| Lakefield Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lakefield, 2010 | |||||||||||||||
  Lakefield | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 14°46′30″S144°13′44″E / 14.775°S 144.2288°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 21 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.00250/km2 (0.00649/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4892 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 8,386.2 km2 (3,237.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Cook | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Lakefield is a coastal rural locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. [2] In the 2021 census, Lakefield had a population of 21 people. [1]
Lakefield is on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula. Lakefield Road runs through the locality from the south-east to the north-west with connections via the Endeavour Battle Camp Road to Laura and the Peninsula Developmental Road to the south-west and to Cooktown to the south-east. [3]
The Normanby River, North Kennedy River, Hann River, Annie River, and many other creeks and rivers join as they flow to the northern coast of Lakefield to the Coral Sea, creating many lakes. [4]
The northern boundary of the locality extends offshore to include a number of islands (from north to south): [5]
The locality includes the following bays and passages:
Lakefield has the following coastal headlands (from north to south):
Lakefield has the following mountains (from north to south):
The Rinyirru National Park (formerly Lakefield National Park) occupies the south and west of the locality. The Cape Melville National Park is in the north-east of the locality extending into neighbouring Starcke to the east. [43] Apart from the Rocky Islets, all of the islands in the locality are either fully or partially within the Flinders Group National Park. [43]
Most of the locality is within these protected areas, while the remaining land is mostly undeveloped. There is a small area used for grazing on native vegetation east of the mouth of Normanby River along the coast. [43]
Flinders Island and the Flinders Group were named by Lieutenant Charles Jeffreys, a naval officer on HM Armed Brig Kangaroo on 30 May 1815, after Captain Matthew Flinders. [8] [10] Clack Island was also named by Jeffreys, but the origin of the name is unknown. [6]
The other islands are all believed to be named after naval officers who commanded survey vessels operating around the northern Queensland coast:
In the 2011 census, Lakefield and surrounding areas had a population of 184 people. [44]
In the 2016 census, Lakefield had a population of 16 people. [45]
In the 2021 census, Lakefield had a population of 21 people. [1]
Lakeland has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
There are no schools in Lakefield. The nearest government primary school is Laura State School in neighbouring Laura to the south; however, this school would be too distant for students in the north and west of the locality to attend. Also there are no secondary schools nearby. The alternatives are distance education and boarding school. [47]
Media related to Lakefield, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons
