Thursday Island is a tropical island situated about 30 kilometres north of Cape York
and surrounded by the larger islands of Prince of Wales, Horn, Hammond, Goode, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday. Thursday Island first came to the attention of mainland Australia
as a vitally important area with the threat of invasion eminating from the Russo/English
dispute over the Afghan border in 1855. The concept of Thursday Island as a "Second
Gibraltar" was advanced by Rear-Admiral Sir George Tyron. The reason for this was
that by commanding the waters around Thursday Island, Australia would effectively deter any
Russian attempt to sail down the east coast of Australia as the only navigable passage inside
the Great Barrier Reef would put them within cannon range of Thursday Island. Imperial
Government agreed in March 1888 to provide 3 x 6-inch MKIV breech-loading guns and 4 x9-pounder
R.M.L. guns. Construction of the Fort began on 10 May 1891 and the Garrison moved in some
time in 1893. Fort Victoria was now operational. During the Second World War, many Torres
Strait Islanders fought in the Torres Strait Light Battalion.
The island is commonly known as T.I. but was originally to be called Port Kennedy in honour
of the explorer Edmund Kenndy who was speared by Aboriginals while exploring Cape York.
Since the official European occupation in 1877, the island has seen a complex intermingling
of racial types with Europeans, Torres Strait Islanders, Polynesians, Melanesians,
Micronesians as well as Malays, Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Ceylonese, Philippinos and mainland
Aborigines living and working in harmony together. Lt. Henry M. Chester was appointed the
first Government Resident Police Magistrate and Sub-Collector of Customs in July 1877 and he
moved from the mainland settlement of Somerset in the cutter "Lizzie Jardine" to
establish Port Kennedy as a far safer anchorage from the troublesome waters of Albany Passage.
Thursday Island was regarded as the gateway from the east to Australian waters and today still
serves as the chief administration centre of the Torres Strait.
Here's some historical footage (without sound) of Thursday Island in the 1920s. Some members of the cast in the feature
film "The Hound of the Deep" (1926) are driven around Thursday Island. The Federal Hotel is filmed from its exterior as well as from the veranda.
A westward viewpoint from Milman Hill is seen. A gambling scene from "The Hound of the Deep" is filmed. A view from onboard a pearling lugger is followed
by a man climbing the luggers mast to look out for reefs ahead. The final shot is of a pearling fleet docked in the harbour.