Salamaua
A narrow peninsula across the gulf from Lae with beaches on both sides, reached by boat and used as a weekend escape.
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Salamaua is a peninsula joined to the mainland by a sand isthmus a few hundred metres wide, so that a person standing on it has beach on both sides and the Huon Gulf either way, with hills rising behind and the water clear enough for snorkelling on the reefs offshore. It was a substantial town in the gold-rush years of the 1920s and 1930s, the port serving the Wau and Bulolo fields, and it was destroyed in the fighting of 1943 and never rebuilt; villages occupy the site now. Boats run from Lae in about an hour, and villages on the peninsula have simple guesthouses. It is the standard weekend escape from Lae.
What you actually see
- The isthmus - the narrow sand neck with beach on both sides.
- Reef snorkelling - the coral off the peninsula shores.
- The village settlement - the communities on the former town site.
- The gulf - the water and hills around the peninsula.
When to go
May to October for the calmest crossings and the driest weather; the wet season brings rough water. Weekends bring visitors from Lae. Boats are arranged at the Lae waterfront.
Honest expectations
Access is by open boat and crossings depend on conditions. Accommodation is basic village guesthouses. Nothing survives of the pre-1943 town. Facilities are minimal and supplies should be carried.
Nearby
Lae lies north across the gulf; Wau is inland to the southwest.
What to pack for Salamaua
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.