Torres Strait

Torres Strait separates Cape York from New Guinea, linking the Coral Sea with the Arafura Sea through a maze of islands, reefs and channels. Its islanders travelled and traded across these waters in canoes. In 1606 Luis Váez de Torres sailed through the strait. James Cook passed through in 1770 and claimed the eastern coast of Australia for Britain from an island he called Possession Island. In 1792 William Bligh charted reefs and channels while encountering islanders who defended their waters.