The islands of the Torres Strait have been inhabited by humans for at least 2,500 years and possibly much longer.[1] The variousTorres Strait Islander communities have a unique culture and long-standing history with the islands and nearby coastlines. Their maritime-based trade and interactions with the Papuans to the north and theAustralian Aboriginal communities have maintained a steadycultural diffusion among the three societal groups, dating back thousands of years.
The first recorded European navigation of the strait was byLuís Vaz de Torres, a pilot who was second-in-command on theSpanish expedition led by navigatorPedro Fernandes de Queirós who sailed fromPeru to theSouth Pacific in 1605. After Queirós's ship returned toMexico, Torres resumed the intended voyage toManila via theMaluku Islands. He sailed along the south coast of New Guinea and discovered the strait that still bears his name. This discovery recorded in Spanish maps of thePacific would later make possibleJames Cook's expedition toAustralia. Torres and his crew are not known to have sighted the Australian mainland visited justfour months earlier byWillem Janszoon sailingDuyfken without conversely becoming aware of the strait now known as Torres Strait. No specific records exists of Torres sighting the coast of a major land mass to his south,[2] and early Spanish maps show the coast of New Guinea correctly but omit Australia.
In 1769 theScottish geographerAlexander Dalrymple, whilst translating some Spanish documents captured in the Philippines in 1762, had found Luís Vaz de Torres's testimony proving a passage south of New Guinea now known as Torres Strait.[3] This discovery led Dalrymple to publish theHistorical Collection of the Several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean in 1770–1771, which aroused widespread interest in his claim of the existence of an unknown continent. It was Dalrymple who named the strait after Torres. Dalrymple was bitterly disappointed that it wasJames Cook and not he who was appointed commander of the expedition that eventually led in 1770 to the British encounter and charting of the eastern coastline of Australia.
In 1770 LieutenantJames Cook rounded Cape York, turned south-west and landed onPossession Island. From the top of a hill, he signalled down to the ship that he could see a navigable passage through the dangerous Strait. Later inBatavia, where he learnt that the French had preceded him across thePacific, Cook re-wrote this signalling drill as a possession ceremony,[4] saying he had claimed Australia's east coast for the British Crown.[5]
In 1823 Captain John Lihou, Master of the 550-ton merchant shipZenobia ofCalcutta, was on passage fromManila toSouth America and chose a route through Torres Strait. Remarkably, this would become the first time for a ship to be navigated through the Torres Strait from west to east. According to theSydney Gazette of April 1823: "This essay of nautical skill was accomplished after the loss of four anchors and the rudder". It was also the first occasion a ship was navigated through theCoral Sea from Torres Strait, south-eastward to the southward ofNew Caledonia. Lihou saw Sir James Saumarez' Shoal (nowSaumarez Reefs) on 27 February and named the reef system after Vice-AdmiralJames Saumarez. On this same trip, Lihou discovered theLihou Reef and Cays and Port Lihou (originally named Port Yarborough, on the southern shore ofPrince of Wales Island).[a]
TheLondon Missionary Society arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) in 1871. Although some of the Torres Strait islands lie just off the coast of New Guinea, they were annexed in 1879 bycolony of Queensland, then a British colony. There was an importantpearling industry from the 1860s until about 1970 when it collapsed in the face of competition from the plastics industry. Pearl-shelling was responsible for the arrival of experienced divers from many countries, notablyJapan.[6]
In the 1980s, Torres Strait Island people wanted to create a name for the islands which related to their culture. Initially the name "Magani Malu Kes" was suggested for the region, but later adopting theacronym "Zenadh Kes", to refer to the Torres Strait.[8] The acronym "ZENADTH KES" was first derived from 'Zey' (south), 'Naygay' (north), 'Dagam' (place/side), 'Thawathaw' (coastline) and KES (passage/channel/waterway).[9] However, this has become modified and it is now spelt Zenadh Kes.[10][failed verification]
