Talk:Darwin, Northern Territory

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Songlines[edit]

"Established songlines penetrated throughout the country, allowing stories and histories to be told and retold along the routes."

This is misleading as it suggests that the primary function of the songlines was to allow the oral history to be told. I suggest this is reworded. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.33.121.133 (talk) 11:25, 18 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]


"The Aboriginal people of the Larrakia language group are the traditional custodians and the first inhabitants of the greater Darwin area."

The reference for this claim is broken. Can anyone provide proof that no other people inhabited the area prior to people of the Larrakia language group? If not, perhaps this claim needs to be modified to remove the word "first". 203.24.32.42 (talk) 07:07, 19 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Japanese attacks[edit]

I have doubts about the comment about Darwin being the only Australian city to be attacked in time of war as Japanese submarines shelled Newcastle and entered Sydney harbour [as industrial and militray centres respectively], which surely constitutes and attack. it is true howeve to say that Darwin is the only city to face any appreciable effects from an attack [in the Newcastle case at least there were no fatalities, and the shells didn't get anywhere near their target [the steelworks]]. I would have edited before, but if it's collaboration wekk, I'd like to be careful. I really think the box about Darwin the person should be removed, it is irrelevant and contributes nothing to the city article.

It did list the city under "things named after Darwin", but I agree it was largely irrelevant and only took up space. TPK 12:42, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)
I have doubts about the comment about Darwin being the only Australian city

Your doubts are well founded. Townsville and Broome were also bombed by the Japanese during World War Two, though on a much smaller scale and without casualties.Ordinary Person 04:50, 12 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No - one attack alone on Broome killed 88 people. Kransky (talk) 02:38, 1 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Broome is not a city.195.33.121.133 (talk) 11:27, 18 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Port Darwin[edit]

The article mentions Port Darwin, and has a wikilink to "Port Darwin"... but that redirects to this page. That's lame. Ordinary Person 04:51, 12 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Page name[edit]

I think it might be more useful if this page was named Darwin, Northern Territory (or whatever the longer, standard version would be), and the link to "Darwin" proper linked either to Charles Darwin or to the Darwin disambig page. There are enough things named Darwin -- almost all derivative of Charles -- for it not to be obvious what people are looking for when they type in "Darwin". I'm not sure the Australian city is likely to be the top of their list. Thoughts on this? --Fastfission 13:33, 11 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I'm really not fussed either way, but it was Darwin, Northern Territory until very recently, when someone apparently thought that this was the most likely usage. Ambi 06:47, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)
On April 10th, User:Duncharris deleted the old Darwin page (which redirected to Charles Darwin and moved Darwin, Northern Territory here. I think it would have been better to discuss it first. I'm inclined to agree with Fastfission: in general, an unspecified "Darwin" refers to Charles Darwin, I believe. Especially since this "Darwin" is named after the naturalist. I'll ask Duncharris about this—I think it should be moved back. — Knowledge Seeker 06:59, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)
I checked and disambigged this a few months back. By far the highest proportion of internal references to Darwin were to the naturalist. I have moved it back. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 10:05, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Not that I disagree with you changing Darwin (city) to Darwin, NT, I had just posted a message a second after you moved it... a bitch of a thing to have happpened :(. To the matter at hand, however, Darwin should not redirect to Charles Darwin, it should be a disambiguation page.--Cyberjunkie 10:10, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Especially considering that as the Australian Wikipedians Collaboration of the Week, there are now dozens of links to Darwin, meant to be coming here.--Cyberjunkie 10:14, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Primary topic disambiguation is being used for Darwin, because when people type in Darwin they usually expect to read about Darwin, one of the most famous and significant scientists who ever lived. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 10:58, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I wonder what people will think of that assertion in another 2 or 3 centuries. Tomertalk 03:49, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
wow, that disambiguation page is impressive!!! ShearBlue (talk) 08:42, 18 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Good resource[edit]

For those who can't access ABS statistics (in other words, non-uni students and non-public servants) without paying, the Darwin City Council has published at book called "About Darwin" that is available online at this address (warning .pdf file). Seems fairly detailed, with some worthwhile information and statistics. Perhaps the original writers of this article swipped info from there. Please make sure you reference if you use it.--Cyberjunkie 10:02, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Speaking of ABS statistics, how does one access them? (my uni offers remote login for this sort of thing) Ambi 12:10, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I've yet to actually attempt accessing them, but I believe I viewed the prompts/details before. Supposedly, if a password is required, you have to contact the IT or library staff of your university. Otherwise (only on-campus), when you click 'download', it should do so automatically.--Cyberjunkie 16:52, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

