The bones of a Torres Strait Islander child have returned to Australia more than 150 years after they were taken from far north Queensland.
The child's remains were taken from Darnley Island, in the Torres Strait, in 1849 by English Captain Owen Stanley during an expedition.
They eventually ended up in a museum in the English city of Liverpool.
A delegation of Torres Strait Islanders flew to the UK and returned with the remains on Tuesday.
They are being stored at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra until traditional owners of Darnley Island decide when to bury them at Darney Island.
Torres Strait elder Don Banu, who helped return the remains to Australia, said it was an important achievement.
"We have been engaged with this one since September last year," he said.
"Torres Strait Islanders will feel discomfort until a loved one is put to rest in the appropriate way."
Members of the Torres Strait repatriation working group are working to have more than 250 Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains returned home.
They are being held by the Natural History Museum and Cambridge University in England.
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