'Darwin' is the
capital city of the
Australian
Territory of the
Northern Territory. A population of 105,991
makes it by far the most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities.
History
Pre-European settlement
The Aboriginal people of the
Larrakia language group lived (and still do) in the greater Darwin Region before European settlement.
[2] They had
trading routes with
Southeast Asia, and imported goods from as far afield as
South and
Western Australia. Established 'songlines' penetrated throughout the country, allowing stories and histories to be told and retold along the routes.
The
Dutch visited Australia's northern coastline in the
1600s, and created the first
European maps of the area, hence the Dutch names in the area, such as
Arnhem Land and
Groote Eylandt, which still bears the original old Dutch spelling for "large island".
The first
British person to sight Darwin's harbour appears to have been Lieutenant
John Lort Stokes of
HMS ''Beagle'' in
1839. The ship's captain, Commander
John Clements Wickham, named the port after
Charles Darwin, the British naturalist who had sailed with them both on the earlier
second expedition of the ''Beagle''.
Memorial to the 1942 air raids on the city.
1900 to present
The Northern Territory was initially settled and administered by
South Australia, until its transfer to the
Commonwealth in
1911. On
5 February 1869,
George Goyder, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established a small settlement of 135 men and women at Port Darwin. Goyder named the settlement
Palmerston, after the
British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. In
1870, the first poles for the
Overland Telegraph were erected in Darwin connecting Australia to the rest of the world. The discovery of gold at
Pine Creek in the
1880s further boosted the young colony's development. Upon Commonwealth administration in 1911, Darwin became the city's official name.
On
19 February 1942 at 0957, during the
World War II, 188
Japanese warplanes
attacked Darwin in two waves. It was the same fleet that had bombed Pearl Harbor, though a considerably larger number of bombs were dropped on Darwin, than on Pearl Harbor. The attack killed at least 243 people and caused immense damage to the town. These were by far the most serious attacks on Australia in time of war, in terms of fatalities and damage. They were the first of
many raids on Darwin.
Main articles: Bombing of Darwin (February 1942)
On
Australia Day (
26 January)
1959, Darwin was granted city status.
[3]
On
25 December 1974, Darwin was struck by
Cyclone Tracy, which killed 71 people and destroyed over 70% of the town's buildings, including many old stone buildings such as the Palmerston Town Hall, which could not withstand the lateral forces generated by the strong winds. After the disaster, an airlift evacuated 30,000 people. The town was subsequently rebuilt with newer materials and techniques during the late
1970s by the Darwin Reconstruction Commission. A satellite city of
Palmerston was built 20 km south of Darwin in the early
1980s.
On
17 September 2003, the
Adelaide-Darwin Railway was completed.
Demographics
Darwin has the largest proportional population of
indigenous Australians (9.7% in
2006) of any Australian
capital city , and a significant percentage of its residents are recent
immigrants from
South East Asia. Darwin has a youthful population with an average age of 32 years (compared to national average of around 37 years)
assisted to a large extent by the military presence and the fact that many people opt to retire elsewhere.
Darwin's population comprises people from many different ethnic backgrounds. The
2006 Census revealed the following most places of birth for overseas migrants:
England,
New Zealand,
Philippines and
East Timor. 18.3% of the city's population was born overseas which is less than the Australian average of 22%
The most common non English languages spoken in Darwin are:
Greek,
Italian,
Indonesian,
Vietnamese and
Cantonese.
Geography and climate
Darwin is situated in the Northern Territory, on the coast of the
Timor Sea at
geographic coordinates .
Darwin is closer to the capitals of three other countries than to the capital of Australia: Darwin is 3144 km (1953 mi) away from
Canberra.
Dili (
East Timor) is 656 km (408 mi) from Darwin,
Port Moresby (
Papua New Guinea) is 1818 km (1130 mi), and
Jakarta (
Indonesia) is 2735 km (1699 mi) from Darwin. Even
Singapore is only slightly farther away at 3360 km (2088 mi), and so is
Manila (
Philippines) at 3206 km (1992 m).
Topography and climate
Wet Season storm at night
Wet Season storm at night
Darwin city itself is built on a low bluff overlooking the harbour, but most of the city is flat and low lying. The city has an extensive coastline featuring several recreational reserves and excellent fishing.