  • Its not really intuitive, if your you want to use the AusStats database you, go to the ANU list of online databases, A, AusStats, open publications and data >2001 census > basic community profiles > Main areas, then you'll get a list of states, you need to click on the arrow next to the state to get to the cities and other large areas in that state.
I've read through the stats for Darwin, the only really interesting this is that Darwin had the highest proportional population of Indigenous people out of the Australian capital cities: Darwin 8.9%, Hobart 3.5%, Brisbane 1.7%, Perth 1.5%, Canberra 1.2%, Adelaide 1%, Sydney 1% and Melbourne 0.4%. And that hardly anyone in Darwin uses public transport.
The ABS yearbooks available through the public site probably contain more interesting information that is already in a format that makes comparisons easy. --nixie 03:12, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Ah, thanks. Even if I don't use it here, I'm sure it'll come in useful eventually. While we're on the topic of census data, too, the City of Darwin website has some useful stuff from the 2001 census (which I found when I was adding the education section). Ambi 04:25, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I finally got around to accessing them, and Nixie's right, they're nothing substantive. In fact, the only thing of any real use for Wikipedia are the postal area stats - gives a good run down on suburb demographics.--Cyberjunkie 10:13, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Images[edit]

There is this WorldWind pic which would be good in the article Image:Worldwind-Darwin1.jpg, it needs a compass point added by someone with photoshop.--nixie 12:36, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I've recently uploaded an image of Australia from Geoscience Australia (copyright permissions given and listed with the image). I don't know how useful it is for this article, but you might like to check it out. Image:Australia.jpg --Randolph 13:44, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I could supply many images for you to choose from if you like, even a live webcam. Just let me know how.58.167.204.103 13:47, 29 November 2006 (UTC)Jeff[reply]


I am a longtime resident in Darwin (from before the cyclone). I am pretty sure the caption on the Palmerston Town Hall is incorrect for a couple of reasons including the fact that Palmerston did not exist at the time of the cyclone. I am pretty sure it is one of the Navy Offices at the Government House end of Smith St (the main street of the CBD). Will find out more and get back to this page. I also have photos taken of the devastation after the cyclone. Scmcnt (talk) 13:33, 7 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Having lived in Darwin it is the Palmerston Town Hall (IE: Darwin was originally called Fort Darwin then renamed Palmerston before being named Darwin). The town hall was built when Darwin was Palmerston which is why it has kept its name also signage, NT Government and Darwin City Council also called it the Palmerston Town Hall.
Photo of the hall pre-Tracy and Palmerston (Darwin). Bidgee (talk) 14:07, 7 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Western Bulldogs[edit]

Re the quote "Melbourne's Western Bulldogs Australian Football League side plays several 'home' games at Marrara Oval each year", I know that was the plan but I think it has not worked out. I used to live in Darwin and now live in the Western Bulldogs area, but I'm not a footy fan - just remembering something I read in a newspaper. It needs checking. Bduke 02:11, 18 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Transport[edit]

No transport section?, why just one sentence metioning the Ghan (Adelaide-Darwin Railway) under history. 160.5.247.213 21:51, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Territory Day[edit]

I'm attempting to find some information about Territory Day, which is celebrated on July 1. I'm not too sure what it's for, but in Darwin we used to celebrate with fireworks and intoxication. Good times :) Anyway, I've been looking on the net for some help, but haven't found a reason for it. Is it just an arbitrary time to get more pissed than usual? (Having lived in Darwin for the past 5 years, I wouldn't put it past 'em). Or is it some sort of commemoration? I thought it had something to do with the Northern Territory being considered separate from South Australia, but I couldn't find any indication of that. Some help would be appreciated. Cheers! riana 13:53, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It celebrates the granting of self-government in 1977 (not sure of the year).

