Timber Creek, traditionally known as Makalamayi, is an isolated small town on the banks of the Victoria River 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 ...

of Australia. The

Victoria Highway The Victoria Highway links the Great Northern Highway in Western Australia with the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. The highway is a part of the Perth - Darwin National Highway link. It is signed as National Highway 1, and is par ...

passes through the town, which is the only significant settlement between the Western Australia border and the town of

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

to the east. Timber Creek is approximately south of Darwin, in an area known for its scenic escarpments and boab trees.

History

Pre-European history

The Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples, two groups of

Aboriginal Australian 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 ...

groups, are the original inhabitants and

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

of the lands surrounding the town. Their way of life remained unchanged for thousands of years until first contact with Europeans in the 19th century. The traditional name for the locality is "Makalamayi".FAHCSI
Timber Creek Land Claim, Report no. 21
1985

1855: European exploration

In September 1855,

Augustus Charles Gregory Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1 August 1819 – 25 June 1905) was an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions. He was the first Surveyor-General of Queensland. He was appointed a ...

and a party of 19 men reached the mouth of the Victoria River. The party's

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, ''Tom Tough'', proceeded along the river, landing near the present town of Timber Creek and a base camp for the expedition was established. Gregory named a nearby stream "Timber Creek" on 24 November while seeking timber to make repairs to the boat.NT Place Names Registe
Timber Creek
/ref> Gregory inscribed of the dates of this expedition on a large boab tree near the original campsite, located approximately from the present town; the tree, and the inscription, can still be seen today, and is known as Gregory's Tree. The scientific name of the boab, ''

Adansonia gregorii ''Adansonia gregorii'', commonly known as the boab and also known by a number of other names, is a tree in the family Malvaceae, endemic to the northern regions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory of Australia. Names The specific ...

'', was named in honour of Gregory.

20th century development

A police station was constructed in 1898, and substantially upgraded in 1908 as river traffic grew to service pastoral properties being established in the area. In 1911, a depot was established to service the river trade. Historical records from the late 19th and early 20th century indicate there were ongoing tensions, and isolated incidents of violence between pastoralist and Aboriginal residents in the area at during this time. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

growing concerns over a Japanese invasion of northern Australia led to the formation of the

2/1st North Australia Observer Unit The 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit (2/1 NAOU) was an Australian Army reconnaissance unit of World War II. Formed in early 1942 in the Northern Territory, the unit was a light horse mounted unit that was tasked with providing early warning o ...

, a highly mobile

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

unit led by local Aboriginal guides who knew the local landscape. The role of this unit was to report any enemy landings on isolated areas of the coastline. The unit was active in the Timber Creek and Victoria River areas, recognised in 1998 with a memorial to the "Nackeroos" – the nickname for those who served with this unique unit – being constructed near the town. Traffic passing through Timber Creek increased following the completion of the Ord River Diversion Dam at

Kununurra, Western Australia Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. Kununurra ...

in 1963 and subsequent construction of the road bridge in 1970 across the Victoria River, east of the town, and sealing of the

in 1974. Timber Creek was proclaimed a town on 20 June 1975. In 1996, the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

purchased

Bradshaw Station Bradshaw Station, most commonly known as Bradshaw's Run, was a pastoral lease that operated as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated about east of Kununurra and south west of Katherine. The leases to la ...

, a large cattle property in the vicinity of Timber Creek. This land subsequently became Bradshaw Field Training Area, an 8700 km² live fire training facility. In 2002, the 270m long Bradshaw Bridge opened, providing road access to the training area from the Victoria Highway at Timber Creek.

1997: Griffiths decision

Ngaliwurru and Nungali lands surrounding Timber Creek were the subject of the landmark Griffiths decision in the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

. The case (''Griffiths v Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment'') involved an appeal by the traditional owners, represented by Alan Griffiths and William Gulwin, against the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

's attempted sale in 1997 of vacant

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

for the purposes of commercial development. In the course of doing so, the

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

would be compulsorily acquired under the ''Lands Acquisition Act 1989 (NT)'' from the traditional owners by a government minister, for the commercial benefit of a private third party. Due to a change in government following the 2001 Northern Territory elections, the development did not proceed and the native title was not acquired, but the case proceeded in the courts. The final decision handed down in 2008 found that the provisions under the ''Lands Acquisition Act'' meant the Minister could legitimately acquire land for any purpose, extinguishing native title and interests in the land granted under the ''Native Title Act (1993)''. By the time of the decision the

had already changed the legislation to prevent this or future compulsory acquisition of lands subject to native title.Australian Human Rights Commissio
Native Title Report 2008
/ref>

Geography

Climate

Timber Creek is 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 climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

Aw) with distinct wet and dry seasons. The annual rainfall is 979mm with the heaviest falls occurring during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

months November – April. High humidity and overnight temperatures as well as large thunderstorms characterise this season. The Victoria River is prone to flooding during these months. The dry season months, May–October, see minimal rainfall, blue skies, less humidity and cooler overnight temperatures.

