Brown's Mart, which now houses the Home of Territory Performing Arts, Brown's Mart Arts and the Brown's Mart Theatre, is a historic building located in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Brown's Mart, which now houses the Home of Territory Performing Arts, Brown's Mart Arts and the Brown's Mart Theatre, is a historic building located in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Brown's Mart is one of the oldest buildings in the city centre, being built in 1885 as a Mining Exchange by Mr Brown who was a trader and a Mayor of Darwin. John George Knight, Government Secretary and Architect who was also responsible for the design of the Town hall, Residency, Courthouse, Police Station and the Gaol at Fannie Bay. [1]
Brown's Mart is of simple rectangular plan typical of early colonial buildings including semi circular arches over the front windows and doorway and simple decorations around the openings. Over the years it has been used in commerce, storage, as a shipping and insurance agency, mining exchange, auctions, meetings of local organisations, banking, defence, naval workshop, law, policing and the arts. [2]
In August 1972, Brown's Mart Theatre was founded by Ken Conway, Darwin's first full-time community arts officer with the help of an $8,000 grant from the Australian Council for the Arts. This evolved into Brown's Mart Community Arts Project encouraging and initiating community based arts project which can be self-sufficient and self-generating. Brown's Mart has withstood the cyclones of 1897 and 1937, Tracy in 1974, and Marcus in 2018, as well as the wartime bombing in 1942 and 1943. [2]
It was listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register on 20 March 1996 and on the defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 October 1980. [3] [4]
Today Brown's Mart Arts operates year round out of their offices at the Browns Mart Precinct, creating and supporting the creation of new performance work, as well as operating the venue's multiple performance spaces for hire to the community. They present performance work by Northern Territory Artists and support the development of these artist through many development programs, with core funding through the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT, as well as national project funding and philanthropy and donations. Brown's Mart Arts has Tax Deductable Gift Recipient Status.
Brown's Mart supported the development and presentation of many plays written by the Victorian Premiers Prize winning playwright Mary Anne Butler.[ citation needed ] Brown's Mart is a venue during the Darwin Festival and the home of the Darwin Fringe Festival. For more than 5 years Brown's Mart has housed the Happy Yess and supported them to showcase local live music annually.
Brown's Mart is located on the corner of Smith Street and Harry Chan Avenue, Darwin, on Larrakia Country. Today it operates as an arts venue and organisation, creating professional and community arts events and productions, as well as hosting music, exhibitions, and other cultural events.[ citation needed ]
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population, with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australian capital cities and serves as the Top End's regional centre.
The Northern Territory is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Australia to the west, South Australia to the south, and Queensland to the east. To the north, the territory looks out to the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria, including Western New Guinea and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago.
Pine Creek is a small town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. As at the 2021 Census there were 319 residents of Pine Creek, which is the fourth largest town between Darwin and Alice Springs.
Fannie Bay Gaol is a historic gaol in Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, Australia. The gaol operated as Her Majesty's Gaol and Labour Prison, from 20 September 1883 until 1 September 1979.
Adelaide River is a small but historically significant town located at the crossing of the Stuart Highway over the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory of Australia. The town is upstream of the Adelaide and Mary River Floodplains Important Bird Area. At the 2021 census, Adelaide River had a population of 317. Adelaide River is part of the Coomalie Shire and is the second largest settlement in the local government area.
Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia, 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land.
Batchelor is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. The town is the current seat and largest town of the Coomalie Shire local government area. It is located 98 kilometres (61 mi) south of the territory capital, Darwin. A number of residents commute to Darwin and its suburbs for work.
Library & Archives NT comprises the Northern Territory Library and the two Northern Territory Archives Centres in Darwin and Alice Springs. Located in Parliament House in Darwin City, it is the premier public research and archival organisation focused on the history, development and culture of the Northern Territory of Australia. The library holds more than 108,000 books and 30,000 items. The archive holds Northern Territory Government records, which are normally opened 30 years after they were created.
The Victoria Hotel, or The Vic as it is commonly known, is a heritage listed pub located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Built in 1890, it is an important historical building but is currently closed.
Pine Creek railway station is a disused railway station and museum on the former North Australia Railway in Pine Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. The station is located 235 km (146 mi) from the original Darwin station, and was the southern terminus of the line until 1914. The station precinct is the most complete remaining example of infrastructure associated with the line.
Grove Hill is a ghost town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Once a centre for mining operations, today only a hotel with a few outbuildings survive. Grove Hill is located within the Victoria Daly Region and for administrative purposes is considered to be part of the locality of Burrundie. Both the defunct North Australia Railway and the modern Adelaide–Darwin railway pass through Grove Hill.
Arltunga Historical Reserve, known also as Arnerre-ntyenge is a deserted gold rush town located in the Northern Territory of Australia in the locality of Hart about 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of Alice Springs. It is on the lands of the Eastern Arrernte people who are the Traditional Owners.
Lyons Cottage, as so known as British Australian Telegraph Company Residence, is one of the oldest remaining heritage buildings in the central business district in Darwin City in the Northern Territory of Australia.
This list shows notable events for Darwin, nowadays the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Note: When Darwin was first settled, it was called Palmerston and the port was called Port Darwin. In 1911 the town was renamed Darwin due to the common usage of the name.
Stella Maris is a heritage site on McMinn Street in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
The Tennant Creek Telegraph Station is an historical site about 16 kilometres north of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia.
The Church of Christ the King is located in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. The church was relocated from the historic mining town of Pine Creek. With parts of the church spread between the two towns during the move, it was once known as the "longest church in Australia".
Vestey's Meatworks, officially the North Australia Meat Company, was a slaughterhouse in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, built by Vestey Brothers between 1914 and 1917. Never profitable, it operated for three years before the company abandoned the venture in the aftermath of the Darwin rebellion. Most of the facility was demolished in 1957, but two large water tanks remain standing today, on what is now the site of the Darwin High School on Bullocky Point in the suburb of The Gardens. The beach to the north of Bullocky Point is called Vestey's beach as a result of the meatworks.
Darwin High School is an Australian senior secondary high school in the Northern Territory and is an Independent Public School for students in years 10–12. Founded first in 1921, the school was closed, reopened, renamed, and relocated until its move to its current location, Bullocky Point, in 1962. The school offers advanced English and STEM programs, as well as clubs, activities, and athletics.
Burrundie is a locality in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is located within the Victoria Daly Region, approximately 30 km (19 mi) north of Pine Creek. A mining settlement of the same name was established in the area during the late 1880s, but the town was abandoned after 1900. The present day locality consists mostly of rural land holdings and was officially defined in April 2007 for administrative purposes. "Burrundie" is believed to be derived from the local aboriginal name for the area surrounding Mount Wells, a prominent feature in the locality.