Described as ‘impossibly beautiful and virtually untouched’ the Torres Strait Islands lay north of Cape York and consist of 274 tiny islands. Only 14 of the islands are inhabited and only a few of these permit visitors. The Torres Strait Islander peoples, being predominantly Melanesian, are ethnically, culturally and linguistically different from Aboriginal Australians.
Matt and I were keen to visit this intriguing and unique area so we set off for Horn Island where there was a safe anchorage. Motoring through the lumpy seas in order to charge our batteries, it took only three and a half hours to arrive at Horn Island. The ‘impossibly beautiful’ moniker was spot on the money. Incredible turquoise water surrounded us and we spotted several huge turtles peeking their heads up out of the water.
At Horn Island we joined Brian and Sandra to visit the Torres Strait Heritage Museum which was filled with fascinating information and artefacts about the island’s role in World War II. It was especially significant for Brian whose Dad had been stationed here in the war. After a couple of hours of wandering the exhibits, which also included information about the local culture, we retired to the bar at the nearby motel and chatted the afternoon away.
The following day saw us boarding the tiny ferry across to Thursday Island, which is the administrative centre for the Torres Strait. The ferry fare included a bus ride as well, and after dropping the other passengers off, including a boy at the high school, the incredibly friendly and obliging bus driver offered to drive us up to Green Hill Fort to save us the walk. On the way he gave us an impromptu tour of the tiny island, which is only about three square kilometres in size. We wandered through the old fort, marvelling at the spectacular views of the surrounding islands and the breathtaking aqua and turquoise waters.
Strolling back into town, we explored the two streets that make up the tiny town and chatted with some locals. We found everyone to be incredibly friendly and the island to be a very welcoming, clean and tidy place. We were all very impressed. Lunch was at the Torres Hotel, nicknamed ‘Australia’s Top Pub’ as it is quite literally the northernmost pub in Australia. Bafflingly there was no seafood available so we had chicken parmies, some of the hugest meals I’ve ever seen. After we’d digested lunch we continued on to try to visit the award-winning Gab Titui Cultural Centre, but it was unfortunately closed until the end of the month.
Jumping into a cab to get us back to the ferry on time, we arrived with minutes to spare only to find no one there and then almost an hour wait when we did board the boat. I’m sure we read that timetable correctly, I think we just experienced a dose of ‘island time!’ We had all been keen to buy a painted craytail, but on finding that the price had doubled overnight to $90 a kilo we declined. Later, Brian struck up a conversation with a local fisherman and he bought two tails off him for a price closer to $40 a kilo. Matt and I cooked up our very first crayfish tail the next night. It was yum!
After our adventures in the Torres Strait it was time to head back to the mainland, to the little port of Seisia where we would do jobs and prepare for our passage across the Gulf. We spent four days anchored in the calm waters off Seisia, and I did laundry and grocery shopping while Matt filled up jerries of diesel at the nearby servo and refilled a gas bottle.
Seisia is a tiny little town, with the slightly bigger town of Bamaga about 6km inland. The famous red dust of the outback was here and we were soon covered in it. We saw lots of piles of what we at first assumed to be camel dung, but discovered was actually from horses. There were dozens of wild, semi-tame horses roaming the streets and apparently the local kids would tempt them with a piece of bread and then ride them bareback to school before releasing them. Not something I’ve ever seen anywhere else!
Sandra and I discovered a lovely lady called Valerie who had a mobile remedial massage business operating out of her caravan. Her husband Mike took the guys into the Pub in Bamaga while Sandra and I had massages. Win- win! On the Sunday, Leonie and I hitched into Bamaga to go to the larger supermarket there. I have to say I was so impressed with the supermarkets in all these remote towns. They pretty much had everything we wanted, and I even found the small sand anchor that we needed for our tender, as well as gluten free bread at the supermarket in Bamaga. While prices were slightly higher, as to be expected, they definitely weren’t excessive.
Matt and I took our tender around to the Loyalty Beach Campground for fish and chips on the Sunday night. We had a delightful evening chatting to Cliff and Kerry, a couple about our age that we met who were touring the area by road. The sunset there was absolutely magical and we soaked up the atmosphere.
Although we had sailed past ‘The Tip’ we were pretty keen to actually stand there if we could, so we looked into hiring a car as Cape York was only a 45 minute drive from Seisia. After much effort, Leonie finally managed to get us a car, albeit for a half day, and at the price of a full day, but we didn’t care, we were excited to be going.
It was worth it! The Cape was absolutely spectacular and we loved exploring the striking area. Matt took some incredible photos, as well as the obligatory pictures at the sign.
All too soon it was time to return the car. But it had been a very special afternoon and a wonderful way to finish off our time in Queensland. The next day we were setting sail for the Northern Territory, a multi day passage across the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.
Saint Augustine
Cool Change 
So glad you guys are having an amazing time .Stay safe and happy . 🌈❤️⭐️
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