1 July 1978, It was also the first time the NT Flag was raised officialy, Prior to this time it was a territory of South Australia. http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/nt.emblem.html, http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=59, There are now moves underway to push for full statehod for the NT to coincide with the Thirtieth anniversary of self Govenment.58.167.204.103 13:43, 29 November 2006 (UTC) Jeff[reply]

Units[edit]

Do we need the unit conversions of km to miles and degree C to degree F? Surely we should just use Australian useage. --Bduke 03:11, 23 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see why the conversions would be detrimental. Most frequently edited articles I've seen tend to have both sets of units; only the order changes: metric first for (for example) articles pertaining to Australia and "imperial" units for United States articles. There are likely many U.S. Wikipedians who read non-U.S. articles (such as this one) for whom the units conversions would be helpful. Ufwuct 15:52, 23 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Swimming in the sea[edit]

The blanket reference to it being unsafe to swim in the sea around Darwin is inaccurate.

It is certainly very unsafe to swim between about late September and May (the wet season), due to the box jellyfish (also known locally as 'sea wasps'). Box jellyfish have one of the most toxic and painful stings of any animal.

The crocodiles are not a threat, although the wildlife rangers are starting to trap more in the harbour area in particular, and there have been one or two sightings off the beaches near the northern suburbs. However, I can assure people that the crocodile situation is very closely monitored by the authorities, and always has been, and the locals would not allow to be any other way. I cannot recall any attacks around the Darwin area.

You are far more likely to be attacked by a croc while swimming in, or even just standing next to a fresh water river or lagoon, or estuarine mouth.

About 1-2 people a year get attacked by crocs in the whole of Australia. By comparison, tobacco kills many thousands of Australians a year. Death by croc attack ain't exactly a high risk.

Shark sightings and strong rips can occur on almost any beach in Australia, all year round, yet that doesn't stop anyone leaping in.

It is not particularly unsafe to swim in the sea around Darwin during the dry season (May-September, the southern winter).

I removed "As the worlds largest reptile and most dangerous crocodile, no waterway in Darwin should ever be entered unless specifically declared 'croc free' by an expert. Lake Alexandria is a man-made lake and is generally considered safe." which was added by 209.239.243.21. In addition to the reasoning and argument above, I doubt that a man-made lake would be safe at all; in Florida, alligators can be found in any body of (fresh) water, no matter what formed it. That's a great advantage of walking on land! Enuja 03:08, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
There are safe water holes in the Top End that are croc free but I've never heard of Lake Alexandria so I'll have to visit the Darwin Library tomorrow. - Bidgee 03:29, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Lake Alexander (note spelling) was built in the late 1980 or early 1990s and is just behind the beach in Fannie Bay at the beginning of the road to East Point. Is is quite close to the old Gaol. It was safe all the years I was in Darwin until 2004. --Bduke 05:51, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't inaccurate. Box jellyfish attacks have occured in the dry season and I've known two people to have serious stone fish injuries, which are not seasonal. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.33.121.133 (talk) 11:23, 18 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

195.33.121.133 seems to be right. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Python541 (talkcontribs) 16:04, 20 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

History section[edit]

The fist paragraph in history makes no sense to me whatsoever, who are the Larrakia and what are songlines? --Mdhowe 05:15, 7 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The first two sentences of the third paragraph are partially and fully incorrect respectively. Queensland was excised in 1859 from NSW, but the Northern Territory was never part of Queensland. The Colony of South Australia acquired the Northern Territory from NSW by Letters Patent dated 6 July 1863, issued pursuant to s 2 of the Australian Colonies Act 1861. Refer http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/lecture-series/Carney_lecture.pdf; also the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_Australia

References[edit]

This article is really really short of references and needs to be fixed. There were three but they had incorrect syntax and 2 did not show. I have added a "Reference" section and cleaned up the 3 that did exist. However is a page of a Quiz a good source for anything? Please add many more. --Bduke 00:34, 22 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Coordinates[edit]

Could some one possibly find out the Degrees, Minutes AND Seconds for Darwin and fix it???? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.158.45.83 (talk) 08:29, 7 February 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Defacement[edit]

I take it that "poopey" isn't supposed to be there? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.84.212.90 (talk) 22:29, 20 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think you mean vandalism.

East Timorese population[edit]

Interesting that the ABS summary page includes the East Timorese population as one of the most significant, yet in the detailed stats, they appear to be bundled in the "other" category. --Biatch 06:41, 24 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Old history?[edit]

Out on the push bike today and found a site on Gardens Hill. It's very hard to read the sign but what I've worked out it says is "Headquarters Australian Postal Institute Darwin Branch". Maybe if anyone can find any history and if it's notable maybe it could be added into the Article?

