Pormpuraaw, a remote community on the western side of Cape York Peninsula, is about midway between Weipa and Karumba. It lies between Aurukun Shire (to the north) and Kowanyama Shire (to the south), and was established as a shire in 2004.
In 1938 the Church of England began the Edward River mission for Aborigines and in 1967 transferred control to the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs. The mission's superintendant between 1957 and 1962 was the father of Dr Heather Beattie (nee Halliday), later wife of Peter Beattie, the Premier of Queensland (1998-2007).
The name of the mission was changed to Pormpuraaw in 1987, but the area continued as an Anglican parish.
In addition to cattle raising, Pormpuraaw has had a commercial crocodile breeding farm since 1969, with most of the animals being sold as juveniles to be grown elsewhere for meat and leather. The community has an airport, two stores, a primary health care centre, a guest house, a library/Indigenous knowledge centre, a school (1975) and an Anglican church. Pormpuraaw's census populations have been:
| Census Date | Population |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 481 |
| 1996 | 553 |
| 2001 | 649 |
| 2006 | 600 |
| 2011 | 662 |
