Samarai Island

Samarai is a coral island of around twenty-four hectares in the China Strait at the mouth of Milne Bay, and for the first half of the twentieth century it was the second town of Papua after Port Moresby: a port and administrative centre with wharves, stores, hotels and a substantial expatriate population, small enough to walk around in twenty minutes. It was evacuated and deliberately burned in 1942 to deny it to an advancing force, rebuilt afterward on a reduced scale, and lost its administrative role to Alotau in 1968, after which it emptied. It is now a quiet village with the remains of the earlier town, declared a national historical heritage island, and boats run from Alotau.

History

Captain John Moresby found the island in 1873 aboard HMS Basilisk and called it Dinner Island after a meal there; the London Missionary Society opened a station in 1878, a store followed in 1884, and the malarial swamp was filled in after 1898. By 1902 Samarai's exports were worth three times those of Port Moresby, electric power came in 1927, the provincial capital moved to Alotau in 1968, and in 2006 Samarai was declared a National Historical Heritage Island (Wikipedia, Samarai).

What you'll find

• The town remains - the wharves, foundations and surviving buildings.
• The island walk - the circuit of the whole island in twenty minutes.
• The China Strait - the passage and the islands around it.
• The present village - the small community living on the island.

When to go

May to October for the calmest crossings; the wet season brings rougher water. Boats from Alotau take around two hours and are arranged at the waterfront. Day trips are the usual pattern.

Good to know

Little of the former town survives beyond foundations and a few buildings. Accommodation is a basic guesthouse or village arrangement. Crossings depend on sea conditions and are by open boat. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Alotau lies west; the Louisiade archipelago is southeast.