Sign
Buildings


Cheers! -- Bidgee (talk) 12:46, 15 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, sorry I'm just a tad late in response. Just ask some locals, maybe the local council, museum or what have you, about it. Find out about it from local sources and then you will see how worthy of addition it will be. Again, for history about the place, you seem a local and the best people to ask are locals - heck, some older folk may've even worked there back in the day! Xfiles82 (talk) 15:47, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Most modern - notable?[edit]

I am sure the statement "Darwin is one of Australia's most modern capitals" is factually correct. But what value does this statement actually bring to the article? There are far more notable facts about Darwin you could include based on absolute rather than comparative measures - the only Australian city destroyed by war, the only Western city in the tropics, the least populated capital city in Australia, highest indigenous population, first city presided over by a Chinese mayor, rainiest capital, closest to Asia etc. Stating that it is one of the most modern capitals (out of a field of eight) is a pretty piss-weak fact. Kransky (talk) 14:03, 13 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Incidentally I'd note Cairns and Townsville are both in the tropics. Orderinchaos 15:34, 14 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Humidity and Info Box photo[edit]

Darwin is tropical and people think Darwin=humidity. It would be helpful to have some rferenced data on humidity in the climate section. Alos the InfoBox photo is a strange choice. It does not appear to show any features in detail that distinguish Darwin, being mostly sea and sky. ROxBo (talk) 14:03, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Darwin and Suburbs[edit]

The paragraph about high and low level income suburbs is not supported by the citation. Karama and Malak have the same income distribution as other northern suburbs and indeed inner city suburbs. I would like to see this paragraph removed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.171.111.73 (talk) 21:24, 26 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

At the bottom of the article, Katherine is described as a suburb of Darwin. It is not. It is a separate town over 300km away from Darwin. LowKey (talk) 01:59, 2 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Aboriginal Name[edit]

The aboriginals are mentioned in passing, out of curiousity what do they call Darwin/the Darwin area? 203.25.1.208 (talk) 07:38, 15 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I have only ever heard the Larrakia refer to it as Larrakia country or land, I know they have many different names for parts of the city area, like the beaches, water holes etc. To be sure I will ring Larrakia nation office on monday. if there is an alternative name it deserves to be in here.--Donotdestroy (talk) 05:44, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Gwalwa Daraniki means “our land” in Larrakia language. It does not refer to the city, but the whole area that the Larrakia lived in. I dont think that it is an official name for Larrakia country as I've only found this reference -[1] --Donotdestroy (talk) 07:12, 18 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Add a second chart[edit]

Perhaps we should have a second chart, I added one, but it was undone by Bidgee. My view was one showed the information in plain table form, whilst the other showed it in an easy to visualise form (i.e. you can see the dramatic difference in rainfall and the lack of difference in temperature.

Here is the chart:

Darwin
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
423
 
 
32
25
 
 
366
 
 
31
25
 
 
321
 
 
32
25
 
 
100
 
 
33
24
 
 
20
 
 
32
22
 
 
2
 
 
31
20
 
 
1.3
 
 
31
19
 
 
5.2
 
 
31
20
 
 
15
 
 
33
23
 
 
69
 
 
33
25
 
 
139
 
 
33
25
 
 
250
 
 
33
25
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [1]
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
17
 
 
89
77
 
 
14
 
 
89
76
 
 
13
 
 
89
76
 
 
3.9
 
 
91
75
 
 
0.8
 
 
90
72
 
 
0.1
 
 
87
68
 
 
0.1
 
 
87
67
 
 
0.2
 
 
88
69
 
 
0.6
 
 
91
73
 
 
2.7
 
 
92
77
 
 
5.5
 
 
92
78
 
 
9.9
 
 
91
78
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

It has been done before: Climate of Adelaide

Here's the other chart:


Climate data for Darwin Airport (1941-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.6
(96.1)
36.0
(96.8)
36.0
(96.8)
36.7
(98.1)
36.0
(96.8)
34.5
(94.1)
34.8
(94.6)
36.0
(96.8)
37.7
(99.9)
38.9
(102.0)
37.3
(99.1)
37.0
(98.6)
38.9
(102.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.8
(89.2)
31.4
(88.5)
31.9
(89.4)
32.7
(90.9)
32.0
(89.6)
30.6
(87.1)
30.5
(86.9)
31.3
(88.3)
32.5
(90.5)
33.2
(91.8)
33.3
(91.9)
32.6
(90.7)
32.0
(89.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
24.7
(76.5)
24.5
(76.1)
24.0
(75.2)
22.1
(71.8)
19.9
(67.8)
19.2
(66.6)
20.4
(68.7)
23.0
(73.4)
25.0
(77.0)
25.4
(77.7)
25.3
(77.5)
23.2
(73.8)
Record low °C (°F) 20.2
(68.4)
17.2
(63.0)
19.2
(66.6)
16.0
(60.8)
13.8
(56.8)
12.1
(53.8)
10.4
(50.7)
13.2
(55.8)
14.3
(57.7)
19.0
(66.2)
19.3
(66.7)
19.8
(67.6)
10.4
(50.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 423.3
(16.67)
365.7
(14.40)
320.8
(12.63)
99.8
(3.93)
20.4
(0.80)
2.0
(0.08)
1.3
(0.05)
5.2
(0.20)
15.4
(0.61)
68.7
(2.70)
139.0
(5.47)
250.4
(9.86)
1,719.2
(67.69)
Average rainy days 21.3 20.4 19.5 9.1 2.1 0.6 0.5 0.7 2.3 6.5 12.2 16.7 111.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 176.7 161.0 210.8 264.0 297.6 297.0 313.1 319.3 297.0 294.5 252.0 213.9 3,096.9
Source: [1]

My user is: Iamstupido (I just can't be bothered signing in)

It also didn't look so much like two graphs with no writing as it does here... There was adequate writing to 'fill the space'

60.241.184.127 (talk) 13:10, 14 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ a b "Climate statistics for Australian locations".

TOO MANY PHOTOS[edit]

This article has WAY too many photos - it's infected with "travel-article syndrome", loaded up with information-free pictures of somebody riding a bicycle and and a picture of a sunset and a picture of a memorial and pictures of buildings. I removed a couple but they were quickly returned, so rather than edit war-ify I thought I'd see whether anybody else feels that way? Currently there is a screenful of white space in the text because you have to scroll past pictures of buildings and similarly unintersting stuff. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 14:30, 3 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I understand where you are coming from, but I feel the pictures are relevant to the associated sub-topics, especially the memorial pic in reference to the attack on Darwin. It's a significant part of, event in, the city's history. The shots of the city are nice and give a good sense of the place, though maybe one of the CBD shots could be trimmed I suppose, but I'm not fussed. I know what you mean in regards to the pics under the 'entertainment/night life' sub-section and I may agree on the cycling one, but the Mindil Beach Markets certainly seem a relevant and unique local attraction keeping in theme with the sub-topic. The Darwin Cup horse racing pic does seem a bit generic too, but if that's a pic of the event then so be it, though would be nicer to have a better pic reflecting the racecourse, distinct Darwin location. I think some pics, like the 'West Season storm at night' are VERY informative of the place and it's location, re: Climate topic. Also, Darwin is a Australia's smallest capital city, but it's still prominent (Darwin's page should be a bit apart from non-capital Aussie cities like Newcastle or even Townsville, Cairns or the like) and generally the pics, along with the content, seem to give a good sense of that. Otherwise dare I say, this prominence may not be conveyed so well. The other capital cities have alot of similar pics for their sub-categories, so it's appropriate for Darwin to have some of it's own like that, relevant to it's own sub-topics, IMHO. Xfiles82 (talk) 16:57, 3 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The photos have made it harder to read the article, which is a cardinal sin. You have to scroll and scroll to get to information rather than pretty pictures; imagine folks with slow Net connections. Photos should convey information, not just a vague feeling. Why a picture of a building on a university - does that convey information to the reader? A picture of an exhibit (an airplane) in a museum? A picture of a memorial - not of something of historic interest, mind you, but a picture of a fancy sign talking about it - how does that help?
Darwin's status as a capital city should be reflected in the article, certainly, but that doesn't need it needs X more photos, regardless of content. By this argument, the Sydney article should have - what, 50 photos maybe? That's not the way it should work. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 17:16, 3 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, makes sense. Just in regards to the Darwin memorial, that should stay, unless there can be a better alternative - I feel there should be a picture of some sort referring to that event and it would again match the sub-category to the left too. And also, the Palmerston Town Hall remains are also useful, in alluding to another significant event of the city in Cyclone Tracy. Anyway, again I don't disagree and people below have suggested similarly - there are some pictures like in the entertainment section, the Cycling and Darwin Cup as too one of the pics of or alluding to Darwin or it's CBD, could go I suppose. Also, get your point about amount of photos, but I'm not sure how drastic you are wanting to be here - if it's only 2-3 photos, like the ones we've been discussing then fine, I think a few of us agree. Xfiles82 (talk) 15:42, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I am inclined to agree that several images should be removed. The memorial is just that, so it does not really illustrate the event. The Outer Darwin one should go. There is no such place. Everyone wondered why the Council put up that sign. The Bike Track illustrates nothing. The Darwin Cup should be replaced by one that shows the horses, the track and the spectators to give it a sense of place. That photo could be of any racetrack in the world. The Skyline from the CD National Park is a bad image as it shows very little. These should all go in my opinion. --Bduke (Discussion) 23:49, 3 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Generally agreed, though some pic alluding to the Darwin Bombing, may be nice (Like a B/W picture of Darwin from that era? Picture of Darwin in aftermath?) and you sound like a local too, so value your input. And lol about 'Outer Darwin,' probably just reflects the ambitions of your still kind of 'big' small town. :p Though I guess logically it'd be a nice sign/relief for visitors to see if they've been travelling a long way from 'Woop Woop,' to see it appear? Though not arguing for or against that particular pic. :p Xfiles82 (talk) 15:42, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps it's always been the case, but I've noticed that several articles about Australian cities have been edited so that all the pictures are all too the right, even though they don't all fit there. There probably are a few too many images in this article, but I think the fact that they have all been put on the right makes it look a lot more crowded. What sunset picture are you referring to by the way? Anoldtreeok (talk) 02:12, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Photos on the right is Wikipedia style. Having people scatter them left and right, with the way they're seen on different browsers, causes lots of problems with indents and text overlap. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 10:51, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Check out [2] - the manual of style for images. A key statement: "You should always be watchful not to overwhelm an article with images by adding more just because you can." also, although it doesn't specifically say to put pix on the right, it does note "It is a good idea to try to maintain visual coherence by aligning the sizes of images and templates on a given page." - DavidWBrooks (talk) 14:24, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I would argue having them all too one side creates a visual incoherence (as they cause white space, don't fit, aren't always next to the text they correspond to), but that's getting a bit off topic. As I (sort of) said before, I do agree there are too many images. Anoldtreeok (talk) 09:27, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently a user called Bidgee disagrees, since he/she has added yet more photos after I removed a couple. At this rate there's going to be a picture for every major street and building in the city!- DavidWBrooks (talk) 20:41, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

