The Cobourg Peninsula is a peninsula located east of Darwin in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about , and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 to 30 in five family outstations, but without any notable settlement or village. It is separated from Croker Island in the east by Bowen Strait, which is wide in the south and up to in the north, and long. In the west, it is separated from Melville Island by Dundas Strait. From Cape Don, the western point of the peninsula, to Soldier Point in the east of Melville Island, the distance is . In the north is the

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...

, and in the south the Van Diemen Gulf. The highest elevation is Mount Roe in the south with an altitude of .

Name

The peninsula was named after Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, later known as

Leopold I of Belgium Leopold I (16 December 1790 – 10 December 1865) was the first king of the Belgians, reigning from 21 July 1831 until his death in 1865. The youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold took a commission in the Imperial Rus ...

, by

Phillip Parker King Phillip Parker King (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Josepha King ''née'' Coo ...

. The French spelling of the name has been retained over the years.

Development

All of Cobourg Peninsula is part of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, which also encompasses a few nearshore islands. Mostly a tourist attraction, it is known for its pristine wilderness. It is home to a large variety of sea life and the world's largest herd of pure-strain

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of wild Bovinae, bovine found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their Bali cattle, domesticated ...

( wild cattle). It is also renowned for its Aboriginal culture. While it is only sparsely inhabited today, it was once the site of two failed attempts at founding a major trading port on its northern shores, Fort Wellington at

Raffles Bay Raffles Bay is a bay on the northern coast of the Cobourg Peninsula of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is on the lands of the Iwaidja people. It was named in 1818 by explorer Phillip Parker King after Sir Thomas Sta ...

(1827-1829) and Fort Victoria at

Port Essington Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remot ...

(1838-1849), the ruins of which are still accessible today.

Settlement

There are no notable settlements or villages on Cobourg Peninsula, just a few family outstations and other establishments along or close to the north coast, from west to east: * Cape Don Light (lighthouse) * Cape Don Airport (

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

Code YCPD) (grass airfield 1800 m, opened 8 Nov 1989) *Araru Point (Araru) (family outstation) *Ardbinae (Adbanae, Trepang Bay) (family outstation) *

(Victoria Settlement) (former European settlement) *Gumuragi (Gumeragi, Reef Point) (family outstation) *Algarlalgari (Black Point) (ranger station) *Ngardimardi (Smith Point) (camping area) *Gul Gul (Danger Point) (abandoned family outstation, ruins) *Meriah (Mariah, Raffles Bay) (family outstation) *Irgul (Irgul Point) (family outstation) The closest village is Minjilang on Croker Island close east.

References

Ramsar sites in Australia Arnhem Land tropical savanna {{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub

Name

Development

Settlement

See also

References