Travel

[Liam WeddParticipant]

How often do they need to travel to and from PNG and do they need to go to Thursday Island often, if so how do they get there and what boats do they use?

[Anthony BradyKeymaster]

Hi Liam,

Given Saibai Island’s proximity to PNG, there is strong trade, cultural, and familial ties between the communities.

Since Thursday Island is bit further in distance from Saibai, travel is less common (but does still occur).

For information on boats, please see this previous forum post – Current Boating Framework on Saibai Island.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Anthony

[Liam WeddParticipant]

Hi Anthony,
Certainly, helpful but is there any specific data on distance they travel so that my group is able to calculate the approx or just a general average of fuel usage to find whether or system will meet the needs?

Cheers,
Liam

[Anthony BradyKeymaster]

Hi Liam,

For distance and fuel usage, feel free to do some research into common types of boats and small water craft engine types.

For example, a quick Google search gives an approximate distance between Saibai Island and Thursday Island of 151 km. Similar could be done for fuel consumption.

It’s worth noting that the Torres Strait Island communities are a seafaring people, often traveling between islands and Papua New Guinea. You’ll be able to map out distances and make some calculated assumptions to support your design!

Cheers,
Anthony

[Liam WeddParticipant]

Thanks Anthony
Really Helpful but do you know how they get to Thursday Island? I understand there are ferries and planes from nearby locations but that doesn’t seem like a feasable option for continual travel. It was proposed to my team by a tutor at our Uni that they may take small watercarft such as dinghies, to me that doesn’t seem feasable either, do you know or know of somewhere where I could find any data about how they get to Thursday Island often?

Cheers,
Liam

[Tom NguyenKeymaster]

Hi Liam

There is no ferry service to Saibai. Flights via the small air strip are limited and usually for formal visits to Cairns, the mainland and locations that are a geographically distant, such as Thursday Island.

Torres Strait Islanders are a sea faring people. For the majority of the people, they freely travel to other island communities including PNG via small boats, occurring often for cultural reasons, trade etc. PNG visitors often stay on Saibai during visits.

For travel to Thursday Island, you can assume that Saibai Islanders do not travel directly, but rather, divide their trip based on stopover Islands along the way.

Hope this helps

[Liam WeddParticipant]

Thanks Tom
This helps greatly
Cheers,
Liam

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