A lot smaller than many other islands in the Torres Strait, it is the administrative centre of the
whole area.
Its only township covers almost all
of the island, so practically the
island is the town (by the
same name).
Its population of 2,500 is by
far the largest in the area -
there is no other town of its size
between Weipa and Papua New Guinea.
You may feel that
there could be more touristic
things to see, but that's not
what this island is all about.
Most of all it is about history and culture, and there is an
interesting
mixture of many different cultures.
The
thing I really like
about this island is its pace and its vibe, reflecting its
culture and tropical weather. The longer
you stay the more you can take it in and realise what a great place
it is.
History
Originally
in the Kaurareg country, TI has been inhabited for a long
time.
But its history was much the same as the surrounding islands' until thepearlingindustry happened.
Thanks to its
sheltered location, the population grew, and the administration of the
Torres
Strait was finally moved here from Somerset.
Culture
Originally it was the local Kaurareg culture, but that
changed.
The hugely
successful
pearling
industry attracted people, so apart from Torres Strait Islanders today
there also is a
mixture of Aboriginals, Papuans, Japanese, Chinese, Malays, Filippinos,
Indians and many other nationalities.
Torres
Strait Cultural Festival
If
you happen to be around in late September, every second year there is
the Torres
Strait Cultural Festival at the Ken Brown Oval in the south
western end of the town.
It lasts three days and is one of the greatest
events on and around the Cape York peninsula if you like indigenous
dancing.
Thursday
Island Weather
Unfortunately
I lost my wet season photos - the skies of TI are not always
perfect!
But late in the Dry season they often are, completely
cloudless, making the already blue waters looking
even more magnificent. Check out the Thursday Island weather forecast that
is current day by day (page coming soon).
And before you even set your foot on this island, you are blown away by
the colour of the waters!
And once you get to the wharf,
there is a nice walking path along the beach,
... while in the streets, there
are some colourful views, shops, buildings,
... and places to
eat.
Things
to See on Thursday
Island
The main touristic things to see on Thursday Island are the Green Hill fort
and museum, the historical cemetery, the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, and
the churches.
Green
Hill Fort and Museum
Green
Hill is a beautiful hill with some great views over the rest of the
island, and the blue waters that surround it.
Up the hill is a big fort
with cannons, built in fear of a Russian invasion in the late 1800s.
It
is well
preserved, and under the steps there is a museum with
local and military history displays.
Thursday
Island Cemetery
Thursday
Island Cemetery is on a nice hill and great for a brief look and a
stroll, but even better if you have a closer look.
The oldest section
is the Japanese pearlers', and then there are the Anglican, Roman
Catholics',
Indonesian, Malaysian and others.
Gab
Titui Cultural Centre
The
Torres Strait Islanders cultural centre is a relatively new building
that houses Islander art from all across the Torres Strait.
There is
art from a lot of different islands, and some of it is up for sale.
Every now and again there are also song and dance performances.
Quetta
Memorial Church
There are many churches on Thursday Island, but this one was built in
memory of the disaster in 1890 when
the 380-foot mail ship Quetta sank near Albany Island, after it struck
a large rock not previously seen. 133 people died, the story is
inside the church. And there are also other beautiful churches.
Green
Hill Fort and Museum
The main thing to see on Thursday Island is the fort up the hill.
There are the cannons,
... the views,
... the beautiful sunsets,
... and the underground museum.
Thursday
Island Cemetery
Another popular thing is the Thursday Island cemetery - particularly the old Japanese pearlers' graves.
Gab
Titui Cultural Centre
And of course, the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, with all the Torres Strait islanders' art.
Quetta
Memorial Church
And finally, the Quetta Memorial Church, with information on the disaster of the cruiser ship Quetta.
Thursday
Island Walks to Other
Places
If you stay a bit longer and want to have a better look around the island - if you continue along the beach-path walk that started in the beginning of this page - next you come to the ANZAC Park.
After that you come to the churches
on Douglas Street - Quetta, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
and a few others.
To the western end of Douglas Street, past the sports and festival oval and the hospital,
... you turn
onto Aubrey Parade and walk past the park on Bach Beach.
You walk past a mangrove area where flying foxes roost,
... on
your way to Tamwoy. In the southern end of Tamwoy you
can take a side track to Green Hill
- not the
way the tourists go!
And the views over the surrounding waters and islands are beautiful.
Another side track is the Slaughter
Beach, which takes you to the old Quarantine
Wharf, and the Cook
Esplanade.
From there, along the Aplin Road, you come to the Thursday Island Cemetery.
It's famous for its graves of large amount of different nationalities,
including the section of the old Japanese
pearl divers' graves.
There is also the grave of Bernard
Namok, the designer of the Torres Strait Islander flag.
Continuing east along the coast you first come to the suburb of Rosehill,
... and
then walk along the
beach to Waiben,
with the views of Hammond
Island.
In the eastern end of Waiben there is an unsealed track to Sadies Beach and Lions Lookout.
Up the hill is Lions
Lookout with views over Horn
Island from a WWII bunker,
... and down the hill is Sadies
Beach.
Walking through takes you to the eastern end of the town - Navy Wharf
and Bayo Beach,
... Mairu Beach,
... and the track to Milman
Hill.
With its two windmills
always seen from most of TI and the neighbouring islands, Milman Hill
is two times higher than Green Hill.
While Green Hill
has a fort built in the late 1800s, Milman
Hill has a WWII defence facility.
There is no lookout point but you can always look for a spot to enjoy
the beautiful sunset of TI - which you can also do at the Fort and other places :-)
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This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.