Torres
Strait Islands is the northernmost area in Australia.
There are about 300
islands, all the way up
to the border of Papua New Guinea.
It's an amazing
region with bright blue waters and a totally different culture compared
to most of the Australian mainland.
The most
visited islands are Thursday and Horn, but there are so many more in
case that you stay longer.
The Inner Torres
Strait Islands
The inner islands
group is the only one that you are likely to visit on
your normal Cape York trip.
Thursday
Island - Waibene Thursday
Islandis the
commercial and
administrative centre of Torres Strait. It
is far from the largest one, but is the most visited and the most
populated island. It is known for its
multiculturalism and interesting history. With a
population of 2,500, it is really like a small town
with shops,
hotels and
restaurants. It has some
great views and bright blue waters around it, and there are a few
things
to see and do.
Horn
Island - Ngurupai Horn
Island is the
second largest of the 'inner' islands of the Torres Strait, with a
population of 700. While its area is much larger than TI, the town is
much smaller.
The town of
Wasaga has a museum, resort and
hotel, and outside are some nice beaches, a nature reserve, a busy
airport and the island's
Second World War relics.
Hammond
Island - Keriri
The third largest, and the third most populated of the inner Torres
Strait islands is
Hammond.
It is a hilly island
with some good views
and
basaltic
rock formations. There
is a small township with
a beautiful beachfront, and there is the famous Hammond Island Church.
Prince
of Wales - Muralug
The rest of the islands have hardly any population or
facilities. Prince of Wales
- by far the
largest one of all the inner Torres Strait
Islands -
has a
few coastal inhabitants in the 'village' in the northern end of the
island, but no jetty, and nothing else except wilderness. In the
southern end of it is Port
Lihou Island.
Friday
Island - Gealug Friday
Island is a working pearl farm - called Kazu Pearls, and
operated by
the Japanese owner Kazuyoshi Takami and the crew.
The official
pearl farm tour includes the shop, a
farm operation presentation, and a seafood lunch, which is
exceptionally nice and will exceed your expectations :-)
Goods
Island - Palilug
Between Hammond and Friday, the little Goods Island
has a jetty, a
couple of old forts from the time of a feared Russian invasion, a few
Second World War relics (battery site with gun emplacements, semi
underground operation rooms) and shipwrecks, a boat ramp, and a
lighthouse at its highest point, to which you can walk.
Wednesday
Island - Maururra Wednesday Island
is a little
bit away from Hammond, Goods, Friday, TI
and POW - as you cross the Flinders Passage, the sea gets a little
rougher.
Just like the near-by Tuesday
Islets,
Wednesday
Island is uninhabited, and the only thing to see is a lighthouse.
Inner Torres
Strait Islands
Closest to
the Mainland
There are also the islands close to the mainland, and there are many
more
of these than listed here.
Possession
Island - Bedanug
But probably the most interesting one when it comes to European history
is Possession Island
- in the
northern end of which Captain James Cook
claimed the eastern coast of Australia to England in 1770.
There is a
monument to mark the event; and on the other side of the island there
is also some gold mining history.
Roko
Island Roko
Island has a working pearl farm, like Friday. Roko is the closest one to
the mainland so it's the handiest one to visit if you don't go to
Thursday or any
other Torres Strait Islands that are on the other side of the channel.
Like Friday it has a tour, and the Roko
Island tour includes a pearl farm operation demonstration, and a stroll
around the island.
Turtle
Head
Island Turtle
Head Island is another pearl farm, a little more
remote and
less visited but that only makes it even more interesting.
The hosts are super friendly and show you around, they put on a
pearling
show and have a shop with some very beautiful pearly creations.
Albany
Island Albany
Island
is the one north of Somerset Beach, it used to be a pearl farm but is
now a base for some great fishing trips.
There is also a walk to the other, northern side of the island, past
some historical graves to some beautiful white sand beaches.
Crab
Island Crab
Island is
far west, past Mutee Head and Jardine River mouth, almost half way
between Seisia and Vrilya Point (waterways).
There is nobody there, but at certain times of the year you can see
turtles, large flocks of pelicans, and crocodiles.
The
Outer
Torres Strait Islands
Away from the
coastline and
the inner Torres Strait islands, there are the outer ones. There are
four different
groups, and each one differ a little bit from the others: the western,
the
northern, the central, and the eastern group (while the inner islands
are also called the southern group).
