Darwin ( ;
Larrakia: )
is the
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
of the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory.
It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australian capital cities and serves as the
Top End
The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ra ...
's regional centre.
Darwin's proximity to
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
makes the city's location a key link between Australia and countries such as
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
. The
Stuart Highway begins in Darwin, extends southerly across central Australia through
Tennant Creek
Tennant Creek ( wrm, Jurnkkurakurr) is town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western termin ...
and
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
, concluding in
Port Augusta, South Australia. The city is built upon a low bluff overlooking
Darwin Harbour. Darwin's suburbs begin at
Lee Point in the north and stretch to
Berrimah Berrimah may refer to:
* Berrimah, Northern Territory, suburb
* Electoral division of Berrimah
* Berrimah Power Station
* Berrimah Prison Berrimah may refer to:
* Berrimah, Northern Territory, suburb
* Electoral division of Berrimah
* Berrimah Pow ...
in the east. The Stuart Highway extends to Darwin's eastern satellite city of
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
and its suburbs.
The Darwin region, like much of the Top End, experiences a
tropical climate with a wet and dry season. A period known locally as "the build up" leading up to Darwin's wet season sees temperature and humidity increase. Darwin's wet season typically arrives in late November to early December and brings with it heavy monsoonal downpours, spectacular lightning displays, and increased cyclone activity.
During the dry season, the city has clear skies and mild sea breezes from the harbour.
The
Larrakia people are the Traditional Owners of the Darwin area and Aboriginal people make up a significant percentage of the population. On 9 September 1839, sailed into Darwin Harbour during its survey of the area.
John Clements Wickham named the region "Port Darwin" in honour of their former shipmate
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
, who had sailed with them on the
ship's previous voyage. The settlement there became the town of Palmerston in 1869, but it was renamed Darwin in 1911.
The city has been almost entirely rebuilt four times, following devastation caused by a
cyclone in 1897, another one in 1937,
Japanese air raids during World War II, and
Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
History
Pre-20th century
The
Aboriginal people of the
Larrakia language group are the traditional custodians and earliest known inhabitants of the greater Darwin area. Their name for the area is Garramilla,
pronounced "Garr-ah-mill-ah" and meaning "white stone", referring to the colour of rock found in the area.
They had
trading routes with Southeast Asia (see
Macassan contact with Australia) and imported goods from as far afield as
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and Western Australia. Established
songlines
A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia which mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dre ...
penetrated throughout the country, allowing stories and histories to be told and retold along the routes. The extent of
shared songlines and history of multiple clan groups within this area is contestable.
The Dutch visited Australia's northern coastline in the 1600s and landed on the
Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands ( tiw, Ratuati Irara meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Bathurst Island, and nine smaller uninhabited islands, wi ...
only to be repelled by the
Tiwi people
The Tiwi people (or Tunuvivi) are one of the many Aboriginal groups of Australia. Nearly 2,000 Tiwi people live on Bathurst and Melville Islands, which make up the Tiwi Islands, lying about from Darwin. The Tiwi language is a language isola ...
s. The Dutch created the first European maps of the area. This accounts for the Dutch names in the area, such as
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...
and
Groote Eylandt. The first British person to see Darwin harbour appears to have been Lieutenant
John Lort Stokes of on 9 September 1839. The ship's captain, Commander
John Clements Wickham, named the port after
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
, the British naturalist who had sailed with them both on the earlier
second expedition of the ''Beagle''.
In 1863, the Northern Territory was transferred from
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
to
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. In 1864 South Australia sent
B. T. Finniss
Boyle Travers Finniss (18 August 1807 – 24 December 1893) was the first premier of South Australia, serving from 24 October 1856 to 20 August 1857.
Early life
Finniss was born at sea off the Cape of Good Hope, Southern Africa, and lived in M ...
north as Government Resident to survey and found a capital for its new territory. Finniss chose a site at
Escape Cliffs, near the entrance to Adelaide River, about northeast of the modern city. This attempt was short-lived, however, and the settlement abandoned by 1865. On 5 February 1869,
George Goyder
George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century.
He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 1856 ...
, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established a small settlement of 135 people at Port Darwin between
Fort Hill and the escarpment. 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 by employees of the
Australian Overland Telegraph Line
The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital o ...
digging holes for telegraph poles at
Pine Creek in the 1880s spawned a gold rush, which further boosted the young colony's development.
In February 1872 the
brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Older ...
''Alexandra'' was the first private vessel to sail from an English port directly to Darwin, carrying people many of whom were coming to recent gold finds.
![Mitchell-st-looking-northwest (Darwin)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Mitchell-st-looking-northwest_%28Darwin%29.jpg)
In early 1875 Darwin's
white population had grown to approximately 300 because of the gold rush. On 17 February 1875 the left Darwin ''en route'' for
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. The approximately 88 passengers and 34 crew (surviving records vary) included government officials, circuit-court judges, Darwin residents taking their first
furlough
A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
, and miners. While travelling south along the north Queensland coast, the ''Gothenburg'' encountered a cyclone-strength storm and was wrecked on a section of the
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...
. Only 22 men survived, while between 98 and 112 people perished. Many passengers who perished were Darwin residents and news of the tragedy severely affected the small community, which reportedly took several years to recover.
In the 1870s, relatively large numbers of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
settled at least temporarily in the Northern Territory; many were contracted to work the goldfields and later to build the Palmerston to Pine Creek railway. By 1888 there were 6122 Chinese in the Northern Territory, mostly in or around Darwin. The early Chinese settlers were mainly from
Guangdong Province
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
in south China. However, at the end of the nineteenth century anti-Chinese feelings grew in response to the 1890s economic depression, and the
White Australia policy meant many Chinese left the territory. However, some families stayed, became British subjects, and established a commercial base in Darwin.
Early 20th century
![Smith-st-looking-towards-harbour (Darwin)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Smith-st-looking-towards-harbour_%28Darwin%29.jpg)
The Northern Territory was initially settled and administered by
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, until its transfer to the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
in 1911. In the same year, the city's official name changed from Palmerston to Darwin.
![Darwin 42](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Darwin_42.jpg)
The period between 1911 and 1919 was filled with political turmoil, particularly with trade union unrest, which culminated on 17 December 1918. Led by
Harold Nelson, some 1,000 demonstrators marched to
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries.
