Seisia

History

Seisia, formerly known as Red Island Point, is also known as Ithangee in its Aboriginal language. Ithunchi was originally used as a traditional camping site before European contact. The Oiyamkwi clan of the Ankamuti was indigenous to the island. In 1864, a government settlement was established at Somerset at the tip of Cape York. The introduction of diseases, exclusion from traditional hunting grounds and the brutality of Native Police under the direction of Somerset's Police Magistrates, decimated the Aboriginal people of the NPA. By 1915, surviving remnants of the Aboriginal population had regrouped at Red Island Point and Cowal Creek. Yadhaigana, Wuthathi, Unduyamo and Gudang people from the north and east had established themselves as a single group at Red Island Point. Other Yadhaigana people and Wuthathi had formed a group at Injinoo (known then as Small River). The two communities approached the government for land to establish gardens, leading to the creation of an Aboriginal reserve at Cowal Creek in 1915. An Anglican mission and school took over the administration of the reserve in 1923. In 1942 during World War II, US Army engineers established a military airstrip inland from Red Island Point. The airstrip was known as the Jacky Jacky or Higgins airstrip. A number of RAAF bomber, fighter and transport squadrons operated from the airstrip. It is still used today as the airport for the Northern Peninsula Area. A radar station was also established at Muttee Heads in 1943 with local Aboriginal people assisting in its construction and operation. New jetties and wharves were built by Army engineers at Muttee Heads and Red Island Point. At the end of World War Two, the Queensland Government introduced measures aimed at compensating Torres Strait Islanders for…

Geography

Seisia is the area north of New Mapoon and west of Bamaga on Cape York Peninsula. Seisia Island Community lies within a small DOGIT (Deed of Grant in Trust) area granted in 1986 by the Queensland Government at Red Island Point. It is the most northerly mainland community in Queensland and has a harbour used by supply vessels and ferry services for passengers and vehicles. Although Seisia is very distant from larger mainland towns, it is linked to Thursday Island (the largest town in the Torres Strait) by regular ferry services taking 90 minutes one-way.

Most-observed species

• Bar-shouldered Dove

  Geopelia humeralis (Temminck, 1821) · Aves
  371
• Green Oriole

  Oriolus flavocinctus (King, 1826) · Aves
  347
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  293
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  266
• Yellow-spotted Honeyeater

  Meliphaga notata (Gould, 1867) · Aves
  264
• Australasian Figbird

  Sphecotheres vieilloti Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  264
• Palm Cockatoo

  Probosciger aterrimus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  246
• Australian Brushturkey

  Alectura lathami J.E.Gray, 1831 · Aves
  245