Due to proximity to thePapua New Guinea mainland, the northern Torres Strait islands experience occasionalasylum seeker arrivals from across the Strait. A total of ten asylum seekers from Papua New Guinea were detected in each of 2012 and 2013.[11]
The strait links theCoral Sea to the east with theArafura Sea andGulf of Carpentaria in the west. Although it is an important international sea lane, it is very shallow (water depth of 7 to 15 m; 23 to 49 ft),[12] and the maze of reefs and islands can make it hazardous to navigate. In the south theEndeavour Strait is located betweenPrince of Wales Island (Muralug) and the mainland. Shipping enters Torres Strait via theAdolphus Channel, which joins to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon to the southeast. Strong tidal currents occur in the narrow channels between islands and reefs, and large submarine sand dunes migrate across the seafloor.[13] Some 580 coral reefs, including the Warrior Reefs and Eastern Patch Reefs, cover a total area of 2,400 km2 (930 sq mi) in the region, and the area also has some of the most extensive seagrass beds in the world.[14]
Torres Strait Islands air photo
Several clusters of islands lie in the Strait, collectively called theTorres Strait Islands. There are at least 274 of these islands, of which 17 have present-day permanent settlements. These islands have a variety oftopographies,ecosystems and formation history. Several of those closest to the New Guinea coastline are low-lying, formed byalluvial sedimentary deposits borne by the outflow of the local rivers into the sea.[15] Many of the western islands are hilly and steep, formed mainly ofgranite, and are peaks of the northernmost extension of theGreat Dividing Range. They became islands as sea levels rose at the end of the lastice age. The central islands are predominantlycoralcays, and those of the east are ofvolcanic origins.
There are several major policy and institutional frameworks in the Torres Strait region that support the sustainable use and management of marine resources while also protecting habitats, biodiversity and the traditional islander way of life. Most important of these is the Torres Strait Treaty, entered into by Australia and Papua New Guinea in February 1985. The Treaty defines sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between the two countries. It guides decision makers on protecting the way of life and livelihood of traditional inhabitants, on managing the protection of habitats, and on sharing the commercial and traditional fisheries resources. The Treaty established a Torres Strait Protected Zone within which both nations manage access to fisheries resources. Each country exercises sovereign jurisdiction for resources on either side of the agreed jurisdiction lines.
Environmental issues facing the region include the risk of mining waste from theFly River in southern Papua New Guinea and the sustainable management of natural resources.[16]
The people of the Torres Strait have a unique indigenous culture which has drawn the interest of a range of anthropological, historical, archaeological and folklorist researchers. This includes an expedition fromCambridge University led by the early ethnographerAlfred Haddon in 1898, and the more contemporary regional work of Australian anthropologist Jeremy Beckett. Accounts of local Indigenous narrative traditions can be found in the work of Nonie Sharp andMargaret Lawrie. Lawrie developed strong relationships with the people of the Torres Strait from the 1950s to 1970s, and many approached her to record and write down their personal stories and family histories. This resulted in her conducting research into the cultural history of the Torres Strait and collecting transcripts, audio recordings, photographs, slides, works of art andoral stories. Collectively they formed the basis of the publicationMyths and Legends of Torres Strait (1970) andTales from Torres Strait (1972). Her collection is now held by theState Library of Queensland and in 2008 it was added toUNESCO's AustralianMemory of the World Register.[18]