Gover ...
at Liberty Square in Darwin where they burnt an
effigy
An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...
of the
Administrator of the Northern Territory John Gilruth and demanded his resignation. The incident became known as the
Darwin Rebellion. Their grievances were against the two main Northern Territory employers:
Vestey's Meatworks
Vestey's Meatworks, officially the North Australia Meat Company, was a slaughterhouse in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, built by Vestey Brothers between 1914 and 1917. Never profitable, it operated for three years before the company aban ...
and the federal government. Both Gilruth and the Vestey company left Darwin soon afterwards.
On 18 October 1918, during the
Spanish flu pandemic
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
, the ''SS Mataram'' sailing from
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
with infectious diseases arrived in Darwin.
In 1931, the 17 remaining patients from the
leprosarium at
Cossack, Western Australia were moved to Darwin, after it closed down. It was at a time when many Aboriginal people who were thought to have
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
or other infectious diseases were sent to
lock hospitals and leprosariums under the ''
Aborigines Act 1905'',
which gave the
Chief Protector of Aborigines powers to arrest and send any
Indigenous person suspected of having a range of diseases to one of these institutions.
![Remains of the Customs House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Remains_of_the_Customs_House.jpg)
Around 10,000 Australian and other
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
troops arrived in Darwin at the outset of World War II, to defend Australia's northern coastline. On 19 February 1942 at 0957, 188
Japanese warplanes
attacked Darwin in two waves. It was the same fleet that had bombed
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
, 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, airfields, and aircraft. 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.
Darwin was further developed after the war, with sealed roads constructed connecting the region to
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
to the south and
Mount Isa to the south-east, and
Manton Dam
Manton Dam is a small concrete arch dam on the Manton River, approximately south of Darwin, Northern Territory in Australia. The dam was originally constructed by the Department of Defence during the Second World War to provide a reliable supp ...
built in the south to provide the city with water. On
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
(26 January) 1959, Darwin was granted city status.
1970–present day
![Darwin 2089](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Darwin_2089.jpg)
On 25 December 1974, Darwin was struck by
Cyclone Tracy, which killed 71 people and destroyed over 70% of the city'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, 30,000 people of the population of 46,000 were evacuated, in what turned out to be the biggest airlift in Australia's history.
The town was subsequently rebuilt with newer materials and techniques during the late 1970s by the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, led by former
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
Lord mayor Clem Jones. A satellite city of
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
was built east of Darwin in the early 1980s.
On 17 September 2003 the
Adelaide–Darwin railway was completed, with the opening of the Alice Springs–Darwin standard gauge line.
Aviation history
![Darwin 1921](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Darwin_1921.jpg)
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
Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
, Sir
Charles Kingsford Smith and
Bert Hinkler. The original QANTAS Empire Airways Ltd Hangar, a registered heritage site, was part of the original Darwin Civil Aerodrome in Parap and is now a museum and still bears scars from the
bombing of Darwin during World War II.
Darwin was home to Australian and US pilots during the war, with airstrips built in and around Darwin. Today Darwin provides a staging ground for
military exercise
A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the com ...
s.
Darwin was a compulsory stopover and checkpoint in the London-to-Melbourne Centenary Air Race in 1934. The official name of the race was the
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Gengoult Smith, and th ...
. Winners of the race were
Tom Campbell Black and
C. W. A. Scott
Flight Lieutenant Charles William Anderson Scott, AFC (13 February 1903 – 15 April 1946Dunnell ''Aeroplane'', November 2019, p. 46.) was an English aviator. He won the MacRobertson Air Race, a race from London to Melbourne, in 1934, in a tim ...
.
The following is an excerpt from
''Time'' magazine, 29 October 1934:
The
Australian Aviation Heritage Centre
The Darwin Aviation Museum, previously known as the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, displays aircraft and aircraft engines of relevance to the Northern Territory and aviation in Australia generally. It is located in Darwin suburb of Winne ...
is approximately from the city centre on the Stuart Highway and is one of only three places outside the United States where a B-52 bomber (on permanent loan from the United States Air Force) is on public display.
Geography
Darwin is a coastal city, situated along the western shoreline of the Northern Territory. The water meets the land from the
Beagle Gulf, which extends out into the
Timor Sea. The central business district occupies a low bluff overlooking
Darwin Harbour to the south, beyond which lie
East Arm, Middle Arm, and, across the gulf, West Arm. Middle Arm has an industrial precinct on the peninsula, which is being promoted as a
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
area which will include plants for industries such as low-emission
petrochemical
Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sou ...
s,
renewable hydrogen
The hydrogen economy is using hydrogen to decarbonize economic sectors which are hard to electrify, essentially, the "hard-to-abate" sectors such as cement, steel, long-haul transport etc. In order to phase out fossil fuels and limit climate ch ...
, and
carbon capture storage. The city is flanked by Frances Bay to the east, and Cullen Bay to the west.
The remainder of the city is relatively flat and low-lying, and areas bordering the coast are home to recreational reserves, extensive beaches, and excellent fishing.
City and suburbs
![Darwin, Australia (March 2017)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Darwin%2C_Australia_%28March_2017%29.jpg)
Darwin and its suburbs spread in an approximately triangular shape, with the older south-western suburbs—and the city itself—forming one corner, the newer northern suburbs another, and the eastern suburbs, progressing towards Palmerston, forming the third.
![Palmerston-CBD-NT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Palmerston-CBD-NT.jpg)
The older part of Darwin is separated from the newer northern suburbs by
Darwin International Airport and
RAAF Base Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The herit ...
.
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
is a satellite city east 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.
![Darwin Waterfront Development Stage one February 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Darwin_Waterfront_Development_Stage_one_February_2010.jpg)
Darwin's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
(CBD) is bounded by Daly Street in the north-west, McMinn Street in the north-east, Mitchell Street on the south-west, and Bennett Street on the south-east. The CBD has been the focus of a number of major projects, including the billion-dollar redevelopment of the Stokes Hill wharf waterfront area including a convention centre with seating for 1500 people and approximately of exhibition space. The developers announced that this includes hotels, residential apartments, and public space. The city's main industrial areas are along the Stuart Highway going towards Palmerston, centred on
Winnellie
Winnellie is a northern suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, in the Northern Territory of Australia.
History
Winnellie is an industrial suburb to the south of Darwin International Airport
Darwin International Airport is the busiest a ...
