Murray Island
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Murray Island (known by Torres Strait Islanders as Mer) is a small island of volcanic origin, populated by the Melanesian Meriam people and situated in the eastern section of Torres Strait, near the Great Barrier Reef. The island has a population of around 450.
Formed from an extinct volcano, Murray Island has red fertile soil and dense vegetation. The highest point of the island is Gelam Paser (230 metres). The island has been inhabited by the Meriam people for thousands of years prior to European exploration and settlement of Australia. Westerners began to settle on the island in 1872 when the London Missionary Society founded a missionary school there. The Queensland Government annexed the islands in 1879.
During World War II, Japanese submarines regularly visited Murray Island to collect food and water and to avoid detection by allied ships.
Murray Island's most famous resident was trade unionist Eddie Mabo, whose decision to sue the Queensland government in order to secure ownership of his land, which had been removed from his ancestors by the English colonial powers using the terra nullius legal concept, ultimately led to the High Court of Australia, on appeal from the Supreme Court of the State of Queensland, to finally recognise Mabo's rights on his land on 3 June 1992. This decision continues to have ramifications for Australia. Unfortunately, Mabo passed away a few months before the decision.