Australian and state government agencies and other services to the region are primarily based on Thursday Island. Admiralty maps made in however, reversed the order of the islands as set down by Captain Stanley [5]. The Aboriginal people of Cape York Peninsula and the adjacent islands had little contact with Europeans until the settlement of Somerset was established on the eastern tip of Cape York in The British and Queensland governments agreed on a joint venture whereby the British would supply a Royal Navy ship to establish and resupply the settlement and the Queensland Government would pay the cost of a contingent of Royal Marines to be stationed there for protection.
This group included John Jardine who had been appointed the Police Magistrate in charge of the settlement and a detachment of 22 Royal Marines [7]. Before long there was conflict between the Royal Marines and the local Aboriginal people [8]. Due to the high cost of maintaining the Royal Marines at Somerset, they were returned to Britain in and were replaced by Queensland police officers accompanied by three Native Police troopers [10].
The Aboriginal people of the island were blamed for the killings and retaliatory action was organised by the authorities at Somerset.
The Police Magistrate at Somerset accompanied by Native Police troopers conducted raids on Prince of Wales Island and the adjacent Wednesday Island and a number of the islanders were killed [11]. By the early s, the Queensland Government had concluded that Somerset was an unsuitable location for a settlement. The government buildings were being destroyed by white ants and strong tidal currents presented difficulties for mooring and docking ships.
With an increasing number of ships passing through Torres Strait every year, the government sought a new location for a settlement with a better harbour [12]. In , the Queensland Government sought to extend its jurisdiction and requested the support of the British Government [13].
Letters Patent [14] were issued by the British Government in creating a new colony which encompassed all islands within a 60 nautical mile radius of the coast of Queensland. This boundary was further extended to 96km by the Queensland Coast Islands Act [15] to include the islands of Boigu, Erub, Mer and Saibai, which lay beyond the previous 60 nautical mile limit. The new legislation enabled the Queensland Government to control and regulate bases for the beche-de-mer and pearling industries, which previously had operated outside its jurisdiction [16].
In , George Heath, the port master of Brisbane, selected Thursday Island as the new site for the administrative centre of the region. Thursday Island was proclaimed a government reserve for public purposes in December [17]. In July , the administrative settlement at Somerset was officially closed. The following month Magistrate Henry Chester and the government staff at Somerset moved into new buildings and facilities located at Port Kennedy on Thursday Island.
Tickets can be purchased online, from certain retail locations in the Northern Peninsula Area, and on the ferry on the day of departure subject to availability. It's recommended to book the tickets in advance, as especially during dry season, seats may sell out quickly.
For those who would like to try out a rather unusual way of travelling, SeaSwift, a shipping business with its headquarters in Cairns, offers a "cargo ship cruise" on the MV Trinity Bay to TI:. Cabins are either on a share basis, or you can book a private one - both ensuite and common bathrooms are available.
On Wednesdays, the skipper and crew may offer a bridge tour depending on conditions - this is a working cargo vessel after all. During dry season May to October , cruises should be booked well in advance. There is no public transport on Thursday Island, which is fully understandable considering the size of the island. It is possible to walk to any place on the island in well under an hour.
However, the heat and humidity can be oppressive if you aren't used to it. The island has its share of hills. If you don't feel like walking, there are a surprising number of taxis on Thursday Island.
Call for service. Due to steep rates and the fact that there's hardly any roads to drive on, most visitors will likely forego hiring a car on TI. With steep hills, narrow ferry gangways, lack of footpaths, and many steps, Thursday Island may have challenges for wheelchair users and others with mobility concerns.
There is a flat, concrete path along the water from the port, which is about m long. The most frustrating part of any stay in Thursday Island, is the inability to swim in the ocean. The weather is hot, and the ocean looks clear, blue and appealing. However, crocodiles, sharks Bronze Whaler and Tiger Sharks , and marine stingers all inhabit the ocean. These risks seem to have combined to make swimming not a part of the local culture - and it is rare to see the locals in the water even on the hottest of holidays.
You may be told that particular places are safer from crocodiles, being away from the mangroves, but it still isn't advisable to swim far out into the ocean. Jardine Motel has a small pool, and there is another public one in the sports centre, but they aren't conducive to a poolside resort holiday. All supplies are available on the island, with a couple of supermarkets selling a full range of goods.
Expect nothing to be open in this regard on Sundays, public holidays and in the evenings. Groceries are among the most expensive in the whole of Australia here, so travellers on a budget may want to consider bringing their own food. There is a There is an ATM there, as well as others in the hotels and supermarkets. The bank is only open weekdays. The post office is an agent for many other banks.
In Port Kennedy, Thursday Island, was settled and the following year the Government Resident was given control of all the islands in Torres Strait. In a direct steamship service began from England to Australia via Torres Strait, and by two hotels on Thursday Island attended to travellers' needs.
The European population until then was small, but land sales allowed from soon led to a considerable increase in numbers. A customs house was built in and a telegraphic connection with the mainland was made in , and a quarantine station was installed on Gialug Island a few kilometres to the west.
The hazards of Torres Strait for shipping came to public attention in when the Quetta sank east of Thursday Island with the loss of lives. The few bodies recovered were buried at Thursday Island, and a memorial church was built there in It is now the Anglican Cathedral for the Diocese of Carpentaria, claiming to be the world's smallest cathedral. The island was a coaling station for shipping, quarantine point, pearl shell industry headquarters and, in , a place of fortification, with a gunnery at Green Hill at the eastern end, protecting entry to Port Kennedy on the south-east shoreline.
The fort was decommissioned in the s. Government industries - harbour, customs, jail, post and telegraph, garrison, police - were an important component of the island's economy, and the private sector was dominated by pearl shell.
Boats working out of Thursday Island were estimated to employ over men, about one third of whom were Japanese divers.
On the island itself, the population in comprised Australians, British and Continental Europeans, Japanese and 'other races' including Melanesians, Aborigines, Filipinos, Chinese and Malays. Many Aborigines and Islanders were not counted in local or colonial censuses. The population included itinerants, probable absconders and others outside the law, earning the island the opprobrium of 'sink of the Pacific'.
On the other hand, the island was a self-contained centre with a wide range of commercial and civic amenities. The main street had Japanese and Chinese stores. The commercial sector included a Burns Philp store since , aerated water makers, boat builders, cabinet makers, a photographer, printers and tailors.
0コメント