. The largest shopping precinct in the area is
Casuarina Square
Casuarina Square, the largest Shopping center, shopping centre in the Northern Territory, is located in Casuarina, Northern Territory, Casuarina in Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin's northern suburbs. The shopping centre is built to the buildin ...
.
The most expensive residential areas stand along the coast in suburbs such as the marina of
Cullen Bay part of
Larrakeyah
Larrakeyah is an inner suburb of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. It was one of the first parts of the city to be developed, and borders the Darwin Central Business District. At the 2016 Census, there were 3,729 peop ...
,
Bayview and
Brinkin, despite the risk these low-lying regions face during cyclones and higher tides, adequate drainage and stringent building regulations have reduced the potential damage to buildings or injury to residents. The inner northern suburbs are home to lower-income households, although low-income Territory Housing units are scattered throughout the metropolitan area. The suburb of
Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
was part of a multi-stage land release and development in the Northern Suburbs; planning, development and construction took place from 2004 to 2009. More recent developments near Lyons subdivision includes the suburb of
Muirhead.
Climate
![Darwin thunderstorm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Darwin_thunderstorm.jpg)
Darwin has a
tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
(
Köppen ''Aw'') with distinct wet and dry seasons and the average maximum temperature is similar all year round. The
Australian Building Codes Board classifies it as Climate Zone 1 based on its very humid summers and warm winters. The dry season runs from about May to September, during which nearly every day is sunny, and afternoon relative humidity averages around 30%.
The driest period of the year, seeing only approximately of monthly rainfall on average, is between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as , but very rarely lower, and a temperature lower than has never been recorded in the city centre. Outer suburbs away from the coast, however, can occasionally record temperatures as low as in the dry season. For a 147‑day period during the 2012 dry season, from 5 May to 29 September, Darwin recorded no precipitation whatsoever. Prolonged periods of no precipitation are common in the dry season in
Northern Australia (particularly in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and northern regions of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
), although a no-rainfall event of this extent is rare. The 3pm dewpoint average in the wet season is at around .
Extreme temperatures at the Darwin Post Office Station have ranged from on 17 October 1892 to on 25 June 1891; while extreme temperatures at the Darwin Airport station (which is further from the coast and routinely records cooler temperatures than the post office station, which is in Darwin's CBD) have ranged from on 18 October 1982 to on 29 July 1942. The highest minimum temperature on record is on 18 January 1928 for the post office station and on both 25 November 1987 and 17 December 2014 for the airport station, while the lowest maximum temperature on record is on 3 June 1904 for the post office station and on 14 July 1968 for the airport station.
The wet season is associated with
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s 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 percent during the wettest months.
It does not rain every day during the wet season, but most days have plentiful cloud cover; January averages under 6 hours of bright sunshine daily. Darwin's highest Bureau of Meteorology verified daily rainfall total is , which fell when
Cyclone Carlos bore down on the Darwin area on 16 February 2011. February 2011 was also Darwin's wettest month ever recorded, with recorded for the month at the airport.
The hottest months are October and November, just before the onset of the main rain season. The
heat index
The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the shade. The result is als ...
sometimes rises above , while the actual temperature is usually below , because of humidity levels that most would find uncomfortable. Because of its long dry season, Darwin has the second-highest average daily hours of sunshine (8.4) of any Australian capital, with the most sunshine from April to November; only
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia, averages more (8.8). The sun passes directly overhead in mid-October and mid-February.
The average temperature of the sea ranges from in July to in December.
Darwin occupies one of the most lightning-prone areas in Australia. On 31 January 2002 an early-morning
squall line produced over 5,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within a radius of Darwin alone—about three times the amount of lightning that Perth, Western Australia, experiences on average in an entire year.
Demographics
Ancestry and immigration
Darwin's population changed after the Second World War. Darwin, like many other Australian cities, experienced influxes from Europe, with significant numbers of
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
and
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
during the 1960s and 1970s. Darwin also started to experience an influx from other European countries, which included the
Dutch,
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
, and many others. A significant percentage of Darwin's residents are recent immigrants from
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, including the peoples of
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
.
At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:
38.3% of the population at the 2016 census was born overseas. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
(3.6%),
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
(3.1%),
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
(2.1%),
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(2%) and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
(0.9%).
8.7% of the population, or 11,960 people, identified as
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
(
Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
and/or
Torres Strait Islanders) in 2016.
This is the largest proportion of any Australian capital city.
Language
At the 2016 census, 58% of the population spoke only
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
at home. Other languages spoken at home include
Tagalog (3.7%),
Greek (3.5%),
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
(2.0%),
Nepali
Nepali or Nepalese may refer to :
Concerning Nepal
* Anything of, from, or related to Nepal
* Nepali people, citizens of Nepal
* Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...
(1.2%),
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
(1.0%),
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
(1.0%),
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
(0.9%),
Vietnamese (0.8%),
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
(0.7%),
Italian (0.6%),
Portuguese (0.5%, mostly spoken by
Timorese
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, also ...
), and
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
(0.5%).
Age
In 2011, the Darwin population averaged 33 years old (compared to the 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.
Religion
,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
had the most adherents in Darwin, with 56,613 followers accounting for 49.5 percent of the population of the city. The largest denominations of Christianity are
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
(24,538 or 21.5 percent),
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
(14,028 or 12.3 percent) and
Greek Orthodoxy (2,964 or 2.6 percent). Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Jews account for 3.2 percent of Darwin's population. There were 26,695 or 23.3 percent of people professing no religion.
Law and government
![Darwin (AU), Parliament House -- 2019 -- 4336-8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Darwin_%28AU%29%2C_Parliament_House_--_2019_--_4336-8.jpg)
The Darwin City Council (incorporated under the Northern Territory Local Government Act 1993) governs the
City of Darwin, which takes in the CBD and the suburbs. The city has been governed by a city council form of government since 1957. The 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 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 of Darwin. The mayor is
Kon Vatskalis
Konstantine Vatskalis (born 4 April 1957) is a Greeks, Greek-Australian politician and the current List of mayors and lord mayors of Darwin, Lord Mayor of Darwin. Before becoming Lord Mayor in 2017 he was a Australian Labor Party (Northern Terr ...
after council elections in August 2017.
The rest of the Darwin area is divided into two
local government areas
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory.
The phrase i ...
