Thursday Island
Thursday Island, a small island in the Torres Strait, is the administrative centre of all the Australian islands between Cape York and the New Guinea mainland. It is situated in the Prince of Wales Island group, or the Inner Islands, 35 km north-west of Australia's northern extremity, Cape York. Its area is about 4 sq km.
The Torres Strait Islander name is Waiben. The origin of the name 'Thursday' is obscure, perhaps bestowed by William Bligh or Owen Stanley. There are also Wednesday and Friday Islands in the Prince of Wales Group.
Further Reading:
S.J. Earle, A question of defence: the history of Green Hill Fort, Thursday Island, Thursday Island, Torres Strait Historical Society, 1993
John Foley, Timeless isle: an illustrated history of Thursday Island, Thursday Island, Torres Strait Historical Society, 1982
Ernestine Hill, The great Australian loneliness, Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1963
John Singe, The Torres Strait: people and history, St. Lucia, University of Queensland Press, 1979
I.B. Wallace, Old T. I.: A book of pencil sketches and historical notes, Cairns, M.J. O'Riley and I.B. Wallace, 1977
Henry Reynolds, North of Capricorn, Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2003, chapter on Thursday Island
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