Hope Vale Aboriginal community is about 40kms northeast of Cooktown via a dirt road between Cooktown and Laura. Originally established as Cape Bedford Lutheran Mission at Elim in 1886, the community was moved inland when the Japanese were advancing on Australia in World War II. The population was evacuated south at this time but in 1949 the mission was re-established as at Hope Vale and in 1950 the first of the evacuated families came back to the area.

Hopevale is no longer run as a mission by the church, but by its own elected ... (more)