George Goyder, South Australia's Surveyor-General, went to the Northern Territory in 1869 with a full team of surveyors and workmen, to choose a site for the main town.

Following South Australia's annexation of the Territory in 1863 a number of attempts had been made to select a site for the town: Boyle Finniss in 1864 established a settlement at Escape Cliffs on Adam Bay. This site, hemmed in by mangroves and swamps, lasted only a brief time. Finniss was recalled to Adelaide in September 1865. Veteran explorer John McKinlay, was then sent to select a site but became bogged down in the mud of the wet season, and escaped down the West Alligator River in a punt made from the hides of his horses.

Francis Cadell, pioneer of River Murray shipping, was the next to examine the coast and select a site for a permanent town. He recommended the Liverpool River: his report was filed and forgotten. It was now five years since the colony of South Australia had annexed the Territory but still no site had been selected for a town and no surveys of agricultural land had been made.

Goyder stepped into the breach. A dynamic ball of energy, Goyder named his own terms: 25,000 pounds and bonuses for himself and his party. Goyder selected 120 men. Having carefully read all accounts of discovery along the northern coast and previous attempts at settlements, he had already selected his site before he left Adelaide: Port Darwin, discovered by John Lort Stokes in the Beagle in 1839. Goyder and his men arrived at Port Darwin on 5 February 1869.

Six months later the men had surveyed 266,000 hectares of town and country land. Palmerston on the north-eastern shore of Port Darwin was the main town. Its streets are named after Goyder's surveyors. Fort Point at the eastern end was where the surveyors' encampment was placed. Point Emery was named for the lieutenant aboard the Beagle. The towns of Southport, Elizabeth and Daly were also surveyed, but the latter two were never developed. Goyder's report to the South Australian Government (SAPP 157 of 1869-70) dated 27 September 1869 was succinct: he reported that the survey of nearly 600,000 acres of land had been completed by the end of August. The report also contains a description of the country and a brief report on the mineralogy of the country.

Palmerston was re-named Darwin when the Commonwealth Government assumed control of the Territory in 1911.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

Buy a high resolution copy.