Islands in the Torres Strait, including Mer (Murray Island)

Many Australians recognise Mer (Murray Island) as the birthplace of Eddie Koiki Mabo, who took on the Australian legal system — and won. In 1992, the High Court overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and recognised the rights of Indigenous Australians over their lands. But there is a longer history of Mer, pervaded by the sea. The people of Mer have always been fishers, divers and traders. Stories abound of a rich trade between Meriam people and early British visitors.