Thursday Island & Horn Island

Thursday and Horn Islands are the most visited of the remote Torres Strait Islands, Australia’s most northerly frontier. The archipelago consists of more than 100 islands stretching like stepping stones for 150km from the tip of Cape York Peninsula to Papua New Guinea.

The islands have a fascinating history of Indigenous seafaring inhabitants distinct from mainland Aboriginal people, pearling and WWII defence, and a relaxed island culture. Horn Island (Ngurupai) is the air hub for the islands and the Cape, connected by regular ferries to nearby Thursday Island (TI; Waibene), the tiny administrative capital and main population hub. Prince of Wales Island (Muralag) is the largest of the group, but is inhabited by only around 20 souls. Friday Island and tiny Roko Island can be visited for their pearl farms.

These 'inner islands' are the traditional home of the Kaurareg people, one of four island groups in the Torres Strait.