Darwin has a
tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The
dry season runs from May to September (the southern hemisphere winter), during which nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14°C (56°F), but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.
The
wet season is associated with
tropical cyclones and monsoon rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when
thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. It does not rain every day during the wet season, but most days are warm to hot with plentiful cloud cover; January averages under 6 hours of bright sunshine daily. The hottest month is November, just before the onset of the main rainy season. Darwin has the most daily average sunshine hours (8.4) of any Australian capital with the most sunshine from April to November.
[4]
Climatically Darwin has more in common with
Singapore than Sydney as it sits well inside the tropical zone.
'Climate Table' | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 31.8 | 31.4 | 31.9 | 32.7 | 32.0 | 30.6 | 30.5 | 31.3 | 32.5 | 33.1 | 33.2 | 32.5 | 31.9 |
|---|
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 24.8 | 24.7 | 24.5 | 24.0 | 22.1 | 20.0 | 19.3 | 20.5 | 23.1 | 25.0 | 25.3 | 25.3 | 23.2 |
|---|
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 423.3 | 361.1 | 319.3 | 98.9 | 21.3 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 5.7 | 15.4 | 70.7 | 141.8 | 247.9 | 1713.9 |
|---|
| Mean number of rain days | 21.1 | 20.3 | 19.3 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 6.6 | 12.1 | 16.5 | 111.3 |
|---|
| 'Source:' Bureau of Meteorology |
Districts
The older part of Darwin is separated from the newer Northern Suburbs by
Darwin International Airport and Royal Australian Air Force Base.
Palmerston is a satellite city 20 kilometres south of Darwin that was established in the 1980s and is one of the fastest growing municipalities in
Australia. The rural areas of Darwin including Howard Springs, Humpty Doo and Berry Springs are experiencing strong growth.
Built environment
As a result of air raids and cyclones, Darwin has few historic buildings although some of the stronger stone structures survived and have been restored. Since Cyclone Tracy all buildings are constructed to a strict cyclone code. Steel is a popular building material and led to a distinctive modern style associated with Darwin known as ‘Troppo’.
Southeast Asian influences are also apparent in some of the architecture. A growing population and relatively scarce land has seen a boom in high rise apartment style housing in recent years especially around the central business district and coastal fringes.
Government
Government House, Darwin
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
The Darwin City Council (Incorporated under the Northern Territory Local Government Act 1993) has governed the City of Darwin since 1957. The Darwin City Council consists of 13 elected members, the
Lord Mayor and 12
aldermen. The City of Darwin electorate is organised into four electoral units or wards. The names of the wards are Chan, Lyons, Richardson, and Waters. The constituents of each ward are directly responsible for electing three
aldermen. Constituents of all wards are directly responsible for electing the
Lord mayor. See
Darwin City Council
The
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory convenes in Darwin in the Northern Territory Parliament House. Darwin is also home to
Government House, Darwin which is the official residence of the Administrator of the
Northern Territory,
Australia.
Economy
The two largest economic sectors are
mining and
tourism. Mining and energy industry production exceeds $2.8 billion per annum. The most important mineral resources are gold and
bauxite, along with
manganese and many others. The energy production is mostly off shore with oil and
natural gas from the Timor Sea, although there are significant
uranium deposits near Darwin. Tourism employs 8% of Darwin residents, and is expected to grow as domestic and international tourists are now spending time in Darwin during the
Wet and
Dry seasons. Federal spending is a major contributor to the local economy as well.
The military presence that is maintained both within Darwin, and the wider Northern Territory, is a substantial source of employment. The continued involvement of the
Australian Army in the stabilisation of
East Timor has swelled the military population of Darwin to over 11,000 individuals as of
2001. There is also a substantial United Nations presence in Darwin, since Darwin serves as the staging center for U.N. workers and contractors en route to nearby East Timor.
Darwin's importance as a port is expected to grow, due to the increased exploitation of
petroleum in the nearby
Timor Sea, and to the completion of the railway link and continued expansion in trade with Asia.
