Thursday Island Queensland Australia
Australia
85
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Oceania Cruises (3 Cruises)
Paul Gauguin Cruises (1 Cruises)
Ponant (1 Cruises)
Regent Seven Seas Cruises (8 Cruises)
Viking Ocean Cruises (70 Cruises)
Viking Orion
26 Cruises
Viking Venus
40 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
Ships anchor offshore and land passengers at Engineers Jetty, a short walk from the township, after about fifteen minutes by tender.
On a small island in the Torres Strait, between the tip of Queensland and New Guinea. Locals simply call it TI, and it is one of the least known corners of Australia.
Yes, the centre amounts to a few streets and everything connects on foot: shops, a post office, a pharmacy, cafés and four pubs where islanders and travellers mix.
One of Australia's best-preserved 19th-century military works, on the hill above the rooftops. Built when the British Empire feared a Russian move, it keeps its guns, tunnels and underground rooms, now housing a museum.
A full panorama over the neighbouring islands and the deep blue channels between them. The climb from the township is easy enough.
The place where Torres Strait Islanders tell their own story: dance masks, engraved shells, contemporary works and ceremonial objects, in air-conditioned rooms. The shop sells local work that beats standardised souvenirs.
No, they are a distinct people from mainland Aboriginal Australians, with their own languages and traditions. The Gab Titui Cultural Centre is the best way in to understanding that identity.
The island lived for a long time on pearl diving, which drew Japanese, Malay and Pacific Islander divers here. That mixing still shows in the faces, the churches and the cemeteries of the island.
A sanctuary dedicated to the shipwreck that marked the island: in 1890 the steamer struck an uncharted reef and sank in minutes, killing more than a hundred people. Objects recovered from the wreck are displayed inside, including a bell and portholes.
Green Hill Fort and its museum, the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, the Quetta Memorial Church, then a pause on the Grand Hotel verandah watching the ferries come and go. A conversation in the shade of a verandah often teaches more than any museum.
