Salamaua

Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland. There is a harbour facing the western side in the Huon Gulf. The closest city is Lae which can only be reached via boat across the gulf.

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In the 1920's prospective gold miners used Salamaua as a staging post to explore for gold in the inland areas. Gold was discovered at Wau and miners came from all over and made for the goldfields via the rough Black Cat Track.

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The town was captured by the Japanese in 1942 during World War II and later retaken by Australian and United States forces lead by General Douglas MacArthur on September 11, 1943. During reoccupation the town was destroyed.

Morobe province: Morobe Province (previously named Adolfhafen in German New Guinea) is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725 (2000 census). It incl...

Isthmus: An isthmus (from Greek ??????, isthmos; plural isthmuses or isthmi; pronounced "ISS-mus" with a silent "th") is a narrow strip of land that is bordered on two sides by water and connects two larger land masses....

Huon Gulf: Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the gulf....