Alotau

Alotau
Milne Bay, Alotau Milne Bay, Alotau
Alotau Location within Papua New Guinea
Coordinates:
Country	Papua New Guinea
Province	Milne Bay Province
District	Alotau District
LLG	Alotau Urban
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	15,939
• Rank	15th
Languages
• Main languages	Tawala, English, Suau, Tok Pisin
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
Postcode	211
Location	365 km (227 mi) ESE of Port Moresby
Annual rainfall

Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province, in the south-east of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern shore of Milne Bay.

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 suffered their first land defeat in the Pacific War in 1942, before the Kokoda Track 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, named after squadron leader Charles Raymond Gurney of the Royal Australian Air Force, 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 experiences.

External links

• Official Milne Bay Tourism Bureau
• Alotau Accommodation