Tiwi Islands, The Top End Region, Northern Territory

by PlanBookTravel — last modified 2008-01-18 00:08

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Melville Island is Australia’s second largest island after Tasmania. There is little infrastructure on the island and it is yet to be opened to the public for tourism. Separated from Bathurst Island by only two kilometres, Melville Island has a similar history.It was first sighted by Abel Tasman in 1644 on his way from Batavia. In 1818 the son of New South Wales Governor Philip Gidley King, Phillip Parker King explored the island (he named it after Viscount Melville) and was surprised to discover the Aborigines knew some Portuguese words. He deduced they had made contact with Portuguese sailors after a Portuguese ship had been wrecked nearby. Ownership of Melville Island was returned to the Tiwi Aborigines in 1978 and like Bathurst Island, it is run by the Tiwi Land Council.