Two indigenous languages are spoken on the Torres Strait Islands:Kala Lagaw Ya (also known by variant names and spellings), andMeriam Mir (Meriam), as well as Brokan [Broken], otherwise calledTorres Strait Creole. Kala Lagaw Ya is the traditional language owned by the Western and Central islands of the Torres Strait. The Kala Lagaw Ya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of theTorres Shire Council.[19] Mabuiag is considered a dialect of Kala Lagaw Ya, one of the languages of the Torres Strait. Mabuiag (also written as Mabuyag) is a traditional language ofMabuiag, a Central Western island of the Torres Strait. The Mabuiag language region includes the island landscape of Mabuiag within the local government boundaries of theTorres Shire Council and Mabuiag Island Council.[20]
In the2016 Australian census, the population of the islands was recorded as 4,514 on the Islands, but many more Torres Strait Islander people live outside of Torres Strait in Australia.[21]
Prince of Wales Channel: Larger ships transiting Torres Strait enter the Prince of Wales Channel from the West just north ofBooby Island by way of the Gannet or Varzin Passages. The minimum depths for deep draught shipping in the Great Barrier Reef pilotage area are found here (10.3 m or 34 ft – Nov 2011). Shipping with a 12.2 m (40 ft) static draught or less are permitted to transit the area.[22]
Channels to the East of Prince of Wales Channel
Great North East Channel: East of Prince of Wales Channel at Wednesday Island the Route becomes The Great North East Channel (green line on chart). The Great North East Channel (GNEC) links the Prince of Wales Channel to the northernmost entrance to the Great Barrier Reef, 120 NM away at Bligh Entrance. The GNEC route runs North or South of Alert Patches and East to under Twin Island then Northeast to Dalrymple Island (the end of Pilotage requirement) then on to Bramble Quay, Bligh Entrance and the open sea. This passage routes shipping to the Coral Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the outside of the Great Barrier Reef. Another channel (brown line on chart) runs down towards Cape York.[23]
Inner Route Pilotage Area: The Inner Route Pilotage Area runs from near Cape York to near Cairns. This channel, named the 'Inner Route' runs between the Australian mainland and the Great Barrier Reef[24]
^In his 1853 book,The Three Colonies of Australia, Samuel Sidney expressed it thus: "During our war with Spain we captured Manilla by storm, and in the archives of that city Mr. Alexander Dalrymple, the historiographer of the British Admiralty, discovered a copy of the letter to the King of Spain, which had been deposited there by Torres. Dalrymple, with that right feeling which should inspire all men of science, did justice to the discoverer by inscribing on the official maps issued from his department, against the intricate passage between Australia and New Guinea, 'Torres Straits.'" (page 14). Britain heldManila#Spanish period briefly from 1762 to 1764 at the end of theSeven Years' War.
^Beaglehole, J.C. (1955).The Journals of Captain James Cook, Vol. I. Cambridge: Hakluyt Society. pp. 387–388.ISBN0851157440.
^Cameron-Ash, M. (2018).Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook's Endeavour Voyage. Sydney: Rosenberg. pp. 180–189,190–197.ISBN9780648043966.
^Ganter, Regina. (1994).The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait: Resource Use, Development and Decline, 1860s–1960s. Melbourne University Press.ISBN0-522-84547-9.
^Harris, P. T. (1988). "Sediments, bedforms and bedload transport pathways on the continental shelf adjacent to Torres Strait, Australia—Papua New Guinea".Continental Shelf Research.8 (8):979–1003.Bibcode:1988CSR.....8..979H.doi:10.1016/0278-4343(88)90058-1.
^Coles, R.G., McKenzie, L.J. and Campbell, S.J. (2003). "The seagrasses of eastern Australia" In: Green EP; Short FT; and Spalding MD. (eds)The World Atlas of Seagrasses
^Harris, P.T., 1995. "Muddy waters: the physical sedimentology of Torres Strait," in: Bellwood, O., Choat, H., Saxena, N. (Eds.),Recent Advances in Marine Science and Technology '94. James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Qld., pp. 149-160
^Harris, P. T.; Butler, A. J.; Coles, R. G. (2008). "Marine resources, biophysical processes, and environmental management of a tropical shelf seaway: Torres Strait, Australia–Introduction to the special issue".Continental Shelf Research.28 (16):2113–2116.Bibcode:2008CSR....28.2113H.doi:10.1016/j.csr.2008.03.032.
^David, B.; McNiven, I.; Manas, L.; Manas, J.; Savage, S.; Crouch, J.; Neliman, G.; Brady, L. (2004). "Goba of Mua: archaeology working with oral tradition".Antiquity.78 (299):158–172.doi:10.1017/S0003598X00093005.S2CID162548326.