During 2005, a number of major construction projects started in Darwin. One is the redevelopment of the Wharf Precinct, which includes a large convention and exhibition centre, apartment housing, retail and entertainment outlets including a large wave pool and safe swimming lagoon. The Chinatown project has also started with plans to construct multi-level carparks, Chinese-themed retail and dining outlets
[5].
Education
As of the
2001 census, there were 6,441 students attending primary schools within the area covered by the Darwin City Council. There were also 3,943 students engaged in secondary education; 2,825 in government schools and 1,118 in independent schools. There are 35 primary and pre-schools, and 12 secondary schools (including both government and non-government). Most schools in the city are secular, but there are a small number of
Christian,
Catholic and
Lutheran institutions. Students intending to complete their secondary education work towards the
Northern Territory Certificate of Education, which is recognised in all states and territories. Many of the schools are undergoing renovations and reconstruction. Schools will be restructured into Primary, Middle and Senior schools beginning in 2007.
The central provider of tertiary education in the Northern Territory is
Charles Darwin University. It covers both vocational and academic courses, acting as both a university and an Institute of
TAFE.
Darwin, Aerial of Cullen Bay Marina
Recreation and culture
Events and festivals
Darwin, Nightcliff
On
1 July, Territorians celebrate Territory Day. This is the only day of the year, apart from the Chinese New Year, when fireworks are permitted. In Darwin, the main celebrations occur at Mindil Beach, where a large firework display is commissioned by the government.
Weekly markets include
Mindil Beach Sunset Markets (Thursdays and Sundays during the dry season),
Parap, Nightcliff and Rapid Creek markets.
The Darwin Festival
[2], held annually, includes comedy, dance, theatre, music, film and visual art and the
NT Indigenous Music Awards. Other festivals include the Glenti, which showcases Darwin's large Greek community, and India@Mindil, a similar festival held by the smaller Indian community. The
Chinese New Year is also celebrated with great festivity, highlighting the Asian influence in Darwin.
The Speargrass Festival is held annually the week prior to July's first full moon and celebrates the alternative Top End lifestyle. The festival activities include music, screening of locally produced films, screen printing, basket weaving, sweat lodge, water slides, human pyramid, hot tub, frisbee golf, spear throwing, Kubb competition, bingo, communal organic cooking, morning yoga, meditation, greasy pig and healing circles. The festival occurs at the Speargrass property, 50kms northeast of Pine Creek.
The
Darwin beer-can regatta, held in August, celebrates Darwin's love affair with
beer and contestants' race boats made exclusively of beer cans. Also in Darwin during the month of August, are the Darwin Cup horse race, and the
Rodeo and
Mud Crab Tying Competition.
Arts
Darwin is home to the Indo-Pacific Marine & Australian
Pearling Exhibition, which houses an
aquarium complete with living
coral, and its complementary sea life.The Museum of the Northern Territory in Darwin gives an overview of the history of the area, including exhibits on Cyclone Tracy and the boats of the Pacific Islands.
Darwin has a vibrant arts scene given its size. The Darwin Festival, Darwin Fringe festival and "Bass in the Grass" concert are annual events. Darwin has a range of quality indoor and outdoor live music venues hosting local and visiting acts. A range of art galleries including specialised Aboriginal art galleries are a feature of Darwin.
Darwin of the 1960s is evocatively captured by
Peter Goldsworthy’s book ‘Maestro’ in which he describes it as.. “That small, tropical hothouse of a port, half outback, half oriental, lying at the tip of northern Australia”
‘Sit Down Up North’ written by current Northern Territory Administrator Ted Egan paints a portrait of Darwin in the 1950s and its characters.
There have been no major films set in Darwin, however some scenes for a war era feature film by
Baz Luhrmann will be shot in Darwin in 2007.
[6] [7]
Recreation
A walk at Casuarina Beach
Saltwater Crocodile near Darwin
The city has many miles of unpolluted beaches, including the Casuarina Beach and well renowned Mindil Beach, home of the Mindil Beach markets. Darwin City Council has designated an area of Casuarina Beach as a free beach which offers a designated nudist beach area since 1976 . Swimming in the sea during the months of October - May should be approached with caution due to the presence of
Box jellyfish.
