Coconut Island (Queensland)
Native name: Poruma | |
|---|---|
Satellite image of Coconut Island | |
A map of the Torres Strait Islands with the Coconut Island labelled as Poruma | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Northern Australia |
| Adjacent to | Great North East Channel, Torres Strait |
| Administration | |
| State | Queensland |
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| Coconut Island / Poruma Island Queensland | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 10°03′01″S 143°04′10″E / 10.0502°S 143.0694°E |
| Population | 164 (2021 census) |
| Postcode(s) | 4875 |
| LGA(s) | Torres Strait Island Region |
| State electorate(s) | Cook |
| Federal division(s) | Leichhardt |
Coconut Island, Poruma Island, or Puruma in the local language, is an island in the Great North East Channel near Cumberland Passage, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. One of the Torres Strait Islands, Coconut Island is 130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast of Thursday Island. Administratively, Coconut Island is a town and Poruma Island is the locality within the Shire of Torres.
The ancestors of Coconut Island built their houses out of grass, coconut leaves and trees that floated down from the Fly River jungles of Papua New Guinea.
The islands have sea turtle hatcheries, bird life, giant clam ground, huge palms, World War II relics and massive sand flats.
In the 2021 census, Poruma Island had a population of 164 people.