The Adolphus Channel is a channel located in the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian ma ...

, situated northeast of Cape York, in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

Geography

The channel runs north of the

Albany Island Albany Island or Pabaju is an island off the north-eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula in the Adolphus Channel and part of the Manar Group of islands of Queensland, Australia. It is within the locality of Somerset in the Shire of Torres. G ...

, one of the islands of the Manar group of the

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total land ...

archipelago, and to the south of Mount Adolphus Island. It is about across at its narrowest point, mostly less than about in depth and opens towards the west (into the Torres Strait) and towards the east (into the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

lagoon). Submarine dunes (

sand waves A sand wave is a lower regime sedimentary structure that forms across from tidal currents. Formation Sand waves are formed through the action of the wind or water (through waves or tidal currents). Sand waves form also underwater. See also ...

) up to tall migrate along the Adolphus Channel seabed, posing a potential risk to safe navigation.Harris, P.T., 1989. Sandwave movement under tidal and wind-driven currents in a shallow marine environment: Adolphus Channel, northeastern Australia. Continental Shelf Research 9, 981-1002 Much of the area has dual naming with traditional names from the

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grou ...

people.

Shipping use

Adolphus Channel is a major shipping route for traffic passing from the eastern (

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fren ...

) coast of Australia to the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary ...

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea i ...

and regions further west.

History

On the night of 28 February 1890, the Royal Mail Ship RMS ''Quetta'' struck a rock and sank in Adolphus Channel, sending 134 of her passengers to their deaths.

Manar islands

Adjacent to the channel are the Manar group of islands, part of the Torres Strait Islands

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

, comprising: *

*Bush Islet *Eborac Island *Ida Island *Mai Islet *Middle Brother Islet *Tree Island Ida Island is north and adjacent to Muddy Bay, while the remaining islets are adjacent to Pioneer Bay on the north east coast of Albany Island.

Geography

Shipping use

History

Manar islands

See also

References

Further reading