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| A brief HISTORY of Northern Territory |
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| Scroll down for information about the History of Aboriginal People in Northern Territory, European Settlement in NT |
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An archaeological find at Malakunanja in the Top End indicates that
Aboriginal peoples lived in Australia at least 53,000 years ago, although
the area around the Red Centre may not have been inhabited until about
24,000 years ago. European settlement in the Northern Territory was slower
than elsewhere in Australia but just as turbulent and traumatic for the
original inhabitants. By the early 1900s most Northern Territory Aborigines were confined to
Christian missions or government reserves. After decades of oppression, in
the 1960s the Aboriginal people began to demand more rights leading to a
1968 Federal Court ruling granting Aboriginal workers equal wages and
culminating with the 1976 Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act which handed over
all mission and reserve lands and also allowed Aboriginal groups to claim
much government land with which they had traditional ties. Today about 25%
of the Northern Territory population is Aboriginal and nearly half of the land is owned by
them with key national parks like Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu leased back to
the Federal Government. Minerals on Aboriginal land are still government
property and normally the traditional owners receive payment for exploration
and mining.
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In the 1800s the British were worried that Holland or France might get a
foothold in the Top End and between 1824 and 1838 built a series of forts at
places like the Cobourg Peninsula and Melville Island. After several
unsuccessful attempts to found a city on various sites on the northern
coast, in 1869 Darwin
was finally established at it's present position - subsequently to be badly
damaged by a cyclone in 1897. Until 1911, when the Federal Government took
over control of the Northern Territory from South Australia, Darwin was
called Palmerston.In 1871 Europeans began to settle near what is now Alice Springs, with the building of a repeater station on the Overland Telegraph Line which was being established to link Adelaide in South Australia with Darwin and then on through Asia and Europe to the British Empire headquarters in London. Alice Springs remained a tiny backwater until 1929 when 'The Ghan' railway service between Adelaide and Alice was established, largely following the route used by Afghan camel drivers who pioneered transport in the area. Darwin remained a rugged cyclone-threatened frontier outpost right up until World War 2 when Japanese air raids effectively destroyed it, although this news was suppressed. The Federal Government feared an invasion and swiftly constructed the Stuart Highway to provide a reliable route for troops from southern Australia to the Top End. Darwin then quickly became a boom town but suffered major devastation again on Christmas Day 1974 when Cyclone Tracy hit. Since then Darwin has been emerging as a significant tourism gateway and centre In 1980 a new flood-proof route to Alice Springs for The Ghan was completed, and in 2004 an extension to Darwin was opened. The Northern Territory only achieved autonomous self government in 1978 although it does not yet have full status as a state. |
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| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
