Sailing Dreamtime from Cairns to the Trobriand Islands

We sail from Cairns to Lae in Papua New Guinea. We cross the Coral Sea from Cairns to Samarai near the eastern tip of the PNG mainland. Samarai was the former administration town of the Milne Bay Province and in 1976 was still an entry port for PNG where we could clear customs. This is the first of a set of videos about a 15 month cruise in 1976/77 in a 36ft yacht from North Queensland through Melanesia, the countries of the South West Pacific Ocean. We visited Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tikopia, Fiji, New Caledonia and back to North Queensland across the Coral sea via the Chesterfield Reefs. We departed 10th of September 1976, clearing Customs at Samarai Island, then on to Alotau in Papua New Guinea. We arrived in PNG just before the first anniversary of PNG's first independence as a sovereign country, so there were celebration events happening in Alotau. Alotau was the site of the first land defeat of the Japanese in the Second World War. The outnumbered Australians won control of the area and helped stop the Japanese from invading Port Moresby and then Australia. We continued on, first into Sewa Bay on Normanby Island, then continuing to the Catholic Mission on Fergusson Island where we walked out to look at the volcanic thermal springs there called DieDie, perhaps an ominous name? We sailed north to the Trobriand Islands, especially Kaibola on Kiriwina Island where the locals were doing their annual Osimoya Dancing, at that time a local custom, not a tourist thing. In the next video we sail back to the mainland of PNG. We stopped first at Tufi where there was a special celebration for the visit of the Governor-General Sir John Guise who was on an Independence Tour of outlying areas, accompanied by both the Australian and New Zealand High Commissioners. Remember that any video sections are digitised from 50 year old super 8 film. Photos are digitised from 50 year old 35mm slide film.

#Sailing Cairns to the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea#Sailing#The Battle of Milne Bay in World War 2#Australians defeat the Japanese at Alotau#American base at Dobodura Airfield Complex#US Pacific War#Clearing Customs at Samarai Island#PNG Independence Celebrations in Alotau#Visiting the DieDie volcanic hot springs on Fergusson Island#Watching the Osimoya Dancing at Kaibola in the Trobriand Islands#Dreamtime In Melanesia#Papua New Guinea Cruising Guide#Douglas Jones