colony · North America and Oceania

Territory of Papua

1906 CE – 1949 CE · capital Port Moresby

Australia's first colonial territory, formerly British New Guinea, administered for over three decades by Sir Hubert Murray.

Origins

Britain transferred British New Guinea to the new Commonwealth of Australia, and the Papua Act of 1905, in force from 1906, renamed it the Territory of Papua, with its capital at Port Moresby. It was the first overseas territory governed by Australia, and it took over the government stations and village constable system built up under William MacGregor.

Rule and society

Hubert Murray, lieutenant governor from 1908 until his death in 1940, followed a paternalistic policy that restricted the sale of land to Europeans, relied on armed constabulary and village constables, and made punitive raids rarer. The European population remained small, and plantations, copper and gold mining developed only modestly. Missions provided most schooling and health care. Papuans had no political rights, and the economy was poorer than that of the neighbouring Territory of New Guinea.

Decline and legacy

The Japanese advance on Port Moresby was stopped on the Kokoda Track in 1942 with help from Papuan carriers. Civil rule was suspended and both territories were run by a single military administration. In 1949 Papua was joined with New Guinea as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.

Lineage

British New Guinea 1884 CE – 1906 CETerritory of PapuaTerritory of Papua and New Guinea 1949 CE – 1975 CE

Connections (1)

Territory of Papua was a colony of Commonwealth of Australia1906 CE – 1949 CE

More states of North America and Oceania →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Territory of Papua. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/territory-of-papua
MLA: “Territory of Papua.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/territory-of-papua. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Territory of Papua.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/territory-of-papua.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Territory of Papua’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/territory-of-papua (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