has the town's airport.

Weipa's History

First Peoples and Languages

Many different Aboriginal languages were spoken in the Weipa area. These include:

Yupanguthi
Kugu Yi'anh
Kugu Nganchara
Kugu Muminh
Thaynakwith

These languages are part of the rich history of the Cape York Peninsula.

The Weipa Mission

In 1895, a missionary named Reverend Nicholas John Hey started a mission. It was at the meeting point of the Embley River and Spring Creek. He called it Weipa. This name is thought to come from an Anhathangayth word meaning "fighting ground."

In 1932, the mission moved about 28 kilometres (17 mi) to Jessica Point. It kept the name Weipa Mission. The community had to move because of malaria. This new site is now called Napranum. It is about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the current town of Weipa.

At this time, most people were Awngthim. Later, other tribes and groups were moved there. Some were even moved from Old Mapoon. To stop malaria from spreading, the Old Mapoon settlement was burned down in 1963.

Weipa Becomes a Mining Town

In 1955, a geologist named Henry Evans made an important discovery. He found that the red cliffs in the area were huge deposits of bauxite. Bauxite is the rock used to make aluminium. Early Dutch explorers and Matthew Flinders had noticed these red cliffs before.

A company called Comalco started mining in 1960. The government changed the land status. This allowed the company to use large areas of land for mining. In 1962, the people living at Jessica Point agreed to let Comalco rebuild their village. This new community became known as Weipa South.

On 30 March 1985, the Weipa South community elected its own council. The land was then given to the council to manage. In 1990, Weipa South changed its name to Napranum. This means "meeting place of the people."

Bauxite section on kaolinitic sandstone, 1969

People in Weipa

In the 2016 census, Weipa had 3,899 people. By 2021 census, the population grew to 4,097 people.

Weipa's Climate

Weipa has a tropical savanna climate. This means it has three clear seasons:

Wet season: From January to April. It has high humidity, warm nights, and heavy rain. Sometimes there are tropical cyclones.
Dry season: From May to September. Days are hot and dry, nights are cooler, and there is little rain.
Build-up season: From October to December. It is very hot and humid. Temperatures often go above 35.0 °C (95.0 °F). There are also heavy rain showers with strong thunderstorms.

Temperatures stay hot all year. The average high temperatures range from 31.1 °C (88.0 °F) in July to 35.9 °C (96.6 °F) in November. Weipa gets about 1,968.5 mm (77.50 in) of rain each year. The most rain in one day was 356.0 millimetres (14.02 in) during Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013. The coldest temperature recorded was 9.6 °C (49.3 °F) in August 1990. The hottest was 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in October 2022.

Climate data for Weipa (12º37'48"S, 141º52'48"E, 20 m AMSL) (1990-2024 normals, extremes 1959-2024)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	37.5 (99.5)	35.7 (96.3)	35.7 (96.3)	35.3 (95.5)	35.5 (95.9)	35.5 (95.9)	35.7 (96.3)	35.9 (96.6)	38.6 (101.5)	40.1 (104.2)	39.6 (103.3)	39.2 (102.6)	40.1 (104.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	32.0 (89.6)	31.5 (88.7)	31.9 (89.4)	32.3 (90.1)	31.9 (89.4)	31.2 (88.2)	31.1 (88.0)	32.2 (90.0)	34.5 (94.1)	35.8 (96.4)	35.9 (96.6)	34.0 (93.2)	32.9 (91.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	24.3 (75.7)	24.3 (75.7)	24.0 (75.2)	23.0 (73.4)	21.5 (70.7)	20.1 (68.2)	19.1 (66.4)	18.9 (66.0)	20.0 (68.0)	21.9 (71.4)	23.5 (74.3)	24.3 (75.7)	22.1 (71.7)
Record low °C (°F)	20.0 (68.0)	20.1 (68.2)	19.1 (66.4)	14.4 (57.9)	12.7 (54.9)	10.2 (50.4)	9.9 (49.8)	9.6 (49.3)	13.9 (57.0)	13.2 (55.8)	17.8 (64.0)	20.1 (68.2)	9.6 (49.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	500.8 (19.72)	501.4 (19.74)	404.0 (15.91)	111.4 (4.39)	19.8 (0.78)	3.3 (0.13)	1.6 (0.06)	4.5 (0.18)	1.8 (0.07)	20.0 (0.79)	92.4 (3.64)	291.6 (11.48)	1,968.5 (77.50)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	16.1	15.6	14.8	7.3	1.9	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.4	1.4	4.9	11.5	75.2
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)	73	76	70	59	52	49	44	41	37	39	46	60	54
Average dew point °C (°F)	24.0 (75.2)	24.3 (75.7)	23.4 (74.1)	21.5 (70.7)	19.4 (66.9)	17.8 (64.0)	15.9 (60.6)	15.2 (59.4)	15.5 (59.9)	17.0 (62.6)	19.3 (66.7)	22.4 (72.3)	19.6 (67.3)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	164.3	144.1	186.0	234.0	254.2	237.0	254.2	275.9	285.0	303.8	285.0	232.5	2,856
Percent possible sunshine	41	41	49	66	71	69	72	76	79	79	75	58	65
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1990-2024 normals, extremes 1959-2024)

Weipa's Economy

Mining equipment at the Comalco (now Rio Tinto Aluminium) bauxite mine; Weipa, 1995

The town of Weipa was mostly built by Comalco. This company is now called Rio Tinto. It is a very large aluminium company. They started shipping bauxite to Japan in 1962. A railway was built to move the bauxite from the mine to the export port.

The Weipa bauxite mine is one of the biggest in the world. In 2006, it was ranked third globally. It could produce 15.5 million tonnes and actually produced 16.1 million tonnes.

Schools in Weipa

Weipa has two schools:

Western Cape College is a government school for boys and girls. It offers early childhood, primary, and secondary education. It is located in Rocky Point. In 2015, it had 1,073 students and 93 teachers.
St Joseph's Parish School is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls. It is also in Rocky Point. It opened in 2016 for younger students. It planned to offer all primary levels (Prep to Year 6) by 2018.