Questacon > Burarra
Gathering > Extra Information > Darwin
A Tropical City
Mindil Beach Markets, Darwin
An open-air food and craft market is held at Darwin's Mindil Beach every Thursday night in the dry season. Photo by G�Crane.
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern
Territory in Australia.
Darwin today is the administrative centre of the Northern Territory
and the trading link to nearby Asian ports. Darwin is an important
base for the Australian Defence Force.
Darwin and nearby Palmerston have a combined population of 123
000 people from many different backgrounds and
cultures. Successive waves of migrant workers from China, Indonesia,
Malaya, the Philippines, Greece and Vietnam arrived over the course
of a century to build a unique community.
Darwin has a rich and somewhat tragic history. Port Darwin was
named in 1839 when HMS Beagle visited there. Darwin was named by
the ship's Captain for his former shipmate, Sir Charles Darwin.
Present day Darwin was founded in 1869 as an Overland Telegraph
station and it grew when gold was discovered 225�km
(140�mi) away at Pine Creek in 1871.
Darwin is well known for being bombed in more than 60 Japanese
raids in World
War II
and for almost being destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve
1974. Darwin was also devastated by another cyclone back in
1897.
Today Darwin is a modern city, almost entirely rebuilt after Cyclone
Tracy. For visitors there are hotels, markets, parks, historical
sites, a casino and nearby natural attractions. Access to Darwin
for most visitors is by air, with direct links to Australia's other
capital cities. Distances to the other Australian State capital
cities from Darwin are huge:
Road Distances to Darwin
Capital City |
Distance (km) |
Distance (mi) |
Adelaide |
3000 |
1860 |
Brisbane |
3400 |
2110 |
Melbourne |
3700 |
2300 |
Perth |
4000 |
2480 |
Sydney |
4000 |
2480 |
These are long road journeys of at least three or four days, even
with the Territory's open-ended speed limit!
|