Thursday Island is definitely a paradise…on this beautiful island, watches are necessary to keep track of the time!
Our 1 night stay at this small but beautiful island in the Torres Strait – known as Waiben in the island’s native language – was definitely way too brief. The island is so luxurious and relaxing that you don’t ever want to leave! Particularly as our holiday pulls to a close.
Whilst majority of our time was spent chilling on the beautiful beaches, we also dropped in to the historical Green Fort Hill, a piece of history on the island. The military history was very interesting whilst the views were just absolutely breathtaking – a definite must-see on the island.
According to the data collected from the 2011 census, Thursday Island had a population of 2610 people, with this statistic being broken up into approximately 51.0% females and 49.0% males.
The main employment industry of the island is the health care and social assistance division, with 24.7% of the population working for this industry. The other major industries are public administration and safety (20.4%), education and training (14.7%) and retail trade (7.3%). The main occupation of people who live on Thursday Island is Professionals (21.6%), followed by clerical and administrative workers (17.1%), community and personal service workers (13.6%) and labourers (13.2%). Data obtained from the 2011 census showed 63.1% of permanent residents over the age of fifteen identify as working full-time, 20.6% of the populace is working part-time and 4.7% are unemployed. A major industry is the lucrative pearling industry, which was first founded in the year 1885.
What’s unique about Thursday Island? It has a warm climate, with the year average low being 24.2 and the average 30.2, with there being an annual average precipitation of 1757.6mm. It is only partially self-sufficient for water supplies and has two wind turbines which generate a portion of the island’s required electricity. For thousands of years the island was populated by Torres Strait Islanders, and it is known for being the most northerly town in Australia. It is also the administrative centre for all of the Australian islands located between Cape York and the New Guinea Mainland.
Some of the recreational activities available on Thursday Island include aquatic activities, including swimming and fishing, as well as beachwalking. The island houses a sporting complex, a gym and the Ken Brown Oval for the fitness fanatics as well as a public library. Historical tourist attractions are also available as well as educational, medical and legal facilities on the island.
Migration is not one of the major factors driving change in this community – 82.6% of the population were born in Australia -, however there is still culture diversity on the island, with 47.7% of the island only speaking English – thus, 52.3% of the population can speak another language. There are not many factors that drive change, as the population has not been blooming – in 2001, the population was 2693; this number dropped to 2546 in 2006, and by 2011 it has risen to 2610. This indicates that natural increase must be a minor factor as for the past decades Thursday Island has remained stable in not only population but other factors including employment.
Thursday Island paradise and bliss, we bid you farewell. As our holiday draws to a close, we know that one day we will return to relax in pure coastal luxury…
See you soon…from the nostalgic larrikin, larrikin E.
Squishy Sand Travel 
A piece of tropical paradise, right in Australia!
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