—the
Palmerston City Council and the
Shire of Coomalie. These areas have elected councils that are responsible for functions delegated to them by the
Northern Territory Government, such as planning and garbage collection.
The
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral legislature of the Northern Territory of Australia. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in single-member electorates for four-year terms. The voting method fo ...
convenes in Darwin in the Northern Territory
Parliament House
Parliament House may refer to:
Australia
* Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia
* Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia
* Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland
* Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...
.
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries.
Gover ...
, the official residence of the
Administrator of the Northern Territory, is on the Esplanade.
Darwin is split between nine electoral divisions in the Legislative Assembly—
Port Darwin,
Fannie Bay
Fannie Bay is a middle/inner suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Situated in the suburb is the Fannie Bay Gaol museum, Fannie Bay Race Track, Fannie Bay Oval the home of the Port Darwin FC and a monument to Ross Smith ...
,
Fong Lim,
Nightcliff
Nightcliff is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
History
Although the origin of the name Nightcliff has always been surrounded by conjecture and controversy, the naming can be tracked back to 8 September 1 ...
,
Sanderson Sanderson may refer to:
Places
* Sanderson, Florida, a town in the United States
* Sanderson, Texas, a census-designated place in the United States
* Sanderson, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Sanderson, Northern ...
,
Johnston,
Casuarina
''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...
,
Wanguri, and
Karama. Historically, Darwin voters elected
Country Liberal Party members. However, since the turn of the 21st century, voters have often selected
Labor members, particularly in the more diverse northern section.
Also on the Esplanade is the
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. It is aro ...
. Darwin has a Magistrate's Court which is on the corner of Cavenagh and Bennett streets, quite close to the Darwin City Council Chambers.
Crime
![Darwin (AU), Supreme Court -- 2019 -- 4347](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Darwin_%28AU%29%2C_Supreme_Court_--_2019_--_4347.jpg)
Darwin's police force are members of the
Northern Territory Police, under the NT Police Darwin Metropolitan Command. The Darwin urban centre includes Darwin City and the associated suburbs from
Buffalo Creek,
Berrimah Berrimah may refer to:
* Berrimah, Northern Territory, suburb
* Electoral division of Berrimah
* Berrimah Power Station
* Berrimah Prison Berrimah may refer to:
* Berrimah, Northern Territory, suburb
* Electoral division of Berrimah
* Berrimah Pow ...
, and East Arm westwards, representing around 35% of the Northern Territory's population.
Palmerston urban centre closely approximates the Palmerston Local Government Area, and represents approximately 13% of the Northern Territory's population.
Darwin has had a history of
alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-relat ...
and violent crime, with 6,000 assaults in 2009, of which 350 resulted in broken jaws and noses—more than anywhere else in the world, according to the
Royal Darwin Hospital.
Mitchell Street, with its numerous pubs,
clubs and other entertainment venues, was one of the areas policed by the CitySafe Unit, officially launched by the NT Chief Minister
Paul Henderson
Paul Garnet Henderson, (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flam ...
on 25 February 2009. It was credited with success in tackling alcohol abuse linked to crime, and the NT police were looking at establishing a specialist licensing enforcement unit in 2010.
The First Response Patrol, run by Larrakia Nation, which helps to move homeless Indigenous women out of dangerous situations, was credited with the fall in sexual assaults in 2009. The service operates every day from 5am to 2am.
Recent trends
In the 10 months between 1 October 2018, the date that the alcohol floor price and various other measures were imposed by the NT government following the Riley Review, and 31 July 2019, alcohol-related assaults dropped by 16% and domestic violence by 9% in the Darwin area.
The rate of offending in most categories of crime dropped in the Darwin urban area between 2018 and 2019, with the notable exceptions of motor vehicle theft and break-ins (both up about 12%).
[ Apart from sexual assault, which rose from 21 to 46, all other categories of crime showed drops in Palmerston.][
]
Economy
The two largest economic sectors are mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
. Given its location, Darwin serves as a gateway for Australian travellers to Asia.
Mining and energy industry production exceeds $2.5 billion per annum. The most important mineral resources are gold, zinc, and bauxite
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(O ...
, along with manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
and many others. The energy production is mostly off-shore with oil and natural gas from the Timor Sea, although there are significant uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
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 also a major contributor to the local economy.
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 including Outrigger Pandanas and Evolution on Gardiner
Evolution on Gardiner is a high-rise residential building and the tallest structure in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is located on the eastern part of the Darwin CBD on Knuckey Street. The roof of the tower is 100 metres above ground, reachi ...
, retail and entertainment outlets including a large wave pool and safe swimming lagoon. The Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
project has also started with plans to construct Chinese-themed retail and dining outlets.
Tourism
Tourism is one of Darwin's largest industries and a major employment sector for the Northern Territory. In 2005–2006, 1.38 million people visited the Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion. 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, Litchfield National Park 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.
Military
The military presence that is maintained both within Darwin, and the wider Northern Territory, is a substantial source of employment. On 16 November 2011, Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...
and President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
announced that the United States would station troops in Australia for the first time since World War II. The agreement between the United States and Australia would involve a contingent of 250 Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
arriving in Darwin in 2012, with the total number rising to a maximum of 2,500 troops by 2017 on six-month rotations as well as a supporting air element including F-22 Raptors, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and KC-135 refuellers. China and Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
have expressed concern about the decision. Some analysts have argued that an expanded U.S. presence could pose a threat to security.
Gillard announced that the first 200 U.S. Marines had arrived in Darwin from Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
on late 3 April 2012. In 2013, further news of other expansion vectors was aired in US media, with no comment or confirmation from Australian authorities. The agreement between the two governments remains hidden from public scrutiny. Marine numbers based in Darwin increased to more than 1,150 troops by 2014. In a 2019 telephone survey of local residents, 51% of respondents had positive feelings about the U.S. troop presence, with 6% responding negatively. In late 2021, the US Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
signed a contract to create a fuel storage facility at East Arm.
Darwin hosts biennial multi-nation exercises named "Pitch Black
Pitch Black may refer to:
Film
* ''Pitch Black'' (film), a 2000 science fiction movie
* Pitch Black, the boogeyman in the animated film ''Rise of the Guardians''
Music
* Pitch Black Records, a Cyprus-based record label established in 2007
* Pitc ...
