Yorke Island (Queensland)

Yorke Island

Native name: Masig
220px Satellite image of Yorke Island
A map of the Torres Strait Islands showing Masig in the north-eastern waters of Torres Strait
Geography
Location	Northern Australia
Coordinates
Archipelago	Torres Strait Islands
Adjacent bodies of water	Torres Strait
Length	2.7 km (1.68 mi)
Width	0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Country
Australia
State	Queensland
Local government area	Torres Strait Island Region
Demographics
Population	238 (as of 2011 census)
Ethnic groups	Torres Strait Islanders

Yorke Island, or Masig in the Kalau Lagau Ya language, is a coral cay island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, situated in the eastern area of the central island group in the Torres Strait, at the top end of the Great Barrier Reef and northeast of the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia.

Yorke Island is located within the Torres Strait Island Region local government area.

Geography

The island lies northeast of Coconut/Poruma Island in the central island group and southwest of Stephens/Ugar Island, and Darnley/Erub Island, and northwest of Murray/Mer Island in the eastern island group.

Yorke Island, traditionally known as Masig, is about 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) long and 0.8 kilometres (2,600 ft) at its widest point. The inhabitants, skilled navigators with a detailed knowledge of the reefs, have always occupied a central position in the Straits trading networks.

History

In 1845, Masig people could be found trading from the west of the Straits to the east. Before the arrival of teachers from the London Missionary Society in the 1870s, Masig was attracting a diverse community of immigrants, some brought by the pearl and trochus shell industry.

The Queensland Government moved the people of Aureed to Masig after it was declared a government reserve. Luggers owned by Masig families continued to operate until the shell industry collapsed in the 1960s. The people then shifted successfully into commercial mackerel fishing, prawning and crayfishing. A highly profitable fish factory has operated on the island since the late 1970s, freezing the catch and airfreighting it to southern markets.

Facilities

A regular scheduled air service is operated by West Wing Aviation from Horn Island, otherwise access to Masig is by charter plane or boat. All goods and mail are delivered by a weekly barge service and via the scheduled air service. Masig has a medical centre, staffed by a qualified nurse and there is also a doctor based there, who provides medical services to three other islands in the central island cluster (Coconut, Yam and Warraber). The island has a school, which is a campus of Tagai State College (based on Thursday Island). There is an IBIS store on the island and also a Mini-Mart.

Popular culture

Yorke Island was the film location for the Australian television series, RAN Remote Area Nurse.

See also

• List of Torres Strait Islands
• Yorke Island Airport