Saltwater Crocodiles are very common in all waterways surrounding Darwin and occasionally are even found swimming in Darwin Harbor and on local beaches.
Fishing is one of the recreations of Darwin locals. Visitors from around the world flock to Darwin aiming to catch the prized barramundi, an iconic fish for the region. The
Mary River,
Daly River, South and
East Alligator River are just a few of the water bodies where the
barramundi thrive. Outstanding blue water fishing are also available off the coast of Darwin,
Spanish Mackerel,
Jewfish,
Queenfish,
Snapper and countless more are all found in the area and accessible in a day trip from Darwin.
Lake Alexander is a man-made lake which is generally considered safe and is located at East Point Reserve.
The Darwin Surf Lifesaving Club
[3] operates long boats, surf ski's and provides events and lifesaving accreditations.
Parks and gardens
Darwin has extensive parks and gardens. These include the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, East Point Reserve, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Charles Darwin National Park, Knuckey Lagoons Conservation Reserve, Leanyer Recreation Park, The Nightcliff Foreshore, Bicentennial Park and the Water Gardens in Jingili.
Entertainment
Mindil Beach market Darwin
Darwin Festival
Considering its moderate size Darwin has a lively nightlife scene. Darwin's Mitchell Street is lined with nightclubs, takeaways, and restaurants, many with al fresco-style dining. This is the entertainment hub of the city. A reasonable choice of dining options caters for a wide range of often Asian-inspired tastes. There are several smaller theatres, three cinema complexes (CBD, Casuarina, Palmerston) as well as the Deckchair Cinema. The
Deckchair Cinema is an open-air cinema which operates through the dry season, from April to October, and screens an independent and arthouse films.
Music is celebrated at both the
Darwin Festival, Darwin Fringe festival and yearly "Bass in the Grass" concert. Local and visiting bands can be heard at venues including the
Darwin Entertainment Centre, The Vic Hotel, Happy Yess, and Brown's Mart.
Most sports are catered for and some facilities are world class. Outdoor pursuits such as fishing and camping are very popular with Darwin residents.
Sports
Every two years since
1991 (excluding
2003 due to the
SARS outbreak), Darwin has played host to the
Arafura Games [4], a major regional
sporting event. In July
2003, Darwin hosted its first international
test cricket match between
Australia and
Bangladesh and then Australia and
Sri Lanka in 2004.
Australian-rules football and
rugby league are played all year round.
Melbourne's
Western Bulldogs Australian Football League side plays one home game at
Marrara Oval each year. The ATSIC
Aboriginal All-Stars also participate in the
AFL pre-season competition. In 2003, a record crowd of 17,500 attended a pre-season game between the All-Stars and
Carlton Football Club at Marrara Oval.
Darwin Cup
The
Marrara Oval near the airport has stadiums for Aussie Rules, cricket, rugby union, basketball (and indoor court sports),
football(soccer), athletics and field hockey.
Darwin hosts a round of the
V8 Supercars every year bringing thousands of motorsports fans to the Hidden Valley complex.
The Darwin Cup culminating on the first Monday of August is a very popular horse race event for Darwin and draws large crowds every year to Fannie Bay Racecourse. While it is not as popular as the
Melbourne Cup, it does draw a crowd and, in
2003,
Sky Racing began televising most of the races. The Darwin Cup day is a public holiday for the Northern Territory (
Picnic Day public holiday).
Media
Darwin residents have access to four free-to-air television services. Two of these are privately owned by incorporated companies,
Southern Cross Darwin and the
Channel Nine Darwin (formerly branded as Channel 8). The third free-to-air television service is provided by the national broadcaster
SBS. The fourth free-to-air television service is provided by the national broadcaster,
ABC. Darwin has two commercial radio stations,
Hot 100 and
Mix 104.9, along with other stations including the university-based
104.1 Territory FM that is relayed throughout the Territory, dance music station KIK FM, and
ABC Radio.
Darwin has only one major daily newspaper with dedicated local content, the ''
Northern Territory News'' which is produced by
News Corporation. The Darwin Sun, also produced by
News Corporation is a small free weekly newspaper focusing on local stories and deriving income from advertising sales. Other Australian national daily newspapers such as News Corporation's
The Australian is also available.