Demographics

There were 278 persons resident in Timber Creek at the 2021 census. This was an increase of 11.6% from the 249 residents reported at the 2016 census. 54.8% of the population was male and 45.2% female. 155 persons (56%) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. The median age of residents was 33 years. 75% of the population was born in Australia. The most common languages spoken in the town were English and Ngaliwurru. Of those who reported a religious affiliation, the largest group was Pentecostal (22%). While median weekly incomes were lower for individuals than both the Northern Territory and national levels, household incomes were higher than the national median in Timber Creek.

Attractions

Judbarra / Gregory National Park Judbarra National Park, formerly Gregory National Park, is a national park in the Northern Territory of Australia, 359 km south of Darwin. The park is the second largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Kakadu National Park, ...

encompasses of wilderness, covering tropical and semi-arid landscapes. It is significant for the natural beauty and traces of Aboriginal culture throughout the park. It is open all year round for fishing, camping and four-wheel drive activities. The park was formerly known as Gregory National Park, but on 21 October 2011, it was announced that under a joint management plan with the traditional owners, the park would be dual-named "Judbarra / Gregory" for ten years. The plan aims to preserve the unique cultural heritage found at this place. In 2021, it will officially be known only as Judbarra National Park. "Gregory's Tree" is a large boab tree on which explorer A.C. Gregory party inscribed the arrival and departure dates of the 1855–56 expedition to explore the Victoria River and surrounds. The tree is located at the northernmost point of the Gregory National Park at the expedition's original campsite by the river bank and is a short drive from the Victoria Highway and is well signposted. The site itself has boardwalks and information signs detailing its history. The tree is registered both as a heritage place and an

Aboriginal sacred site Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

. The 1908 police station building in the town is heritage listed and serves as a museum with local history and law enforcement exhibits. The main building was restored in the 1980s. The museum precinct includes outbuildings and grave sites. The buildings are maintained by the

National Trust of Australia (Northern Territory) The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

Economy, infrastructure, and public services

Timber Creek has a clinic, the Timber Creek Health Centre, run by the Katherine West Health Board. The clinic is staffed Monday–Friday by a GP and four nurses. Specialist services are available through semi-regular visits to the clinic, which can dispense medications. The Timber Creek School, the only school in the town, is a public primary and middle school catering for students from Transition to Year 9. As of August 2010, there were 59 students. The school employs five full-time teaching staff, as well as a support staff member; 96 per cent of the students are Aboriginal. Timber Creek has an automated power station capable of generating 1MW for the community. The generator was installed in 2005 and is owned and operated by

Power and Water Corporation Power and Water Corporation, trading as PowerWater, is a Government of the Northern Territory owned corporation in the Northern Territory of Australia. PowerWater is the Northern Territory's premier provider of electricity, water and sewerage s ...

. Amenities in the present town include a roadhouse including a general store, petrol outlet, a hotel, caravan park, tourist information and shire offices for the Victoria Daly Shire Council. There is also a police station, a primary school for children from pre-school to middle years (Year 9), health clinic and an airstrip. The town is bordered to the north by the Bradshaw Training Area, and to the west by

Gregory National Park Judbarra National Park, formerly Gregory National Park, is a national park in the Northern Territory of Australia, 359 km south of Darwin. The park is the second largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Kakadu National Park, ...

. Timber Creek Mechanical is situated 3 km out of Timber Creek on Wilson Street. The workshop is owned and operated by the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Aboriginal Corporation. Timber Creek is a rest stop for interstate coach services on routes between Darwin and Perth or Broome. Buses stop at the roadhouse on the

.Greyhoud Australia Bus Timetabl
Broome – Darwin
, 2012 There is an airstrip a few kilometres to the west of town, Timber Creek Airport. The single dirt runway provides a landing ground for medical evacuation and charter flights. During the wet season, flooding of the river can close the airport.

References

External links

Victoria Daly Shire Council
{{authority control Towns in the Northern Territory Victoria Daly Region Populated places established in 1898 1898 establishments in Australia