Distance from Cape York to Papua New Guinea: Just 160 Kilometers

The northernmost tip of Australia's Cape York Peninsula lies approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the Papua New Guinea mainland across the Torres Strait. This narrow stretch of water—dotted with the Torres Strait Islands—separates the two countries at their closest point. The maritime border runs through the strait, established by the 1978 Torres Strait Treaty between Australia and the newly independent PNG. The proximity has fostered centuries of cultural exchange, trade, and kinship ties between Indigenous Australian and Papuan communities, though crossing the border today requires formal immigration procedures.