Ugar (Stephen Island)
Situated 188 kilometres northeast of Thursday Island and about 860 kilometres north-northwest of Cairns in the Torres Strait Islands' Eastern Group, Ugar (Stephen Island) lies north of Poruma (Coconut Island), northwest of Mer (Murray Island) and west of Erub (Darnley Island) within the Torres Strait Island Region local government area.
Like Mer and Erub, the island is volcanic in origin. Unlike its neighbours, where the remnants of volcanic cones are clearly defined, Ugar's basalt has been eroded to leave a relatively low-lying plateau about thirty metres high with highly fertile soil and a blanket of dense vegetation.
The Islanders, who are of Melanesian origin, refer to themselves as Ugarem Le and speak the Erub-Ugar dialect of Meriam Mir. They are closely related to the neighbouring Erubam Le of Erub, the Meriam Le and Nog Le of Mer, the Dauarab Le of Dauar, and the people of Waier.
The island's European name, bestowed by William Bligh in September 1792 during his second breadfruit voyage in 1792, acknowledges First Secretary to the Admiralty Philip Stephens.
Links to add:
Erub-Ugar dialect
William Bligh
Philip Stephenss
