Thursday Island is one of the islands of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago which is located 39 KM north of the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. It is commonly known as TI or Waiban in the native language. This island is varied from different places at the same time as it is rocky in the northern extension of the Great Dividing Range and somewhere, it consists of coral cays and volcanic mountains. Thursday Island is also the administrative organization of Torres Strait and also a hub of commercial activities in this region. Spanning over 3.5 square meters, the island is standing confidently at 104 meters above sea level.
A Brief History of Island
The inhabitants of this island came from Melanesia and Polynesia almost 2000 years ago and established a unique and diverse culture that was distinct from New Guinea and Australian Aboriginal people. Thursday Island had been used as an important airbase in World War 2 and also the home of about 5000 troops. With a population of 2,610, the island has become an air hub for Cape York and Torres Strait as well. This tiny island lacks its own freshwater supply but is still an important dwelling for natives due to the proximity of shipping channels, deep harbor, and protected port. Today, TI is a vital pearling center in Australia, resulting in a mixed culture and traditions due to a large number of immigrants from South Asia and Europe.
Comprehension of Thursday Island
The island has been notable in Australia due to its citizens from Melanesian who gave it a traditional name Waibe, which means Cat Fish. In the year 1877, Queensland established an administrative setup for TI and by the end of 1833, 200 pearling ships came to this island. A lucrative and flourished pearl industry was founded here in 1885 which brought huge manpower across the world, particularly from Asia, Japan, Malaya, and India. Japanese were in a long-term contract with TI for the services of pearl diving and boating but after a period, they returned due to the illegal practice of boat building and loggers ownership. This practice was called dummying at that time.
Pearl Industry in Thursday Island
Additionally, islanders from South Pacific also worked for the pearl industry but originally they were importing against their will which brought a decline in the pearl industry in TI. Though, the pearl industry is still surviving in TI due to the harvesting of Pearl Shell, mainly used to make shirt buttons. The local pearl named, Oyster is also gathered by ships that are specialized in this field. Most of the oysters were used for imports to London markets and were also considered a precious blessing for the owners of boats. The boats, used for pearl diving, were very graceful and flowing and the divers were instructed to use the dress in deep water but in shallow water, they were free from this obligation.
Get in the Thursday Island
If you would not own a yacht or boat, you cannot get around this island and the only possibility, in this case, is air travel. Thursday Island is connected with Cairns through regularly scheduled flights but if you also want to visit the neighboring islands like Horn, you have to use the ferry service, otherwise, there is no other option.
