In 1914, Australian troops on their way to take possession of German New Guinea stopped at Palm Island , near Townsville , and went into training to prepare for the battle. From the Little Darwin files , the caption on the above photograph says it shows a company returning to the Berrima after manoeuvres on the island .
During that same year the first step was taken to turn Palm Island into a controversial and oppressive settlement for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Today the island is once again being promoted as a tourist destination as it was in the l930s when passenger ships conveying people fleeing winter down south came north to see the wonders of the Barrier Reef.
Circa l930s photographs in the Little Darwin collection include one in which a man who could be the captain or officer of a vessel and another well dressed European pose in a large group on Palm Island .
Few people would know that there is a link between Darwin and Palm Island through the 1955 Charles and Elsa Chauvel film , Jedda , which will be fleshed out in a later post.
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Low tide view of landing at Palm Island where ferry passengers from Townsville come ashore
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The chequered and troubled history of Palm Island is conveyed in various plaques on display .
STRUGGLES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
