Alotau is the capital of
Milne Bay Province
Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has a ...
, in the south-east of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. It is located on the northern shore of
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...
. The town is located within
Alotau Urban LLG.
Alotau is also the annual forum for Australian and Papua New Guinean ministers.
Its Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the episcopal see of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Alotau–Sideia.
The town is located within the area in which the invading
Japanese army
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...
suffered their first land defeat in the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
in 1942, before the
Kokoda Track
The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...
battle. A memorial park at the old battle site commemorates the event. Alotau became the provincial capital in 1969, when it was shifted from
Samarai.
Transport
There is a road from
Ulumani to Alotau which passes the local
Gurney Airport
An Australian Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 2/9th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery at Milne Bay Gurney Airport No. 1 Airstrip
An Australian P-40 at Milne Bay
Gurney Airport is an airport serving Alotau in the Milne Bay Province of Papua ...
, named after squadron leader
Charles Raymond Gurney
Charles Raymond (Bob) Gurney, AFC (22 May 1906 – 2 May 1942) was an Australian aviator who was involved in pioneering aviation in New Guinea in the 1930s. He flew with Qantas before and during the Second World War, and served with the Royal ...
of the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, who was killed in the area in 1942. The airport is located 12 km from the town.
Alotau is the gateway to the Milne Bay Province, which contains some of the most remote island communities in the world. Milne Bay is noted for its coral reef and
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
experiences.
Climate
Alotau has a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(
Köppen ''Af'') with heavy rainfall year-round.
See also
*
References
External links
Official Milne Bay Tourism Bureau
{{PNG Provincial Capitals
Populated places in Milne Bay Province
Provincial capitals in Papua New Guinea