Darwin history

Darwin has suffered from much turbulence in its short history. The harbour in which it sits was discovered in 1839 by John Stokes, captain of the Beagle, who named the area after former shipmate and naturalist, Charles Darwin. It was another 30 years or so before a town began to take shape, accelerated by the discovery of gold near Pine Creek, south of Darwin.

In the early 20th century, an airport sprung up and further gold was discovered at Tennant Creek. However, by the start of WWII, Darwin was still an isolated city, with a population of just 2,000. The impact of the war was devastating. Japanese bombers raided the city 64 times, killing around 900 people and destroying 77 aircraft and several ships. To aid the war effort, the road to Alice Springs in the south was upgraded and infrastructural improvements were made.

After the war, the town grew steadily. Then, on Christmas Eve 1974, the city was almost entirely wiped out by Cyclone Tracy, which dealt out the highest wind speeds ever seen on the Australian mainland. The 45,000 strong population was suddenly depleted, as residents were evacuated to other cities in Australia.

The rebuilding that followed has resulted in a well-planned, modern city with a young population.