The 18 campuses of Tagai State College are spread across 15 islands of the Torres Strait – a region close to 48,000 square kilometres in area.

Torres Strait is not only beautiful but is one of the most strategically important regions surrounding the Australian coastline.

Many people in Australia don't know that Torres Strait:

• Is the only part of Australia that shares a border with a neighbouring country
• At its most northern point, Saibai Island is 3.73 kilometres from the Papua New Guinea mainland and from the edge of the Torres region to Indonesia its just 73.5km
• Was the first place in Australia where native title was recognised through the historic High Court decision on Mer Island in 1992
• Islanders and the villages along the PNG Southern Coastline continue to conduct traditional trade

The Geography

The Torres Strait region officially consists of 18 island and 2 Northern Peninsula Area communities. The islands, on which Tagai State College Campuses are located, are scattered over a geographic area of 48,000 square kilometres, from the tip of Cape York, north towards the borders of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

There are 5 traditional island clusters in the Torres Strait. During your visit to Tagai State College, we will be visiting an island from each cluster group.

1. Near Wester Islands: Badu, Mabuiag & Moa (Kubin & St Pauls communities)

The islands in this cluster are largely high granite hills with mounds of basaltic outcrops, formed from old peaks of the now submerged land bridge. Culturally this was the most complex part of Torres Strait, containing three of the four groupings/dialects of the Western-central Islanders. Islanders from Badu and Mabuiag islands were traditionally known as the Maluigal, or Deep Sea People.

2. Top Wester Islands: Boigu (Malu Kiwai), Dauan & Saibai

The islands in this cluster lie very close to the south-western coastline of New Guinea (the closest is less than 4 km offshore). Boigu is a low-lying island which was formed by deposition of sediments and mud from New Guinean rivers into the Strait accumulating on decayed coral platforms. Vegetation mainly consists of mangrove swamps, creating a fisherman’s paradise for Mud Crabs and Barramundi. Due to their close proximity, communities on the Top Western Islands have retained networks with Papua New Guinea.

3. Central Islands: Iama (Yam), Masig (Yorke), Poruma & Warraber

This cluster is widely distributed in the middle of Torres Strait, consisting of many small sandy cays surrounded by coral reefs, similar to those found in the nearby Great Barrier Reef. The group of low-lying inhabited coral cays, of which Poruma is one, are mostly less than 2-3 km long, and no wider than 800m.

4. Eastern Islands: Mer, Ugar (Stephen), Erub (Darnley)

The islands of this group were formed differently from the rest. They are volcanic in origin, the peaks of volcanoes which were formerly active in Pleistocene times. Consequently their hillsides have rich and fertile red volcanic soils, and are thickly vegetated.

5. Inner Islands: Hammond Island, Muralug (Prince of Wales), Ngurupai (Horn) & Thursday Island

These islands, also known as the Thursday Island group, lie closest to Cape York Peninsula, and their topography and geological history is very similar. Because of their proximity to the Australian mainland, they have been centres of pearling and fishing industries for over 100years. Thursday Island remains the main administrative centre of the Torres Strait. As it supports the majority of the population (some 3,000 residence), the most State and Federal agencies are based in the community.

Cultural Features

Although western religions, in particular Christianity, are widely practiced, traditional indigenous activities, beliefs and customs are still a central part of most Islanders’ lives.

Language

Standard Australian English is the language of instruction in Campuses across Tagai State
College, however it is not the first (or sometimes even the second) language for Torres Strait Islanders. The primary language spoken across the region is Torres Strait Island Creole.
Traditional Languages are an important part of the Torres Strait Culture.

There are three main Traditional Languages spoken across the Torres Strait, these are:

1. Meriam Mir - Eastern Islands;
2. Kala Lagaw Ya - Western Islands (Mabuiag dialect)
3. Kala Kawa Ya - Top Western Islands.