A bit of good faith would by nice, "Apparently a user called Bidgee" is insulting and the fact it came from an Admin is even more so. Bidgee (talk) 00:02, 9 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry - that rather clumsy sentence meant "Apparently (you, Bidgee) disagree (with the idea that there are too many photos)" not "apparently you're a user" - DavidWBrooks (talk) 00:55, 9 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bidgee added a most interesting historical photograph of the damage to the post office in the raid on Darwin, but it has been replaced by the one of the memorial. I strongly support having the historical photo of what is one of the most important points of the history of Darwin. Bidgee also replaced the photograph of the Darwin Skyline from Charles Darwin Park, by one of the part itself. I also support that. The skyline is impossible to see without opening the image itself. --Bduke (Discussion) 23:57, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Checklist Complete[edit]

Considering the checklist has been completed, who thinks this article is ready for GA status? I know I do. Oakley77 (talk) 00:23, 31 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Is the status important? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Python541 (talkcontribs) 16:08, 20 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

St. Mary's church / churches in Darwin[edit]

Hi, i just uploaded this file to commons:

St. Mary's

without knowing right away what the actual name of the church was but wanted to describe the image. I noticed that this article does not even mention the word church and using more external search i finally ended up on Roman Catholic Diocese of Darwin#Cathedral but that was rather inutitive given that i was not sure if thas was a Roman Catholic church. And even in that article the section on the cathedral is completely empty. So maybe some locals feel like extending that a bit, for now i just added my image as a starter. Cheers, Mutante23 (talk) 22:19, 23 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The Roman Catholic church is a Cathedral as there is a Bishop. The name of the Cathedral is "St Mary's Star of the Sea" see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Star_of_the_Sea_Cathedral,_Darwin 203.214.22.116 (talk) 00:57, 9 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Geography and location[edit]