Transport
Darwin Airport at night
Darwin has no intracity rail. The Alice Springs to Darwin rail line was completed in 2003 linking Darwin to
Adelaide. The first service ran in 2004.
The Ghan passenger train service from Adelaide via
Alice Springs and Katherine runs two to three times per week depending on the season.
Darwin International Airport has flights to Singapore (
Tiger Airways and
Jetstar Airways), Bali (Garuda Indonesia), Brunei (Royal Brunei) and East Timor (Air North).
Qantas operates domestic flights between Alice Springs, Gove, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Virgin Blue flies to Brisbane,
Skywest Airlines and
Airnorth fly to Broome.
Darwin can be reached via the Stuart Highway which runs the length of the Northern Territory from Darwin through Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and on to Adelaide. The greater Darwin area is served by
Darwin Bus Service.
Ferries leave from Port Darwin to island locations, mainly for tourists. A ferry service to the
Tiwi Islands, the ''Arafura Pearl'' operates from Cullen Bay.
Darwin has a new
deepwater port at 'Darwin East Arm', which is capable of handling
Panamax sized ships.
Tourism
Darwin skyline from East Point
is one of Darwin's largest industries.
Tourism is a major industry and employment sector for the Northern Territory.
In 2005/06, 1.38 million people visited the
Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion.
[8]
The tourism industry directly employed 8,391 Territorians in June 2006 and when indirect employment is included, tourism typically accounts for more than 14.000 jobs across the Territory.
Darwin is a hub for tours to
Kakadu National Park [5],
Litchfield National Park [6]and
Katherine Gorge.
The Territory is traditionally divided into the wet and dry, but there are up to six traditional seasons in Darwin.
It is warm and sunny from May to September. Humidity rises during the green season, from October to April bringing thunderstorms and monsoonal rains which rejuvenates the landscape. Tourism is largely seasonal with most tourists visiting during the cooler dry season which runs from April to September.
Aviation history
Darwin Aviation Heritage Centre - 1st Ultralight - Hover Bird
Darwin has played host to many of aviation's early pioneers. On
10 December 1919 Captain
Ross Smith and his crew landed in Darwin and won a £10,000 Prize from the Australian Government for completing the first flight from London to Australia in under thirty days. Smith and his Crew flew a
Vickers Vimy, G-EAOU and landed on an airstrip that has now become Ross Smith Avenue. Other aviation pioneers include
Amy Johnson,
Amelia Earhart, Sir
Charles Kingsford Smith and
Bert Hinkler. Darwin was home to Australian and U.S. pilots in World War II with air strips being built in and around Darwin. Today Darwin provides a staging ground for
military exercises.
Darwin was a compulsory stop over/check point in the
London to
Melbourne Centenary Air Race in 1934. The official name of the race was the
MacRobertson Air Race. Winners of the great race were
Tom Campbell Black and
C.W.A. Scott.
The following is an excerpt from
Time Magazine,
29 October,
1934, Volume XXIV, Number 18.
"Third Day. Biggest sensation of the race came just before dawn on the third day, when burly
Lieutenant Scott and dapper
Captain Black flew their scarlet
Comet into Darwin. They had covered the last 300 miles over water on one motor, risked death landing on a field made soggy by the first rain in seven months. Said sandy-haired
Lieutenant Scott: "We've had a devil of a trip." But they had flown 9,000 miles in two days, had broken the
England to
Australia record of 162 hr. in the unbelievable time of 52hr. 33 min., were only 2000 miles from their goal at
Melbourne."
Sister cities
References
1. 2006 Census Data for Darwin
2. Our People and History ''Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (www.larrakia.com)''
3. [1]
4. http://www.science.org.au/nova/005/005act02.htm
5. Darwin City Waterfront
6. http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-5-23/55632.html
7. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/07/01/1410_ntnews.html
8. Tourism NT''Tourism NT (www.tourismnt.com.au)''
External links
★
Darwin at the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001 Census).
★
Darwin City Council
★
Darwin City Council Library Service
★
Northern Territory Government Portal
★
Tourism Information
★
Future projects in Darwin
★
Aboriginal Art
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