RAHS Special Lecture – Dangerous Passage: A Maritime History of the Torres Strait

This event takes place during History Week 2025

Event Date & Time: Wednesday, 10 September 2025 @ 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm

Event Location: History House, 133 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000

Cost: Free

Event Description:

The reef-strewn passage between Australia and Papua New Guinea remains the most hazardous of all the major Straits in the world. The Torres Strait Islanders knew these waters well because voyaging and trade were part of their lives and livelihoods. Early navigators such as Torres, Cook, Bligh, and Flinders contributed to the charting of this dangerous passage. However, it was not until the completion of detailed hydrographic surveys by the British Admiralty in the 1840s, the advent of steamships, and the introduction of Torres Strait Pilots that it could ultimately be used as a major shipping route. Ian Burnet will discuss this history, which includes stories of murder, mayhem, mutiny, disastrous shipwrecks, desperate voyages of survival in open boats, headhunting and hurricanes.

About the speaker:

Ian Burnet is the author of seven books on maritime history, the spice trade and the vast archipelago to the north of Australia. These include Spice Islands, East Indies, Archipelago, Where Australia Collides with Asia, The Tasman Map, Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages and Dangerous Passage. Details can be found on his website – www.ianburnetbooks.com.