Thursday Island
The northernmost point of Queensland.
People who have spent days in their 4WD fording rivers, contending with bulldust which has the consistency of soup, and driving on roads which one wit described as 'educational' finally arrive in Bamaga and find that there is very little to do at the top end of Cape York. So, like lemmings, they all take the boat across to Thursday Island where the island's five hotels offer something a little more exciting than life in Bamaga.

It is believed the island was named by Captain William Bligh who passed by on his epic journey from Tahiti to Batavia after he had been set afloat by the mutineers from the Bounty.

A government outpost was established on the island in 1877 and by 1883 over 200 pearling vessels were based around the island. One of the island's great curiosities is the Japanese cemetery (second only to the one in Broome) where hundreds of Japanese pearl divers are buried. Some of the graves are marked with stone and others with timber. Many of the graves are characterised by small receptacles to hold food for the spirits of the dead.

The fear of Russian invasion (which also left its mark on Cooktown) is recalled by a fort on Battery Point which was built in 1892 to protect the island.

Numerous experiments in tropical farming have been attempted on Thursday Island. In the 1950s the CSIRO attempted to establish a cultured pearl industry and in the 1970s there was an attempt to farm green turtles. Today the island is the administrative centre for the Torres Strait Islands and has a significant population of Torres Strait Islanders. The census in 1981 recorded an island population of 2283.

There is a poem which sums up the old image of Thursday Island. It is an anonymous composition which was probably written around the turn of the century:

Up in regions equatorial
Blessed with scenery piscatorial
Is an island known to fame
Pearlers live and pearling thrives there,
Coloured races live in hives there,
White men only risk there lives there,
Thursday Island is its name.

Things to see:  

Torres Strait Tours [Click here and check out the Torres Strait Tours website]
No visit to Thursday Island and Bamaga is complete without spending time cruising around the islands. The pick of these cruises is undoubtedly Torres Strait Tours which operate a comfortable catamaran, the M.V Robert Henry and do regular trips to Thursday Island, Badu Island and Horn Island. This is an idyllic adventure.

Thursday Island
The Thursday Island option is described as "At Thursday Island you embark on a 2 hour air-conditioned bus tour taking in the island culture and visiting interesting historical sites, including Green Hill Fort with its abandoned bunkers and tunnels. Some of these tunnels are home to the Torres Strait Historical Museum. This unique and fascinating Museum holds rare artefacts from the rugged past of the Torres Straits, including displays from the pearling era, traditional relics from the Torres Strait Islands, nearby Papua New Guinea, and much more. Churches, over 100 years old, and Lions Lookout with its magnificent sweeping vistašs of the surrounding Islands and waters complete your formal tour. You then have free time to browse through the local shops to find an unusual, but typically Thursday Island, keepsake.

The Horn Island
The Horn Island tour is conducted with an expert guide, who is the curator and founder of the Heritage Museum on Horn Island. This tour is an experience not to be missed. You will be shown an often forgotten part of history, namely the role of Horn Island in the Second World War. Revel in the stories of the men and women who served here as recounted to your guide by the veterans themselves. The Heritage Museum also features a display of pearldiving memorabilia and Torres Strait art. Your bus tour includes warplane relics, an underground command post, an old gold mine commissioned in the 1860's and many scenic spots from which to admire the views.

Badu Island
This year is the first time Badu Island will be showing visitors around their Island. This tour is exclusive to Torres Strait Tours , and for a real taste of Island life and culture, it is not to be missed. Your visit to Badu Island, is one truly exceptional experience. Travel to Badu Island on the M.V. Robert Henry, and on the way you will be taken through various picturesque islands, sand cays, and past gleaming coral reefs. There is many opportunity to spot any one of Booby Birds, Torres Strait Pigeons or Green turtles.

Upon disembarking at Badu Island, you are taken back in time to real Island life, and although Badu island has the second largest population (after T.I.), the local people still retain their cultural heritage, and are extremely proud to show their place to anyone who takes the time to visit. You will be shown traditional arts and crafts, see traditional Island dances (in full island costume, including woven skirts, cassowary feathered headdresses and more), they will teach you some local songs and dances, and you will have a sumptious Island style lunch, complete with seafood and traditional foods, cooked "kup-mari" style (underground steam oven).

Check out the Torres Strait Tours website for all the information you require.

	Motels
	Jardine Motel Cnr Normandy St & Victoria Pde Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1555 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Federal Hotel Victoria Pde Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1569
	Grand Hotel 1 Victoria Pde Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1557
	Royal Hotel Douglas St Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1537
	T.I Hotel Victoria Pde Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1104
	Torres Strait Hotel Douglas St Thursday Island QLD 4875 Telephone: (07) 4069 1141