Since May 2001, the Kaurareg people have held the native title rights to most of the island.
Lihou, then Master of the merchant ship Zenobia, was on passage from Manila to South America and had chosen a route through Torres Strait.
This was the first occasion a ship was navigated through Torres Strait from west to east.
It was also the first occasion a ship was navigated through the Coral Sea from Torres Strait, south-eastward to the south-ward of New Caledonia.
The Zenobia entered Endeavour Strait in January 1823, and discovered a shallow port on the south coast of Prince of Wales Island, subsequently named Port Lihou.