A Strait Day

Your Strait Day starts with a spectacular scenic flight on a private charter. Taking off from Cairns your compass heads north, crossing over the Great Barrier Reef and vast wilderness area that is Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. Leaving the mainland behind, our touch down point in the Torres Strait is Horn (Ngurupai) Island, which has a fusion of Melanesian, Torres Strait and Australian Aboriginal cultures. This island has a rich cultural, mining and military history, which will be revealed to you on a 2 hour Horn Island tour.

Horn Island Tour

The Torres Strait was a critical Allied Forces stronghold during the war. Hundreds of local men enlisted to defend their country – in fact, at Horn Island, only 10 able-bodied men remained to protect their community and to this day, the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion, is the only Indigenous battalion in Australia’s military history.

During this tour you’ll walk in their steps, visiting gun emplacements, slit trenches, underground rooms and more. Stop in at the Torres Strait Heritage Museum on Horn Island to gain further insights. Here you can read diaries and historic newspapers, see maps and learn more about the area’s rich wartime history, local
myths and legends and more.

The adventure continues when you catch a local ferry to Thursday Island. Slicing through the impossibly turquoise water, keep watch for fish, turtles and dugongs which thrive in this tropical paradise.

Thursday (Waiben) Island is the administrative hub for the Torres Strait and home to the Island Stars experience found directly opposite Bayo Beach on Main Street. This is a locally run business representing a contemporary art gallery and keeping place for cultural artefacts. It’s also the space where you’ll engage with traditional Ailan Kastom (Island Custom) through art and dance, during a local feasting- style lunch buffet. A respected Torres Strait Islander dance group will showcase their vibrant culture with a 1-hour performance, in traditional ceremonial dress and adornments. Their movements are powerful and represent years of practice. Their Dhari headdress are intricate and beautiful, like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

This expands your growing awareness of the rich tapestry of art, dance, rituals and performance that keeps language and traditional knowledge alive, in the Torres Strait. Meet celebrated visual artists and admire their incredibly detailed lino prints, which illustrate various aspects of island life, legends and custom. Artworks are available for sale and apart from supporting the local community and culture, these works make a striking, contemporary addition to any décor, serving as a visual reminder of your time in the Torres Strait.

Thursday Island Tour

Traverse more of the cultural tapestry, military history, religious and commercial activity that is island life, on a 2 hour Thursday Island tour. A comfortable air- conditioned coach takes you around the island, visiting key points of interest, which your local guide will illuminate through an interesting and informative commentary.

Highlights include Green Hill Fort and the historic Thursday Island cemetery. Positioned on the hill, Green Hill Fort is an ideal place to get some truly unique photographs, with a stunning backdrop of blue seas and islands. The Fort was constructed in the late 1800s to help protect Australia from a possible Russian invasion. The gun emplacements are still in place, but the canons have been disarmed. In the underground rooms beneath, there’s an extensive array of military artefacts, uniforms and more.