Seisia
It is the smaller one of NPA's two Saibai islander communities - the other one is Bamaga.
It is a beautiful place, north of Jardine River, in the Northern Peninsula Area.
There are other pretty places up here, but with its white-sand beaches and emerald blue waters, Seisia is one of the better ones.
It is a friendly community, which, in fact, by now is quite multicultural.
Beautiful
Beaches
There
are beautiful beaches in the community, with white sands, and
surrounded by bright blue waters, which make the place
so
colourful.
Like all the
other beaches here, they are not for swimming,
but they make excellent photos, including those of sunsets.
Busy Wharf
If
there is a hub in the community, it is the wharf. There is
somebody here almost all the time - whether fishing, looking for a
crocodile to spot, strolling along
the
beach or the jetty, or coming in or going out on a boat.
Local kids
even jump in for a swim despite the crocs.
Great
Fishing
Like
many other places in Cape York, Seisia is an excellent place to fish.
And the wharf itself is one of the best and most popular
places.
But
locals also fish from rocky headlands, and of course, from the boats.
There are
also a few tour
operators
that take you fishing (full detail in the Destination Guide).
Short Boat
Trips
But if you have your own boat, you can get out fishing on your own, or
you can go and discover the coastline or go and visit some of the close
islands.
Red Island
is just across from
the end of the wharf, and Barn Island (aka Parau),
is a little further out, but still a very easy
distance.
Great
Camping Ground
Just
next door to the wharf is a camping ground. It is a nice
beachfront camping ground with powered and unpowered sites,
some villas and a
lodge.
Powered
camping sites are in so-called
"huts" with bench-tops, sinks and water taps. There is also an
on-site eatery.
Unique Art
Shop
Next to the camping ground is Freebirds Arts and Crafts, where you find
hand made souvenirs crafted by a very talented lady.
She uses rocks, seeds and shells collected from
the beaches right here at the tip of Cape York, and she also
makes wonderful coffee - people love to stop to
sit
in the shade and have a chat with the local :-)
Seisia Fishing Club
A
bit away from the camping ground, near the supermarket, is the Seisia
Fishing Club. It's mostly open on the weekends and is very popular with
locals. There are theme nights, celebrations and big screen nights to
watch sport events, but is open almost any Friday and Saturday night
and is walking distance from the camping ground.
Seisia
History
The
whole NPA area, including what is Seisia today, has forever been
Injinoo country.
By them it
was called Red Island Point, which in the
late 1940s became the second, smaller settlement (after Bamaga)
of Saibai islanders.
The name S-E-I-S-I-A is put together by the first letters of the first
settlers' names.
Beautiful Beaches
Seisia has beautiful beaches,
... on each side of the wharf.
They are also known for some great sunsets,
... and the one east of the wharf is the waterfont of the camping ground.
Seisia
Wharf
The wharf is in the
middle of the two beaches,
There is some great fish around the wharf, and every now and then you can see crocodiles.
Something that does not scare local kids away from swimming!
Seisia
Fishing
But most
popular the wharf is with fishing.
There is cod, trevally, Spanish mackerel, queenfish and barramundi to fish, only to mention a few.
Bait fishing is also good, and spear fishing is popular too, and there is some big fish caught by spearing.
Short
Boat Trips
The boat ramp just
next to the wharf, it's
a great place to take your boat out. 
Whether to just for a cruise around and a look at the coast, or to visit some of the nearby islands:
Red Island
Seisia used to be called Red Island Point, and the island right opposite from the wharf is called Red Island.
It is an easy island to ride around, and pull up on the beaches, just watch out for the resident crocodile!
Barn Island
A little further out is Barn aka Parau Island, but it is only a little longer trip.
All worth for its beaches, views, and the photos you get of its very distinctive double - island shape.
Beachfront
Camping
Ground
Right
next to the eastern beach and the wharf, is a great camping ground.
Right at the beachfront with great views, beach huts, and even an eatery.
Unique Art Shop
Just next to the
camping ground is a lovely lady Simone and her very unique art
gallery - Freebird Arts
and Crafts.
But it's not only the friendly smile - her art is very clever and hand made of locally collected materials.
She also makes very nice coffee served with cookies and a friendly chat :-)
Seisia Fishing Club
And there is the locals' favourite
- the Seisia Fishing Club!
Travellers are welcome, and there is food, a bar with alcoholic drinks,
... and special nights with live music and big screen so you don't miss out watching sporting events while on travels.
Seisia
History
In front
of the Seisia Camping Ground is the "Tropical Bure" - a
Papua New Guinean canoe used for cargo, supplies, and sleeping.
Seisia's history indeed comes from close to PNG, just as Bamaga's -
namely,
Saibai Island.
After the Second World War, when Saibai soldiers returned home from the tip of Cape York peninsula, their already flood-suffering island had a couple of really bad floods. With fresh memories of mainland Australia, a move to the mainland was discussed and decided on.
The first arrivers made a temporary settlement at Mutee Head, while the search went on for better places.
With help of the locals - Injinoo Aboriginal people, they found two places with freshwater sources - Red Island Point and Ichuru (today's Bamaga). The first settlers of Red Island Point was the family of Mugai Elu, who arrived in 1948 and used WWII army huts as their home.b
A few years later they invited some other families, and over the time more people followed as the word got around. The government supplied building materials and slowly the housing was built.
In 1972, they got a new church, St Francis of Assisi, that replaced their previous, temporary one.
In the 1980s, they were allowed to change the name of the community from Red Island Point to S-e-i-s-i-a, which was a name put together by the first letters of the names of the first settlers - Sagaukaz, Elu, Isua, Sunai, Ibuai and Aken.
Today, there are about 200 people living in the community, and more than 60% are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait origin. Yumplatok, Meriam Mir, Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kalaw Kawaw Ya and English are some of the languages spoken at home.
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