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 | |||||||||||||||
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  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
The 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
A 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
In 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
Mer 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]
Notable people
- Eddie Mabo, Indigenous Australian campaigner for Indigenous land rights