Saibai Island is one of the northernmost Torres Strait islands.
While it is not the northernmost inhabited one (Boigu is),
... it is the one that is the closest to the PNG coast.
After Badu, it is the fourth largest of all of the Torres Strait islands.
Council to the Pier
Like Boigu, Saibai is a low lying island formed by PNG river sediments deposited in the bottom of the sea.
Like Boigu, most of the island is coastal mangroves and inland swamps, with the community in the north western end.
Being low, it is prone to floods, so there is a seawall on the beach front. Like on some other islands in the Torres Strait, the floods happen during the wet season king tides,
... but on Saibai the floods and the fresh water shortage at the same time, changed the history ...
... when the first Torres Stait islander people decided to come and settle in the Northern Peninsula Area.
It is a beautiful stroll along the Main Road,
... past the community centre,
... the church,
... boats parked in the front of the homes,
... and the mudflats at the low tide.
Most of the time along the beach front,
... sometimes not,
... and there is some interesting fishing gear,
... and then you get to the pier.
The piers on these islands are beautiful,
... and are always a busy place.
Pier to the End
Like on Boigu Island, you see the neighbouring Papuans coming across from PNG.
While there are Papuans also living (in the western half of the community) on Saibai Island,
... the ones coming on the boats are from Papua New Guinea - they can
get permits to come over if they live in the so called Treaty Villages.
And you can see on the above photo just how close the PNG coast is - just 4km from Saibai Island.
West of the pier, the Main Road continues past more boats,
... the Mt Cornwallis in the background which is Dauan Island (part of Great Dividing Range as opposed to Saibai);
... and finally, a creek with mangroves and a track that goes to the cemetery.
Other Side of the Council
Back at the council building,
... the Main Road also goes to the eastern side.
Past some monuments,
... some picnic shelters,another boat ramp, and another creek with mangroves.
The neighbouring, uninhabited Kauamag is a mangrove island that is separated from Saibai by a narrow channel.
All the information about how to
get to each island, any permits and where to stay, is in
the Destination Guide.
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should take, how to get
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around, where
to stay (general info), what
will it cost..
and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.
This complete 300 pages
travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the
background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all
the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact
detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
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Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
English, which is the English we use in
Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.