"; in 2014 this involved military personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Education
Education is overseen territory-wide by the Department of Education and Training (DET), whose role is to continually improve education outcomes for all students, with a focus on Indigenous students.
Preschool, primary and secondary
Darwin is served by a number of public and private schools that cater to local and overseas students. Over 16,500 primary and secondary students are enrolled in schools in Darwin, with 10,524 students attending primary education, and 5,932 students attending secondary education.[ABS Education Census Table](_blank)
Censusdata.abs.gov.au. There are over 12,089 students enrolled in government schools and 2,124 students enrolled in independent schools.
There were 9,764 students attending schools in the City of Darwin area. 6,045 students attended primary schools and 3,719 students attended secondary schools. There are over 7,161 students enrolled in government schools and 1,108 students enrolled in independent schools.[City of Darwin Community Profile Education institute attending](_blank)
. Id.com.au. There are over 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
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
institutions. Students intending to complete their secondary education work towards either the Northern Territory Certificate of Education, the Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education (often abbreviated VCE) is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria. The VCE is the predominant choice for students ...
or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a 'hands-on' option for students in Years 10, 11, and 12 and is a credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian State of Victoria si ...
(the latter two are only offered at Haileybury Rendall School). Prior to the sale and restructuring of Kormilda College
Haileybury Rendall School is an Independent school, independent Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primary and Secondary school, secondary day school located in the suburb of , in the Norther ...
in 2018, it was the only school to offer the International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
in the Northern Territory.
Schools have been restructured into Primary, Middle, and High schools since the beginning of 2007.
Tertiary and vocational
Darwin's largest university is the Charles Darwin University, which is the central provider of tertiary education in the Northern Territory. It covers both vocational and academic courses, acting as both a university and an Institute of TAFE
Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...
. There are over 5,500 students enrolled in tertiary and further education courses.
Architecture
As Darwin was destroyed by cyclones several times and suffered severe bomb damage during World War II, there are few historic buildings left in town. The Administrator's Office dating from 1883 was used as a law court and as a police station and was only slightly damaged by bombs. In 1974, however, it was completely destroyed by the cyclone. In 1979 it was decided to rebuild, and the reconstruction was finished in 1981. The building houses Government offices today. Opposite the building Survivors Lookout offers a view of the marina.
In a park in the south of the CBD, the ruin of the Town Hall that had been built in 1883 and destroyed by the cyclone in 1974 can be seen. Browns Mart is a stone building dating from 1880 opposite the park. Originally Browns Mart was the bourse of a mining company but later it was transformed into a theatre.
One of the most prominent buildings of Darwin is the Chinese Temple, which was founded in 1887 and damaged by cyclones in 1897 and in 1937. In 1942 it was severely damaged by bombs and rebuilt after the war. On 24 December 1974 it was completely destroyed by the cyclone. The reconstruction was completed in 1978.
There are various modern churches in Darwin. St Mary's Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Cathedral was inaugurated in 1962. Christ Church Anglican Cathedral was rebuilt in 1977 after it had been severely damaged by bombs in 1942 and destroyed by cyclone Tracy in 1974. The Uniting Memorial Church was built in 1960.
Events and festivals
*The annual Darwin Fringe Festival runs for 10 days each July as an open-access festival
Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...
.
*The Darwin Festival
The Darwin Festival, founded as the Bougainvillea Festival in 1979 and named Festival of Darwin from 1996 to 2002, is an annual arts festival in Darwin, Northern Territory. It celebrates the multicultural aspects of the Northern Territory lifest ...
occurs each year in August, which includes comedy, dance, theatre, music, film and visual art, and the NT Indigenous Music Awards
The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...
.
*The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival, which first started in 2005, is held on the second week of May in the suburb of Nightcliff. It offers the opportunity for local talent to be showcased, and a popular event is Saturday family festivities along the Nightcliff foreshore, which is one of Darwin's most popular fitness tracks.
*The Darwin beer-can regatta
The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is a festival event which has been held annually since 1974 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia at Mindil Beach. The inaugural event had 63 entries and was attended by about 22,000 people which was about hal ...
, 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
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...
and Mud Crab Tying Competition.
*The World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), since 2013 named Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, is an international event for solar powered cars driving 3000 kilometres through the Australian outback.
With the exception of a four-year gap between ...
race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 20-year history spanning nine races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987.
*The Royal Darwin Show is held annually in July at the Darwin Showgrounds. Exhibitions include agriculture and livestock, and horse events. Entertainment and sideshows are also included over the three days of the event.
*The Darwin Street Art Festival is an annual event in September where street artists from around the world create large outdoor murals.
*A yearly music festival, BASSINTHEGRASS
Bassinthegrass (styled as ''BASSINTHEGRASS'') is an Australian music festival. It is the largest music festival in the Northern Territory, and has been held annually since 2003 in the territory capital. The festival is operated by the Northern ...
, has been held since 2003. Since 2019 it has been held at Mindil Beach
Mindil Beach is a beach in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The Gardens, near Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Suns ...
.
*On 1 July, Territorians celebrate Territory Day
Territory Day is a holiday widely celebrated in the Northern Territory of Australia on 1 July that commemorates the territory achieving self-government in 1978. The holiday has been famously commemorated with fireworks since the early 1980s. Pop ...
. This is the only day of the year, apart from the Chinese New Year and New Year's Eve, that fireworks are permitted. In Darwin, the main celebrations occur at Mindil Beach
Mindil Beach is a beach in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The Gardens, near Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Suns ...
, where a large firework display is commissioned by the government.
*Other festivals include the Glenti, which showcases Darwin's large Greek community, and India@Mindil, a similar festival held by the city's Indian community. The Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
is also celebrated with great festivity, highlighting the East Asian
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...
influence in Darwin.
Arts and culture
The Darwin Symphony Orchestra
The Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an orchestra based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, founded by Martin Jarvis.
The DSO gave its first concert in 1989. The Orchestra receives funding from the Northern Territory Government and su ...
was first assembled in 1989 and has performed throughout the Territory. The Darwin Theatre Company is a locally produced professional theatre production company, performing locally and nationally.
The Darwin Entertainment Centre is the city's main concert venue and hosts theatre and orchestral performances. Other theatres include the Darwin Convention Centre
The Darwin Convention Centre is a convention centre located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Construction started on the convention centre in early 2006 and completed in June 2008, with the centre opening in July of that year. The conven ...