The Western
Group
The western group is
mostly more
like the inner islands, with two very large ones.
Badu - Mulgrave Island Badu is
the third largest of all
the Torres
Strait Islands, and is most similar to the inner islands in many ways.
The people are very friendly, the community is large (compared to the
other outer islands), and after all - there is a pub!
The community is in the south eastern end of the island
and is
home for 1,000 people.
Moa - Banks, or Mua Island Moa is a
little larger - the
second largest of all of the
Torres Strait Islands after Prince of Wales. Right next to Badu, it is
also a similar one to the inner islands in many ways.
There are two communities - the southern Kubin,
and the eastern St
Pauls, with a population of 450 in total.
Mabuiag - Jervis
Island, Gumu Mabuiag
- a smaller island north of Moa and Badu, is a very restricted one
where you are not allowed to go to a lot of places.
The community is in the southern end and has a population of 250.
In the north of the fairly hilly island is a national park but you are
not allowed outside the community.
The Northern
Group
The northern group is
right next to
the Papua New Guinea coastline, and these are large mangrove islands
that have some PNG influence.
Saibai Island Saibai,
famously the island
where the first NPA
islander settlers came from, is the one (out of the
Australian
islands) that is closest to the PNG coast.
With
a population of 500, the community has a beautiful long beach, narrow
streets and the pier and a boat ramp where the PNG boats arrive.
Just west of Saibai is the hilly Dauan
- you can see its peak, Mt Cornwallis, from the Saibai streets.
Boigu Island Boigu
is the northernmost inhabited Australian island, but because of the
shape of the PNG coast, is not as close to Papua New Guinea as Saibai
is.
You can still see the mainland, and like on Saibai there are close ties
and regular trading with the coastal Papua New Guinea villages. With a
population of 300, it is a friendly island and so are the people from
the PNG Treaty Villages.
The Central
Group
The central group are
mostly coral
cay islands, and they are very friendly ones.
Iama - Yam Island Yam Island
is the only one in
this group to not
to be a real coral cay, meaning you cannot walk all the way around it
along the beach like on Warraber and Poruma.
It has thicker vegetation and is partly rocky, more like Erub and Mer,
but in the western side is a beach and the 350-people community.
Poruma - Coconut Island Poruma - a
real coral cay, and
super friendly - just like Yam and Warraber (and others by the way).
You can walk around the whole island along the beach, and the waters
are probably the brightest blue that I saw (but then that can depend on
the weather). The 250-people community is one of the smaller, located
in the western end of the island.
Warraber - Sue
Island Warraber
is another friendly
coral cay, which you can walk all the way around on the beaches.
It has super cute small streets and street signs, and a bunch of very
friendly people.
The 250 people community is in the eastern end, while the western side
of the island is uninhabited.
The Eastern
Group
The eastern group are
mostly hilly
volcanic islands (except Masig which is a coral cay).
Masig - Yorke Island Yorke Island
is also said to be the easternmost one of the central group, mainly
because it's a coral cay (its location really is in the
east and not in the centre). It is larger than Poruma and Warraber, has
a teardrop shape, and
has another island - Kondall
-
in its eastern, pointy end. The 250 people community is in the eastern
side of the island, and the western half is uninhabited.
Erub - Darnley Island Erub, Ugar
and Mer are the
volcanic group of the islands, all hilly and larger than the
above coral cays. Ugar
has the smallest population in the Torres Strait, with only 80 people -
while Darnley and Mer have some of the larger, with 400-450 residents.
Erub, aka Darnley Island, is most famous for its art and has
communities in the southern end.
Mer - Murray Island Mer is by
many considered the
most special
one - with its dugong shape, the most easterly location and the fact
that it consists of a little island chain that also includes Daua and
Waua Islets.
It's hilly, quite densely vegetated with lush, green rainforest in
places, and the beach community is in the northern end.
All the information about how to
get to each island, any permits and where to stay, is in
the Destination Guide.
Did you go to Torres Strait Islands?
Which ones? Or do you live there? Tell us! Attach a photo (up to four)! Build your own page with YOUR story!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Thursday Island Memories I lived on Thursday Island in 1972, 1973 and part of 1974.
I was teaching at the time.
It was one of the happiest times of my life.
Thursday and Horn Island Not rated yet Done both Horn and Thursday Island - stayed 2 nights at Horn.
The WW 2 tour by Vanessa was very special she is an exceptional person with all the research, …
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