The very first houses of Madang were located on a small peninsula jutting into the Bismarck Sea –the land between today’s port and the Forum Park. The site had been chosen for its deep harbor and the fresh sea breeze. Found some 40 kilometers south of Cape Croisilles, the northern point of Astrolabe Bay, the port and station were originally called “Friedrich Wilhelms-Hafen” after the Prussian Crown Prince. The station had been built in 1891 to be the provincial headquarters of German New Guinea from 1892 onwards. After WWI and the eviction of the Germans, the town’s name was changed to Madang. Madang was occupied by the Japanese during WWII and to honor the coastwatchers working behind enemy lines, the Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse was inaugurated at the entrance to Madang Harbor at Kalibobo in 1959. Not only is this a shining light for shipping, it has also become an iconic feature of Madang. Today the town has a population of some 36,000 inhabitants and is connected by road to Hansa Bay in the north and Lae and the highlands to the south. Cattle, cocoa and copra are important produces from Madang Province. With more than 170 languages spoken in the province, the small museum holds interesting pieces relating to the history and cultures of Madang and surrounding areas. Several of the trees along Modilon Road show hundreds of resting fruit bats waiting for the evening’s flights, some of them find their way to the Main Market.
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the United Kingdom (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. On the north coast of the island, we find colourful Madang, called the “prettiest town in the South Pacific”. Its peninsula-setting is a showplace of parks, waterways, luxuriant shade trees and sparkling tropical islands. Although small, the town has modern urban facilities, including hotels, department stores, markets and art shops. The people of Madang can be broken into four distinct groups - islanders, coastal people, river people and mountain people. These groups are similar in appearance except for the smaller Simbai mountain tribesmen from the foothills. The traditional dress consists mainly of traditional dyed multi-coloured grass skirts made out of either pandanas leaves or sago palm. The women from the mountain areas wear skirts that are colourless, narrow and stringy. Unlike the women, men wear meshy net aprons in front and a clutter of target leaves astern.
Start Time
Oct 2 8:00AM +10
to
End Time
Oct 2 7:00PM +10