Government House is the office and official residence of the

Administrator of the Northern Territory The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...

in Darwin, Australia. Built between 1870 and 1871, with later renovations between 1878 and 1879, the building is set on 13,000 square metres of hillside gardens in the centre of the Darwin business district, on The Esplanade.

History

Government House is the oldest

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an building 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 ...

. Government House has been the home of successive Government Residents and

Administrators Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

since 1871. The house is an example of a mid-Victorian

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villa, here adapted for the local climate by the addition of numerous shaded verandahs and porches. It has endured

cyclones In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

earthquakes An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

, enemy

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

raids, infestations of

white ants Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattod ...

and rowdy public demonstrations to remain one of the most spectacular and attractive buildings in Darwin. On 17 December 1918, Government House became the focal point of political turmoil and

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

unrest against John Gilruth's administration. About 1000 demonstrators marched to Government House 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 Gilruth and demanded his resignation. The incident became well known as the Darwin Rebellion.Alcorta, Frank (1984)
''Darwin Rebellion 1911-1919''
Northern Territory University Planning Authority. . . Government House was entered on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

on 14 May 1991 and was added to the

Northern Territory Heritage Register The Northern Territory Heritage Register is a heritage register, being a statutory list of places in the Northern Territory of Australia that are protected by the Northern Territory statute, the ''Heritage Act 2011''. The register is maintained b ...

on 19 March 1996.

Gallery

Image:Government House Darwin.jpg, Darwin's Government House in 1913, with Liberty Square in foreground. Image:John Gilruth 1.jpg, From left: Minister Josiah Thomas, Sir Walter Barttelot and Administrator John Gilruth in 1912.

References

External links

Government House Northern Territory website
{{Vice Regal Residences of Australia Buildings and structures in Darwin, Northern Territory Tourist attractions in Darwin, Northern Territory Official residences in Australia Darwin Victorian architecture in Australia Northern Territory Government 1878 establishments in Australia Northern Territory Heritage Register Northern Territory places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links