Culture

The picturesque Torres Strait region is predominantly inhabited by native Torres Strait Islanders and Kaurareg Aboriginal people. The 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census estimated that the total population of the region is 8,752, of whom 6,901 are Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal people.

The Torres Strait's unique Ailan Kastom (island custom) is a central part of life in the region. Ailan Kastom is kept alive through the arts, rituals and performances, and the preservation of language and traditional knowledge, which are passed from one generation to the next. Cultural values are strongly intertwined with traditional, ancestral ties and respect for waterways, land, sea and the resources these provide.