Learn about how the dangerous passage between Australia and Papua New Guinea became a major shipping route.
This reef-strewn passage remains the most hazardous of all the major Straits in the world. It's 270 kilometres long and only 150 kilometres wide, but contains over 274 islands, islets, coral reefs, and coral cays. Its waters are full of potential hazards, separated by narrow and often dangerous channels.
Early navigators such as Torres, Cook, Bligh, and Flinders contributed to the charting of this dangerous passage. However, it was not until the completion of detailed hydrographic surveys by the British Admiralty in the 1840s, the advent of steamships, and the introduction of Torres Strait Pilots that it could ultimately be used as a major shipping route.
About the speaker
Ian Burnet grew up in South Gippsland in Victoria and graduated with a combined major in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Melbourne. His books show his fascination with the diverse history of the Indonesian archipelago to the north of Australia.
Ian is the author of six books that relate to maritime history, the spice trade and the vast archipelago to the north of Australia. These include Spice Islands, East Indies, Archipelago, Where Australia Collides with Asia, The Tasman Map and Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages.