History
The Northern Territory has a very long history of human habitation. Recent archaeological evidence suggests that Aboriginal Australians have occupied the land for as long as 125,000 years, although Aboriginal history asserts that “we have been here since time began”. Archaeological sites indicate, that from their first landings on the north coast of the continent, there was a very rapid movement of people throughout Australia 48,000-50,000 years ago. One of the most important early sites is in the Northern Territory at Madjedbebe in Arnhem Land. Fossil evidence from this rock shelter has been claimed to date back as far as 65,000 years, though this date has been disputed by some. At the time of European settlement there were an estimated Aboriginal 35,000 people living in 126 tribal groups within the territory. On an Odyssey tour we seek out many of the ancient sites, allowing you to come to a greater understanding of Aboriginal culture. Spectacular rock art sites can be found throughout Kakadu and Arnhem Land, and at Ubirr, a talk from a local park ranger allows us to learn about the ancient rock art and its significance. The East and West Macdonnell Range is also home to some fascinating art, with the oldest petroglyphs believed to be some 10,000 years old.
Contact between Australia and Asia pre-dates European settlement. From at least 1700 until 1907, hundreds of fishermen sailed each year from Makassar on the island of Sulawesi (now Indonesia) to the Arnhem Land coast. The Makasar traded with Aboriginal people for trepang (sea cucumber) which they boiled down, dried on their boats and then traded with China where is was (and still is) used for food and medicine. The Makasar did not settle in Arnhem Land but they did have an influence on the indigenous people. The Yolnu Aboriginal people were introduced to calico, tobacco and smoking pipes but, more importantly, to metal. metal blades, knives and axes made everyday practices easier for the Yolnu, from cutting food to making large dugout canoes and complex wooden structures. In 1803, while circumnavigating Australia , Matthew Flinders encountered traders from Macassar and wrote of his encounter in his journal.
Early European attempts to settle the north of the country came from the British fearing that the French and the Dutch might try to gain a foothold on the continent. British forts were established at places like Melville island and Fort Wellington on the Cobourg Peninsula. These, however, were soon abandoned. White settlement was slow but just as troubled as in the rest of the continent. In 1863 the Northern Territory came under the control of South Australia and white settlers began to set up vast cattle runs in the outback , exporting to the Asian market. By the early 20th century most Aboriginal people had been dispossessed from their traditional lands and confined to reserves or missions. (This has changed a little over recent years and today Aboriginal people own about half of the land in the Northern Territory .) A telegraph cable linking Darwin, then known as Palmerston, and the overseas cable was completed in 1872. The Northern territory was becoming a little less isolated. A gold rush at Pine Creek in 1874 also attracted settlers. The population, however, remained, and still remains, small. In 1911 the Northern Territory was taken over by the Commonwealth Government for administration and then, finally, in 1978, it was granted self government.
The Northern Territory has had a turbulent history. Conflict did not cease with the initial dispossession of the Aboriginal people. Even as recently as 1966 Aboriginal stockmen on the big cattle stations were still being seriously underpaid. On the 23rd of August 1966, Vincent Lingiari led 200 courageous indigenous stockmen and their families off Wave Hill Cattle Station protesting against the work and pay conditions. Gradually, since then, some improvements have been made though it took 9 years of protest before Lingiari and his people were ‘handed back’ title to their Gurindgi lands. During World war II the northern coast of the continent came under attack from the Imperial Japanese forces. In the first and deadliest set of attacks, 242 aircraft hit Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942, killing at least 235 people, causing enormous damage and making hundreds of people homeless. The history of the Northern Territory during WWII is a fascinating one, censored during the war and only recently being fully revealed. A tour to the Darwin Military Museum and the Darwin Defence Experience will allow the traveller to learn more about this dangerous time in Australia‘s history.