It is conveniently located 100 metres from the Cultural centre and 200 metres from the Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council offices. KOWANYAMA RIVER HOUSE STORY
Kowanyama River House is a 17 room guest house located on the banks of Magnificent Creek in Kowanyama Township. KOWANYAMA HISTORY
Kowanyama is a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria side of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
At the 2011 census, Kowanyama had a population of 1,207 people. The community is situated on the banks of the Magnificent, a tributary of the Mitchell River, 20 km inland from the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The township is accessed by an all-weather airstrip, as well as unsealed roads in the dry season from Pormpuraaw in the north, Normanton in the south and Cairns from the east. In 1905, Trubanamen Mission was established inland on Topsy Creek, now known as the Old Mission. Aboriginal peoples of the region were gradually drawn from their ancestral lands into the mission settlement. Later, in 1916, Mitchell River Mission was founded on the present site of Kowanyama and the Trubanamen site abandoned. Some peoples continued to occupy their traditional lands, moving into Kowanyama as late as the 1940s. With a population of over 1200 people, Kowanyama is the largest discrete Indigenous community on Cape York Peninsula being almost twice the size of nearby Pormpuraaw by population. In July 1987, the Queensland Government implemented legislation for a DOGIT over the lands in the Mitchell River delta, an area of 250 km². KOWANYAMA RIVER HOUSE HISTORY
Originally a butcher and ringer by trade, Thomas Hudson is also a past Mayor of Kowanyama and Chairperson of Apunipima Cape York Health. He is well known and respected throughout the Cape as a person who supports Aboriginal advancement and self determination.
“Who’da thought a ringer would finish up owning a guest house,” he said at the opening of the River House in 2015. Originally Thomas invited Indigenous Business Australia (IBA), to help him develop a camping ground on his family outstation known as the Rodeo Ground. IBA provides Indigenous clients with suitably accredited business consultants to evaluate business proposals and advise on their feasibility. Should the consultant’s report confirm the viability of a successful venture, IBA may agree to provide further business support. If ultimately the proposal is feasible and there is adequate security, IBA may also provide a loan on commercial terms. When it comes to property and buildings, IBA usually requires a mortgage over freehold title as part of the security. The problem in Queensland for Indigenous applicants in DOGIT communities like Kowanyama is that there is no freehold title on which to provide collateral to secure loans. Working with John Felan of Felan Consulting Palm Cove, Thomas was eventually able to secure a loan using the Trust lease of a property on the banks of Magnificent Creek as security. This loan allowed him to build the first stage of his guest house which was 9 rooms. Kowanyama River House exceeded all of its financial and operational projections from day one. Only family and Kowanyama Aboriginal residents work in the business including Renee Pollard who is General Manager of the enterprise. In late 2017 8 donga rooms were added which are less expensive accommodation options for guests. There are now 17 rooms available for guests.