There is a discrepancy between the Geography section and location data. Geography has Darwin 3137km/1949miles from Canberra whilst the Location data says Canberra is 3969km/2466miles. In addition the Geography section says that "Malaysia and Singapore are only slightly further away.......". Malaysia is a large country and as this paragraph refers to capitals then should this not refer to Kuala Lumpur and the distance to that? 122.57.34.175 (talk) 12:42, 3 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Gateway to what?[edit]

The introduction claims that Darwin is a "gateway" between Australia and SE Asia. TRis claim is misleading. It's too expensive to send goods thousands of kilometers overland to and from the southern population centres. Ships travel directly to the major centres as do flights. Everything in Darwin is expensive as it has to be brought in from great distances. Darwin's role is that of an remote regional service centre for mining and tourism in the land and waters of northern Australia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Provocateur (talkcontribs) 22:00, 17 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Fire image[edit]

Perhaps the image of Darwin area from the ISS inserted by Fotaun might be worth including at thumbnail size? Dry season fires are a characteristic feature of the area. Djapa Owen (talk) 13:55, 22 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Python541 (talkcontribs) 16:11, 20 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Is Darwin like Germany?[edit]

Hello I am from germany, 46, m, scientist. 'Darwin' is a cool name for a city. btw. Much greetings to the other side of the world. :-))

Last week it comes to my attention that everywhere in the world, drivers on the motorway had to respect a general tempo limit. Like in US it is 55 mph or 65 mph. A general tempo limit is totaly unknown in my country. Here is no limitation in speed on motorways. And as the 4th leading economy in the world we got ten of thousands kilometers of motorways. And we have a very small rate of accidents. Far much lesser than in US. In my case I use 220 kmh traveling speed every day since the last 25 years. You know? I am a fast driver. I dislike tempo limits.

So I took a look at the map. EVERYWHERE in the world there is a limitation of speed on streets?. Whatta hell ...? Except in germany. And in Northern territory in Australia around Darwin.

So this leads me to the question. Is it true that in northern territory there is no tempo limit on street like in germany? Are you really free like germans? And if so: Whats about your accident rate? Is it low like in my country??? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.5.124.220 (talk) 15:25, 19 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I am not sure that this contributes to the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Python541 (talkcontribs) 16:02, 20 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
On second thoughts, this does not.

External links modified[edit]

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 8 external links on Darwin, Northern Territory. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

  • If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
  • If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers. —cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 22:54, 25 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to one external link on Darwin, Northern Territory. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

  • If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
  • If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 08:49, 27 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Darwin, Northern Territory. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

  • If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
  • If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 17:38, 27 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Darwin, Northern Territory. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

  • If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
  • If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 05:04, 7 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 9 external links on Darwin, Northern Territory. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

  • If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
  • If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 03:39, 5 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion[edit]

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:07, 31 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Aviation: Concorde[edit]

Darwin was visited by Concorde at least once (I have a photo but only managed its nose, not having security clearance), in 1975 or 1976. Was it the only landing of the aircraft in Australia? and has anyone a precise date? It would be worth a mention. Doug butler (talk) 03:30, 4 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Move discussion in progress[edit]

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Darwin which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 07:01, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

pronunciation[edit]

AusE isn't rhotic so there won't be an /r/ in this city's name, particularly not a flapped one as the IPA suggests. Also, the second syllable is unstressed so the vowel will be a schwa, a prominent AusE characteristic. Thus /'dɑ:wən/. To BrE ears, the AusE pronunciation of the first vowel sounds close to æ but it's definitely long. The audio-recording bears this out. It seems to be the voice of an Australian person and the pronunciation isn't rhotic. (So often folks think that an /ɑ:/ has an R in it when it hasn't!) The attempt to transcribe Garramilla is futile without some IPA; where, for example, is the stress? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.175.153.209 (talk) 07:36, 30 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Totally agree. HiLo48 (talk) 07:55, 30 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Gold[edit]

Article currently says;

The discovery of gold by employees of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line digging holes for telegraph poles at Pine Creek in the 1880s spawned a gold rush, which further boosted the young colony's development.

Other wiki pages say the first discovery was 1871 (at Pine Creek) and that the claim "it was by pole diggers" is dodgy. Other wiki pages imply the gold "rush" had started by 1872.

Note: History of the Northern Territory says 1880s for Pine Creek.


I can’t find anything reliable on Google.

Many sites say 1872.

This says an 1870 find for Pine Creek, and an immediate rush. [3]

MBG02 (talk) 13:03, 9 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]