Darwin, Northern Territory

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, and is a city of 109,420 people (2001 Australian Census), on Australia's far north-western coastline. Darwin has a tropical climate, and is subjected to tropical thunderstorms and cyclones; the first recorded cyclone to hit Darwin was the 1867 cyclone, and much of the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. It is also the only Australian capital city to have come under substantial attack during any war: on February 19, 1942, Japanese planes made two major air raids on Darwin, the first of 63 air attacks experienced by the city during World War II.

History

Darwin's harbour was first sighted in 1839 by John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle. The ship's captain, John Clements Wickham, named the port after Charles Darwin, the British naturalist, who had sailed with him on an earlier expedition of Beagle.

Related Topics:
1839 - John Lort Stokes - HMS ''Beagle'' - John Clements Wickham - Charles Darwin - Expedition of ''Beagle''

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The Northern Territory was initially settled and administered by South Australia, until its transfer to the Commonwealth in 1911. On 5 February 1869, George Goyder, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established a small settlement of 135 men and women at Port Darwin. Goyder named the settlement Palmerston, after the British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. In 1870, the first poles for the Overland Telegraph were erected. The discovery of gold at Pine Creek in the 1880's further boosted the young colony's development. Upon Commonwealth administration, Darwin became the city's official name.

Related Topics:
South Australia - Commonwealth - 1911 - 5 February - 1869 - George Goyder - Port Darwin - Palmerston - British Prime Minister - Lord Palmerston - 1870 - Overland Telegraph - Pine Creek - 1880's

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On 19 February 1942, during the Pacific War, 242 Japanese warplanes attacked Darwin in two waves. The attack killed at least 243 people and caused immense damage to the town. These were by far the most serious attacks on Australia in time of war, in terms of fatalities and damage. They were the first of many raids on Darwin.

Related Topics:
19 February - 1942 - Pacific War - Japanese

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Darwin was largely destroyed on 25 December 1974 by Cyclone Tracy, which killed 50 people and destroyed over 70% of the town's buildings, including many old stone buildings such as the Palmerstone Town Hall, which could not withstand the latteral forces generated by the strong winds. After the disaster, an airlift evacuated 30,000 people. The town was subsequently rebuilt with newer materials and techniques during the late 1970s by the Darwin Reconstruction Commission. A satellite city of Palmerston was built 20 km south of Darwin in the early 1980s.

Related Topics:
25 December - 1974 - Cyclone Tracy - 1970s - Palmerston - 1980s

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On 17 September 2003, the Adelaide-Darwin Railway was completed.

Related Topics:
17 September - 2003 - Adelaide-Darwin Railway

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