It has been suggested that this article be merged with Murray Island, Queensland. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2024. |
Mer Island is an island locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] The locality consists of a single island, Murray Island. In the 2021 census, Mer Island had a population of 406 people.[1]
| Mer Island Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Mer Island | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 9°55′02″S 144°03′06″E / 9.9172°S 144.0516°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 406 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 99.0/km2 (256/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4875 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 4.1 km2 (1.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Torres Strait Island Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
editThe town of Murray Island is on the island's northwest coast (9°54′54″S 144°03′06″E / 9.9151°S 144.0516°E).[3]
History
editA school opened on Murray Island on 17 April 1892. From 1896 to 1903, it was under the control of the Department for Public Instruction and was known as Murray Island Provisional School. Frmom 1904, it became the responsibility of various other government departments. It returned to the control of the Department of Education on 29 January 1985 as Murray Island State School. It was renamed in October 1990 as Mer State School, becoming the Mer Campus of he Tagai State College on 1 January 2007.[4]
Demographics
editIn the 2016 census, Mer Island had a population of 450 people.[5]
In the 2021 census, Mer Island had a population of 406 people.[1]
Education
editMer Campus is a primary (Early Childhood-6) campus of Tagai State College on an unnamed road at 9°55′02″S 144°02′44″E / 9.9173°S 144.0455°E.[6][7]
There are no secondary schools on Mer Island. The secondary campus of Tagai State College is on Thursday Island over 200 kilometres (120 mi) away.[8] Boarding facilities are available on Thursday Island.[9][10]
Notable people
edit- Eddie Mabo, Indigenous Australian campaigner for Indigenous land rights
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mer Island (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Mer Island – locality in Torres Strait Island Region (entry 46717)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Murray Island – population centre in the Torres Strait Island Region (entry 23612)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mer Island (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Tagai State College - Mer Campus". Archived from the original on 14 March 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Thursday Island Secondary - Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh". Tagai State College. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Torres Strait Kaziw Meta". Retrieved 19 September 2024.
