The Australian islands are beautiful, and rugged, and have lots to offer for swimmers and snorkelers, but Thursday Island may be best known for its role as a military headquarters in the late 1800s and again in WWII.

As with many of the Australian cities and islands, there is a complicated history here. Prior to colonization by the British, Torres Strait Islanders populated this area for thousands of years, potentially as far back as the last Ice Age. Like most indigenous/aboriginal peoples, they did not have the same concept of individual land ownership as the British, so in 1858 when Captain Owen Stanley of the Royal Navy “found” the island during a survey expedition, he both “claimed” it and named it Friday Island, based on the day of the week. Other islands had already been named Wednesday and Thursday. Seven years later all three were renamed to match an east-to-west naming convention. I expect the island’s original inhabitants didn’t care.

That’s the least complicated part of the history though. A very profitable pearl industry thrived here, using indentured Japanese divers and illegally “imported” South Pacific islanders. Many of those people stayed and became part of the island’s cultural mix, until WWII when Japanese residents were interned, and many were forcibly “repatriated” even if they were born on the island.

The signs below were prominently displayed along the entryway to the Gab Titui Thursday Island Cultural Centre (the highlighting is mine):

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We could have taken an excursion called “Heroes of Horn Island” delving into its WWII history, but instead Ted and I chose simply to take part in an Indigenous Welcome Ceremony and Traditional Dance Performance.

Back when we booked the excursion the description indicated we would be “met by a custodian, or elder, who performs the “Welcome to Country” ceremony—a greeting meant to introduce people to local culture and history, followed by a Q&A session.  That will be followed by a dance/drumming/singing show, and an opportunity to observe a basket weaving demonstration, using the ancient techniques that have been passed down through the generations.”

The excursion description was significantly different when presented by our Shore Excursions Manager Chantelle during her port talk the day before we arrived. Had I not listened to the port talk, I’d have been very disappointed; since I did, I was able to enjoy what we experienced, understanding why it was what it was.

Chantelle had also emphasized how rough our tender transfer was expected to be, so I took my heavy-duty medication before heading out. The morning transfer was surprisingly calm. Better safe than sorry.

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When we disembarked at the Thursday Island jetty, we were enthusiastically greeted by a local guide who told us that cruise ships really don’t visit this island much. That is understandable given the island’s remoteness and the fact that you cannot go swimming or snorkelling in its gorgeous turquoise waters because they are full of saltwater crocodiles!

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Only 17 of the 274 Torres Strait Islands are inhabited, with a total,population of about 4500. Thursday Island with its population of around 2800 is both the largest of the Torres Strait Islands, and the capital of the archipelago.

Our guide explained that Viking’s commitment to bring tourists to learn about this place has had a significant positive impact on the island’s economy and the islanders’ lives. It was reminiscent of what we heard in Bratislava in 2013, when the tourist industry was trying to establish itself there and Viking River Cruises were helping that happen.

We walked from the jetty to the local Community Centre, where about 200 chairs were set up facing a small stage. This quote was on our path. The author, Ephraim Bani (1944-2004) was born on Mabuiag Island, Torres Strait. He was the 7th traditional chief of Wagadagama in a direct line, and was the cultural advisor, linguist, and visionary behind the Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday Island.

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Once we were all seated, a young man from a neighbouring island came out to thank “the Elders past, present, and emerging”, to thank all of us for coming to the island, to say a welcoming prayer, and to introduce the local Elder (who also greeted us). Unlike programs which reenact local customs dressed in historic costumes, this was a thoroughly modern Elder in practical island gear. There was no Q&A session.

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A teacher next took the stage to introduce the performers: local high school students learning to continue traditional dances, accompanied by 3 of their teachers on drums and vocals.

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We were told that Thursday Island Secondary School has about 500 pupils in total from grades 7 to 12 inclusive; of those, about 80 are boarding students from the other islands, where there are no secondary schools.

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As is often the case when we see teenagers performing, their facial expressions were a combination of ennui and abject misery… until it was over and the smiles broke out!

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After the performance we walked around a bit, and found a small local café/bakery in which to grab a snack and leave a bit of our tourism money in the local economy (1 iced coffee + 1 coconut water + 1 slice of banana bread = $26AUD).

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We also spent a bit of time in the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, viewing modern art pieces based on indigenous themes.

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Although the Torres Islands use the Australian national flag, since 1992 the Torres Strait Islander flag is the official flag of the indigenous Torres Strait Islanders. The green panels at the top and bottom of the flag represent the land and the central blue panel represents the sea. The black lines dividing the panels represent the Torres Strait Islander people. The centre of the flag shows a white dhari (dancer’s headdress) and is a symbol for all Torres Strait Islanders.

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There was a table with a sign inviting women who knew how to weave to add to a basket in progress. it wasn’t the advertised “basket weaving demonstration”, but it was an interesting concept, and an opportunity to grow a sense of communal effort.

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After our surprisingly calm morning tender journey, the return trip – which took twice as long and required all the windows and hatches to be closed against the rain – was incredibly rough. Despite being medicated, I only made it through the first 2/3 of the journey before seasickness symptoms started to appear: clamminess, escalating to full body sweating, and then…. well, let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t start a chain reaction.

Once we finally docked against our ship, two of us had to be physically assisted off the tender and deposited in wheelchairs. Luckily, I was not the one sick enough to need to be taken directly to the medical centre.

A shower and a 90 minute nap while Ted did laundry brought me back to full speed – a good thing, since it was Valentine’s Day.

Viking always pulls out the stops – and the champagne corks – for special occasions, but we were especially looking forward to the Valentine’s Day CHOCOLATE BUFFET! The chocolate event has been a highlight of past cruises.

Of course, that wasn’t all. There was also a pool deck barbecue of lobster tail, chicken, fish, brisket, steak, and sausage kebabs, accompanied by salads, breads, grilled corn and more. We’re certainly spoiled for choice.

Of course, the band was also on hand to entertain us (Ted caught them prepping).

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Prepping the chocolate and the Wintergarden:

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The final display:

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The delicious details! Every single bit edible!!

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Every female passenger also got a long-stemmed red rose. VERY romantic.

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Our next 2 days are at sea. Among other things, we’ll be meeting with the onboard cruise consultant to talk about booking a river cruise to replace the Princess Cruise to Scandinavia that we originally had planned for the summer. We’ll be doing Vancouver area music festivals instead in July and early August.