, which opened in July 2008. The Darwin Convention Centre is part of the $1.1 billion Darwin Waterfront project.
The Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery (MAGNT) in Darwin gives an overview of the history of the area, including exhibits on Cyclone Tracy and the boats of the Pacific Islands. The MAGNT also organises the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, the longest-running Indigenous art award in Australia. The MAGNT also manages the ''Defence of Darwin Experience'', a multi-media installation that tells the story of the Japanese air raids on Darwin during World War II.
The NT Dance Company is led by choreographer Gary Lang
Gary may refer to:
*Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
*Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary
Places
;Iran
*Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province
;Unit ...
, who has been artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...
since 2012. Lang had previously taught at many leading dance companies
This is a list of notable dance and ballet companies.
Notes
References
See also
* List of folk dance performance groups
*List of ballet companies in the United States
{{Dance
Companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a leg ...
, including Bangarra Dance Theatre, after studying dance at NAISDA
The NAISDA Dance College (usually referred to as simply NAISDA) is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander S ...
in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and working as a dancer for years. The company has a strong focus on culture, and also works with disadvantaged young Indigenous people.
Local and visiting bands can be heard at venues including the Darwin Entertainment Centre, The Vic Hotel, Happy Yess, and Brown's Mart. Artists such as Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...
and The Groovesmiths
The Groovesmiths are an Australian roots-music band, founded by Gavin Shoesmith, former bass guitarist from John Butler Trio. Originally located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Shoesmith relocated to Fremantle. The band is recognized for its uni ...
call Darwin home.
Other entertainment
Weekly markets include the popular Mindil Beach Sunset Market
Mindil Beach is a beach in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the suburb of The Gardens, near Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, which runs during the dry season (from May unti ...
(Thursdays and Sundays during the dry season); Parap Market; Nightcliff Market; and Rapid Creek market.
Darwin's only casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
opened in 1979 as the Don Casino, operating out of the Don Hotel on Cavenagh Street. The present site of the hotel and casino on Darwin's Mindil Beach opened in 1983, at which point gambling operations ceased at the Don Hotel and commenced at the newly built facilities. The new hotel and casino was named Mindil Beach Casino until 1985, when the name changed to the Diamond Beach Hotel Casino. Upon the acquisition by MGM Grand the hotel was re-branded as the MGM Grand Darwin
Mindil Beach Casino & Resort is a casino in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, owned and operated by Delaware North. It is the only casino in Darwin.
History Don Casino (1979–83)
The first casino in Darwin, and the second in Australia, ...
, before it changed to Skycity Darwin after Skycity Entertainment Group purchased the hotel in 2004.
Mitchell Street in the central business district is lined with nightclubs, takeaways, and restaurants. This is the city's entertainment hub. There are several smaller theatres, three cinema complexes (CBD, Casuarina, and Palmerston), and the Deckchair Cinema. This is an open-air cinema that operates through the dry season, from April to October, and screens independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
and arthouse films.
Recreation
Beaches
During the months of October–May the sea contains deadly box jellyfish, known locally as stingers or sea wasps. Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been listed ...
s are common in all waterways surrounding Darwin and are occasionally found in Darwin Harbour and on local beaches. An active trapping program is carried out by the NT Government to limit numbers of crocodiles within the Darwin urban waterway area.
The city has many kilometres of beaches, including the Casuarina Beach and renowned Mindil Beach
Mindil Beach is a beach in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The Gardens, near Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Suns ...
, home of the Mindil Beach markets. Darwin City Council has designated an area of Casuarina Beach as a free beach, which has been designated as a nudist beach area since 1976.
Bundilla Beach was formerly named Vesteys Beach,[ as it was one of the beaches overlooked by ]Vestey's Meatworks
Vestey's Meatworks, officially the North Australia Meat Company, was a slaughterhouse in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, built by Vestey Brothers between 1914 and 1917. Never profitable, it operated for three years before the company aban ...
, which existed from 1914 to 1920 and which was involved in the Darwin rebellion. In March 2021, the beach was formally renamed Bundilla Beach, the name by which it had long been known to the traditional owners, the Larrakia people.
The Darwin Surf Life Saving Club
The Darwin Surf Life Saving Club is a foundation member of the surf lifesaving movement in the Northern Territory. It was founded in 1982 on the Casuarina Coastal Reserve in Casuarina, Northern Territory
See also
*Surf lifesaving
*Surf Life Sa ...
operates longboats and surf ski
A surfski (or: "surf ski", "surf-ski") is a type of kayak in the kayaking "family" of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, althoug ...
s and provides events and lifesaving accreditations.
Fishing
Fishing is a popular recreation among Darwin locals. Visitors fish for the barramundi, an iconic fish in the region. This fish thrives in the Mary River, Daly River, and South and East Alligator River
Alligator Rivers is the name of an area in an Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory of Australia, containing three rivers, the East, West, and South Alligator Rivers. It is regarded as one of the richest biological regions in Australia ...
.
Blue-water fishing is also available off the coast of Darwin; Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the King Mackerel. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – ...
, black jewfish, queenfish, and snapper are found in the area. Lake Alexander is a man-made swimming lake at East Point Reserve.
Parks and gardens
Darwin has extensive parks and gardens. These include the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden located 2 km north of the CBD of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
History
The gardens were established on their present site in 1886; this was the third attempt by Europ ...
, East Point Reserve, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Charles Darwin National Park
Charles Darwin National Park is a national park in the Northern Territory of Australia, 4 km southeast of Darwin. It is notable for its World War II–era concrete bunkers, one of which has been converted into a visitors centre and display ...
, Knuckey Lagoons Conservation Reserve
Knuckey Lagoons Conservation Reserve is a protected area associated with a small wetland located on the outskirts of Darwin and Palmerston in the Northern Territory of Australia.
The area in which the lagoon is located was named in 1869 afte ...
, Leanyer Recreation Park, the Nightcliff
Nightcliff is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
History
Although the origin of the name Nightcliff has always been surrounded by conjecture and controversy, the naming can be tracked back to 8 September 1 ...
Foreshore, Bicentennial Park and the Jingili Water Gardens.
Sports
The Marrara Sports Complex near the airport has stadiums for Aussie Rules (TIO Stadium
Marrara Oval, currently branded TIO Stadium under a naming rights agreement (and previously also known as Football Park), is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules ...
