Madang

Madang occupies a peninsula on the north coast with a harbour, lagoons and a scatter of small islands offshore, and the setting, casuarina trees along the waterfront, water on three sides and volcanic islands on the horizon, gave it a reputation as the prettiest town in Papua New Guinea. Diving is the main activity: the reefs and drop-offs of the harbour and outside it, along with wrecks and aircraft from the war years, are worked by operators in the town, with coral and reef fish in quantity. The market, the Coastwatchers memorial, boat trips to the islands and the villages along the coast fill out a stay. The town has declined in recent decades.

History

Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was probably the first European here, spending 15 months at Astrolabe Bay from 1871. In April 1884 an expedition of the German New Guinea Company under Otto Finsch and Eduard Dallmann named the landing point Friedrich Wilhelmshafen; a station was built in the summer of 1891, and by September 1892 it was the seat of the provincial administration (Wikipedia, Madang).

Highlights

• The lagoon setting - the water, islands and casuarinas around the town.
• Diving - the reefs, drop-offs and wrecks off the peninsula.
• The market - the produce and fish market on the waterfront.
• Island trips - the boats out to the offshore islands and villages.

When to go

May to October for the calmest water and best visibility; the wet season brings run-off and rougher seas. Diving runs year round. The Madang festival falls around independence in September.

Things to know

The town has run down considerably and infrastructure is patchy. Dive operators are few and should be checked. Movement is by arranged transport. Visibility varies with river run-off.

Nearby

Bilbil village lies south along the coast; Karkar island is offshore to the north.

Key facts