Mer, or Murray Island

Murray Island, also known as Mer, is the home of the Meriam people with a population of around 450 people, the easternmost island of the Torres Strait. Each family had sea rights, which allowed them to maintain stonefish weirs and crayfish holes on the reefs in front of their houses, which were built above the beach.

Permanent settlement by outsiders began in 1872, when the London Missionary Society posted two Pacific Island teachers on Mer. The Society started the Papuan Institute there, for training workers for the New Guinea mission field. The Queensland Government annexed the islands in 1879 and from the 1890s maintained a presence there via a resident teacher-supervisor.

In their dealings with outside agencies, the Meriam had a reputation for independence and this was highlighted in 1992 with the Mabo/Murray Island native title case. It was the 10-year struggle in the courts by Meriam people that finally discredited the notion of terra nullius, placing the wider issue of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty on the national political agenda.

(This information is courtesy of Torres Strait Island Missions and Communities, © State Library of Queensland 1995-2003...)