), cricket, rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
, basketball (and indoor court sports), soccer, athletics, and field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
. Every two years since 1991 (excluding 2003 due to the SARS outbreak), Darwin has hosted the Arafura Games, a major regional sporting event. In July 2003, the city hosted its first international test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
match between Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, followed by Australia and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
in 2004.
Australian-rules football is played all year round and the Territory's premier league competition, the Northern Territory Football League
The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The league is one of few (and the highest level) Australian Rules competitions played during ...
is based in Darwin. Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
clubs generally sell a handful of games to the Northern Territory each year, some of which are played at Marrara Oval. Darwin is part of a bid for a Northern Territory AFL license for proposed entry into the competition by 2028 at the earliest. The Darwin based Indigenous All-Stars have participated in the AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
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.
Rugby League
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
and Rugby Union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club competitions are played in Darwin each year, organised by the NTRL and NTRU respectively. The Darwin Hottest Sevens
The Darwin Hottest Sevens, known as the Hottest 7s in the World or the Hottest 7s, is a rugby sevens tournament held annually in Darwin, Australia on a weekend in early October. The event is sponsored by Heineken and is hosted by the Northern ...
in the World tournament is hosted in Darwin each January, with Rugby Sevens club teams from countries including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Singapore competing. Darwin's Hottest 7s is the richest Rugby 7s tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.
Darwin hosts a round of the Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.
Supercars events take place in all Australian ...
every year, bringing thousands of motorsports fans to the Hidden Valley Raceway. Also in Hidden Valley, adjacent to the road-racing circuit, is Darwin's dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...
venue, Northline Speedway
Many sports are played in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Animals in sport
The Katherine Show & Rodeo and Noonamah Tavern Rodeo
Australian rules football
Australian rules football is the Territory's most popular sport, particularly wit ...
. The speedway has hosted a number of Australian Championships over the years for different categories including Sprintcars
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
, Speedcars, and Super Sedans.
The Darwin Cup culminating on the first Monday of August is a 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
Sky Racing (previously Sky Channel) is an Australian broadcaster primarily telecasting live thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing. It is owned by Tabcorp and operates a number of television channels and a radio service.
The broadcaster ...
began televising most of the races. The Darwin Cup day is a public holiday for the Northern Territory ( Picnic Day public holiday).
There is one greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
track in Darwin at Winnellie Park on Hook Road. It is the only track in the Northern Territory.
In 2022, the Darwin Salties
Darwin Salties is a NBL1 North club based in Darwin, Northern Territory. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 North. The club is run under the joint management of Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) and Basketball Northern T ...
basketball club will debut in the Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
-based NBL1 North
NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...
competition, making the NBL1
NBL1 is a semi-professional basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Australia, consisting of NBL1 South, South, NBL1 North, North, NBL1 Central, Central, NBL1 West, West and NBL1 East, East Conferences with both men's and women's compet ...
the first Australian sport league to have clubs based in and playing out of every state and territory in Australia.
Media
Darwin's major newspapers are the '' Northern Territory News'' (Monday–Saturday), ''The Sunday Territorian
The ''Northern Territory News'' (also known and branded as the ''NT News'') is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published every week from Monday to Saturday. It p ...
'' (Sunday), and the national daily, ''The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' (Monday–Friday) and ''The Weekend Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatewat ...
'' (Saturday), all published by News Limited
News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...
. Free weekly community newspapers include ''Sun Newspapers
Sun Newspapers was formed as a chain of weekly newspapers serving Northeast Ohio. Prior to a major reorganization in 2013, the chain consisted of 11 weekly newspapers serving 49 different communities in Greater Cleveland. The papers are focused ...
'' (delivered in Darwin, Palmerston, and Litchfield), and published by the ''NT News''. Another newspaper, the '' Centralian Advocate'' (1947–present), is printed in Darwin and trucked to Alice Springs.
Former publications in (or connected to) Darwin include:
*''Moonta Herald and Northern Territory Gazette
The ''Moonta Herald and Northern Territory Gazette'' was a newspaper produced on the vessel ''SS Moonta'' that was sailed by George Goyder in 1868 and 1869 from Port Adelaide to Darwin. The aim of the 41-day voyage was to provide an initial surv ...
'' (1869)
*'' Northern Territory Times and Gazette'' (1873–1927)
*'' The North Australian'' (1883–1889)
*''The North Australian and Northern Territory Government Gazette
Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory.
It is the smalle ...
'' (1889–1890)
*'' The Northern Territory Times'' (1927–1932)
*'' The Northern Standard'' (c.1929–1942)
*'' Army News'' (1941–1946) – for the troops stationed in Darwin
*'' The Darwin Sun'' (1981–1982) – a community newsletter
Five free-to-air channels service Darwin. Commercial television channels are provided by Seven Darwin
TND is a television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. The station, launched in 1998 as ''Seven Darwin'' and broadcasting across Darwin, Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston and surrounding areas, is owned by Southern Cross Austereo. It ...
(Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
affiliate), Nine Darwin (formerly branded as Channel 8) and Ten Darwin (Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
relay), which launched on 28 April 2008. The two government-owned national broadcast services in Darwin are the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and SBS. Subscription television services Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
via Cable and Fetch TV
Fetch TV is an Australian IPTV provider that delivers a subscription television service over a user's regular internet service. Fetch TV launched in 2010 backed by its Malaysian parent Astro Malaysia Holdings. On 2 August 2022, Telstra acquire ...
via IPTV
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, ...
are available in the Darwin/Palmerston/Litchfield areas.
Darwin has radio stations on both AM and FM frequencies. ABC stations include ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
(105.7FM), ABC Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
(657AM), ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
(102.5FM), ABC Classic (107.3FM) and Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
(103.3FM). SBS Radio (100.9FM) also broadcasts its national radio network to Darwin. There are three commercial radio stations, Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
, Mix 104.9
Mix 104.9 (call sign: 8MIX) is a radio station in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It started broadcasting in 1997 - at the time, sister station Hot 100 was the only commercial radio station in Darwin - and has a relay in the remote town ...
and Top Country 92.3. Other stations in Darwin include university-based station Territory FM 104.1, dance music station KIK FM 91.5, Palmerston FM 88.0 and Niche Radio 87.6 Non-English stations include Arabic-language channel 2ME
2ME Radio Arabic is a narrowcast Arabic language radio station based in Parramatta, New South Wales, Parramatta, broadcasting on 1638AM to Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Hobart, Tasmania, Hobart and Darwin, Nor ...
