Pine Creek Northern Territory | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 13°49′25″S131°49′34″E / 13.8235°S 131.8262°E [1] |
Population | 318 (2021 census) [2] |
Established | 24 January 1889 (town) 3 April 2007 (locality) [3] |
Postcode(s) | 0847 |
Location | |
LGA(s) | Victoria Daly Region |
Territory electorate(s) | Daly |
Federal division(s) | Lingiari |
Pine Creek is a small town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia and is situated just off the Stuart Highway; it is 90kms north of Katherine. [4] [5] As at the 2021 Census there were 318 residents of Pine Creek, which is the fourth largest town between Darwin and Alice Springs. [6]
The Wagiman, Jawoyn Bolmo, Matjba and Wurrkbarbar groups are the Traditional Owners of this area and, since 2019, they have held exclusive Native Title rights over this land. [7] [8]
In 2005 a prominent resident of Pine Creek, Edward Ah Toy, was recognised as the Northern Territorian of the year. [9] [10]
Pine Creek is one of the oldest towns in the Northern Territory and it is named for the pine trees that once grew by the creek in the centre of the town and although it was originally and officially called Playford, it was never known by this name and it was officially changed to Pine Creek on 20 September 1973. [11] Of the name SW Herbert wrote: [12]
"We setled down in our new camp at Pine Creek, since well known throughout Australia, first on account of its being a rich gold field, and years later as the inland terminus of our only railway on the north coast. This creek is by no means large, but was remarkable for pines growing there, thus the name of Pine Creek.".
— SW Herbert, Reminiscences of life in the Northern Territory: 1870-1873
By 1875 there were two hotels, The Royal Mail and The Standard, competing for business. [13] A public school opened in the town in 1899. [14] By the 1890s, up to 15 mines were operating in the area, and the town's population exceeded 3000 people. [15]
The towns population fluctuated significantly in its early years and declined significantly in the interwar period; one of the few developments in this period was the establishment of the short lived Pine Creek Home between 1931 - 1933; it was briefly reopened in the early war years 1940 - 1941 as a place were children who were being transferred from government institutions to church missions. [16] [17] [18]
Immediately after the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872 gold was discovered at the Eleanour Reef at Pine Creek by Wentworth D'Arcy Uhr. [19] [20] There is an alternative story in which it was Darwent & Dalwood who found gold while digging holes for the telegraph line and that the government did not wish to publicise the discovery as they did not want the 'distraction' of a gold rush, despite this, the discovery by Uhr is the more widely accepted version. [16] [21] [note 1] News of this discovery spread quickly and, by January 1873, 23 mining claims had been taken up and resulted in the creation of the township. It was here that the Northern Territory's first stamp battery was constructed in July 1873. [23]
Chinese miners, mostly from the Kwangtung Province, began arriving in Pine Creek in 1874 and 176 of these were indentured by the South Australian government. [24] In 1877, following the discovery of substantial alluvial gold deposits they began arriving in great numbers. In 1879 a Chinatown was established and the population reached its peak of 900 people. However, this mining boom was short-lived as, by 1882, only 80 miners remained and by 1886 it was virtually inactive. [23]
The boom restarted following the completion of the North Australia Railway to the area in 1889 when many of the Chinese laborers who had been employed on its construction, approximately 3,000 in total, settled in Pine Creek; [23] this included Ah Hong who remained there for a short time. [25] [26] The population of the town in 1894 was 753 Chinese people and 39 'Europeans'. [23] The Chinese migrants, like Aboriginal people, suffered experiences of racism but the traffic of opium, the impact of intensive mining and unequal relationships with Aboriginal women (in which many men did not claim their paternity of children) are methods that parallel with European impacts on Aboriginal people's lives. [27]
There was a cycle of economic growth and decline at Pine Creek but, by 1915. approximately 75,000 ounces (over 2,000 kgs) of gold had been mined there. [19] [23] There is evidence of a thriving Chinese community at Pine Creek until the late 1920s, during The Great Depression which was, soon after, followed by the evacuation of the entire civilian population during World War II and following the Bombing of Darwin and production ceased.
Mining began again, near the town, between 1967 and 1974 where iron ore was mined at Frances Creek, about 25 kilometres north. During this time approximately 6 million tonnes of ore were extracted. [28] In June 2007, Territory Resources (trading under the name Territory Iron) commenced mining iron ore and gold there. [29] In October 2014, the mine was used for filming an episode of the BBC television program Top Gear . [30] The mine ceased operations in January 2015, after a drop in the price of iron ore, leading to the departure of many local employees. In April 2020, it was announced that mining would resume in May 2020, after a 5-year hiatus. [31] [32]
Also, in 1985, Pine Creek Goldfields Limited opened an open-cut gold mine adjacent to the town, on the site of an old shaft mine. Over a ten-year period, it yielded 764,000 ounces (21,700 kg) of gold. Since closure, its main pit has been filled with water to prevent acid build-up. A lookout is located at the south-western end of Moule Street. [33]
The first stage of the lightly built narrow-gauge North Australia Railway was built between Port Darwin and Pine Creek, reaching the town in 1889. Additional sidings were added to the rail yards in 1914 in preparation for the extension of the line south to Emungalan (Katherine), which opened in 1917. [34] An unsealed road was constructed in the 1930s, following the same route as the railway from Adelaide River to Larrimah, and passing through Pine Creek. Much of this poorly maintained road would later become the Stuart Highway. [35]
The railway closed in 1976. The old Pine Creek railway station (1888) and some rolling stock remained and were preserved as the Pine Creek Railway Precinct; Commonwealth Railways steam locomotive NF5, built in 1877, was restored to operational condition in 2001. [36]
The North Australia Railway's standard-gauge successor, completed in 2004 between Alice Springs and Darwin – part of the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor – is used by heavy freight trains and the experiential tourism train, The Ghan; it passes 400 metres (440 yards) east of the town.[ citation needed ]
During World War II, the Australian Army set up 65th Australian Camp Hospital near Pine Creek. The Pine Creek Airfield, initially a civilian airfield, was extended between May and July 1942 by the US Army 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion as an emergency landing ground and to serve the military units based in the town. [37] The 43rd Engineer Regiment, of the US Army, with help from the 808th and, later, the Allied Works Council also constructed the nearby MacDonald Airfield (originally known as Burkholder Field). [38] Unlike many Top End towns, Pine Creek was not bombed by the Japanese during the war, although Japanese reconnaissance aircraft are reported to have overflown the town on at least one occasion. [39]
It was also during the war years that sealed, all weather sections of the Stuart Highway were constructed, providing transport alternatives to the railway. Work on the road was completed in this area by 1944. [35]
The following places are listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register:
Climate data for Pine Creek Council, elevation 206 m (676 ft), (2000–2011 normals) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 37.4 (99.3) | 37.1 (98.8) | 37.2 (99.0) | 37.3 (99.1) | 36.1 (97.0) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.1 (95.2) | 37.0 (98.6) | 39.9 (103.8) | 41.2 (106.2) | 40.4 (104.7) | 39.9 (103.8) | 41.2 (106.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.6 (90.7) | 33.2 (91.8) | 33.7 (92.7) | 31.9 (89.4) | 29.8 (85.6) | 30.6 (87.1) | 32.3 (90.1) | 35.5 (95.9) | 37.0 (98.6) | 36.5 (97.7) | 34.6 (94.3) | 33.4 (92.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.1 (71.8) | 19.5 (67.1) | 16.7 (62.1) | 16.5 (61.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 21.5 (70.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.7 (69.3) | 16.0 (60.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 11.1 (52.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 9.8 (49.6) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 333.7 (13.14) | 343.4 (13.52) | 254.6 (10.02) | 85.6 (3.37) | 9.7 (0.38) | 0.4 (0.02) | 0.1 (0.00) | 2.6 (0.10) | 8.5 (0.33) | 36.5 (1.44) | 103.1 (4.06) | 303.4 (11.94) | 1,481.6 (58.32) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 19.2 | 16.9 | 14.1 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 8.4 | 16.3 | 84.1 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology [47] |
The Northern Territory is an Australian internal 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.
Litchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km2, is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Each year the park attracts over 260,000 visitors.
The Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor consists of the 2975-kilometre (1849-mile) long 1435 mm standard-gauge main line between the South Australian capital city of Adelaide and the Northern Territory capital of Darwin, and the lines immediately connected to it. Preceded by a number of other shorter railways, a transcontinental line through to Darwin was only fully realised in 2004, when the final link from Alice Springs was opened. The line is used by interstate freight trains operated by Aurizon and by The Ghan passenger train operated by Journey Beyond.
Katherine is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated on the Katherine River, after which it is named, 320 kilometres (200 mi) southeast of Darwin. The fourth largest settlement in the Territory, it is known as the place where "The outback meets the tropics". Katherine LGA had a population of approximately 9,643 at the 2021 Australia Census.
Tennant Creek is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western terminus of the Barkly Highway. At the 2021 census, Tennant Creek had a population of 3,080 people, of which 55% (1,707) identified themselves as Indigenous.
Rum Jungle or Unrungkoolpum is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 105 kilometres south of Darwin on the East Branch of the Finniss River and it shares a boundary with Litchfield National Park. It is 10 kilometres west of Batchelor.
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.
The North Australia Railway was a 509 km (316 mi) 1,067 mm narrow gauge railway in the Northern Territory of Australia which ran from the territory capital of Darwin, once known as Palmerston, to Birdum, just south of Larrimah. Initially its name was the Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway. The first section was opened 1889, the last in 1929. The railway closed in 1976.
Larrimah is a remote town and locality in the Northern Territory of Australia, approximately 431 kilometres (268 mi) southeast of the territorial capital of Darwin and 158 kilometres (98 mi) southeast of the municipal seat of Katherine. It is on the Stuart Highway. It was established during the Second World War as the railhead of the North Australia Railway and a significant site for troop movements and military supplies.
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.
Noonamah is an outer rural suburban area of Darwin. it is 45 km southeast of the Darwin CBD. Its Local Government Area is the Litchfield Municipality. The suburb is mostly a rural area, but has been experiencing strong growth in population and development. The Elizabeth River flows through Noonamah towards the East Arm of Darwin Harbour.
Southport is an outer rural locality in Darwin. It is based on the site of the abandoned Town of Southport, a thriving river port during the Pine Creek gold rush of the 1870s. It is located at the junction of the Blackmore and Darwin Rivers.
Limmen National Park, announced in 2012, is the third largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Judbarra / Gregory National Park, with an area of approximately 9,369 square kilometres (3,617 sq mi). Located about 600 km south-east of Darwin on the Gulf of Carpentaria, the park incorporates wetlands, sandstone structures and numerous rivers, including the Limmen Bight River from which the park takes its name.
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.
Mining in the Northern Territory accounts for 16.4% of the gross domestic product, inclusive of both the minerals and petroleum industries. In 2015, it was valued at A$3,436 million. It accounts for 4.3% of the Northern Territory workforce. 63 businesses are currently engaged in the sector.
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".
Douglas-Daly is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 154 kilometres (96 mi) south of the territory capital of Darwin.
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.
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