1638AM, Chinese-language channel 3CW
3CW was an Australian local Chinese language radio station based in South Melbourne, Victoria. The station's main service was broadcast under a narrowcasting, high powered open narrowcast (HPON) licence on 1341 kHz AM radio, AM, operated by AIM ...
1701AM, Greek-language channel 2MM
2MM is a narrowcast radio station based in the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill. 2MM broadcasts a Greek language service to Sydney and Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region ...
1656AM, Italian-language channel Rete Italia
Rete Italia is an Italian-language radio network which broadcast to selected capital cities in Australia. The station is associated with Il Globo Newspaper and La Fiamma newspaper.
The radio network was launched in 1994.
To listen to the app, ...
1476AM and Spanish-language channel Radio Austral
Radio Austral is an FM radio station based in Fairfield
The station can be heard between North Sydney and Campbelltown on 87.8 MHz.
Editor and Director in Chief is Eduardo Mariano Gonzalez Cristobal
See also
* List of radio stations ...
90.7FM. Indigenous community-based stations Radio Larrakia 94.5FM and Radio Yolngu 1530AM. The two sports stations TAB Radio 1242AM and SEN
Sen may refer to:
Surname
* Sen (surname), a Bengali surname
* Şen, a Turkish surname
* A variant of the Serer patronym Sène
Currency subunit
* Etymologically related to the English word ''cent''; a hundredth of the following currencies:
** ...
1611AM. As well as Christian stations Faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
88.4FM, Rhema 97.7FM and Vision Radio 1323AM.
Infrastructure
Health
The Government of the Northern Territory Department of Health and Families oversees one public hospital in the Darwin metropolitan region. The Royal Darwin Hospital, in Tiwi, is the city's major teaching and referral hospital, and the largest in the Northern Territory.
There is one major private hospital, Darwin Private Hospital, in Tiwi, adjacent to the Royal Darwin Hospital. Darwin Private Hospital is operated and owned by Healthscope Ltd, a private hospital corporation.
A new hospital called Palmerston Regional Hospital was opened in August 2018 to help ease the pressure of patient numbers at the Royal Darwin Hospital.
Transport
The Territory's public transport services are managed by the Department of Lands and Planning, Public Transport Division. Darwin has a bus network serviced by a range of contracted bus operators, which provides transport to the main suburbs of Darwin.
Darwin has no commuter rail system; however, long-distance passenger rail services do operate out of the city. The Alice Springs-to-Darwin rail line was completed in 2003, linking Darwin to Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. The first service ran in 2004. The Ghan
''The Ghan'' is an experiential tourism oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin on the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor. O ...
passenger train service from Adelaide via Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
and Katherine runs once per week in each direction, with some exceptions.
Darwin International Airport, in the suburb of Eaton, is Darwin's only airport, which shares its runways with the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
's RAAF Base Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The herit ...
.
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. Other major roads in Darwin include, Tiger Brennan Drive, Amy Johnson Avenue, Dick Ward Drive, Bagot Road
Bagot Road is a major arterial road in Darwin, Northern Territory Australia. The road forms part of the main transport route between the Central Business District, northern suburbs and Darwin International Airport. The origins of the name Bagot ...
, Trower Road, and McMillans Road. Bus service in the greater Darwin area is provided by Darwinbus
Darwinbus is the official operational name of the public bus network which operates within the Greater Darwin region, this includes the satellite cities Palmerston and Casuarina, in addition to the Darwin Rural Area in the Northern Territory. ...
.
Port
Ferries leave from Port Darwin to island locations, mainly for tourists. A ferry service to the Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands ( tiw, Ratuati Irara meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Bathurst Island, and nine smaller uninhabited islands, wi ...
, the ''Arafura Pearl'', operates from Cullen Bay.
Darwin has a deepwater port, East Arm Wharf, which opened in 2000. It has of wharfline and is capable of handling Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
-sized ships of a maximum length of and a DWT of up to .
Utilities
Water storage, supply and Power for Darwin is managed by Power and Water Corporation, which is owned by the Government of the Northern Territory. The corporation is also responsible for management of sewage and the major water catchments in the region. Water is mainly stored in the largest dam, The Darwin River Dam
The Darwin River Dam is in Australia's Northern Territory on the Darwin River. The water catchment it contains is the major source for the city of Darwin.
The dam can hold up to 259,000 megalitres of water () which is half the volume in Sydney ...
, which holds up to 90% of Darwin's water supply. For many years, Darwin's principal water supply came from Manton Dam.
Darwin and its suburbs, Palmerston and Katherine, are powered by the Channel Island Power Station, the largest power plant in the Northern Territory, and the Weddell Power Station.
Telecommunications
Darwin previously had Australia's only international connection to the outside world in the form of a overseas telegraph cable, connecting Darwin to Java. The southern section of the cable connected Darwin with Adelaide and was known as the overland telegraph line. In 2022 it was announced by the Northern Territory Government that an international undersea cable system would land into Darwin directly connecting the city to Indonesia, Singapore the United States and Timor Leste. The new cable system representing an investment of $700m is expected to create a new digital economy as it is coupled with recent announcements on Data Centre Investment into Darwin. The plans for Darwin for Data Centres and International cables are outlined in the Northern Territory's Digital Strategy the Terabit Territory.
See also
* List of films shot in Darwin
* List of mayors and lord mayors of Darwin
* List of people from Darwin
* Local government areas of the Northern Territory
Connecting Darwin to Asia and the United States
Australian Subsea Start-up To Build Transpacific Cable into Darwin
DCI Data Centres to build facility in Darwin
NEXTDC to develop Darwin's first world-class data centre in partnership with the Northern Territory Government
Notes
References
External links
City of Darwin Official Website
Darwin
at the Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...
(2001 Census).
Darwin – Tourism Australia
NT Street and Place Names search
Surveying Darwin, Northern Territory Library online feature
{{Authority control
Australian capital cities
Cities in the Northern Territory
Coastal cities in Australia
Port cities in the Northern Territory
Timor Sea
Populated places established in 1869
1869 establishments in Australia
Tourist attractions in the Northern Territory
World War II sites in Australia
1869 establishments in Oceania