Darwin Harbour is a body of water close to the city of Darwin in the

Northern Territory of Australia 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 ...

. It is the traditional waterways of the

Larrakia people The Larrakia people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people in and around Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin in the Northern Territory. The Larrakia, who refer to themselves as "Saltwater People", have a vibrant traditional society based ...

. It opens to the north at a line from

Charles Point Relyovo Peninsula () is a predominantly ice-covered wide peninsula projecting from Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula into Gerlache Strait south of Duarte Cove and north of Brialmont Cove. It ends in Renzo Point and Charles Point to the west. Th ...

in the west to Lee Point in the east into the

Beagle Gulf Beagle Gulf is a Bay, gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia which opens on its west side to the Timor Sea. The gulf is bounded to the south by the mainland and to the north by Bathurst Island (Northern Territory), Bathurst and Melville Isl ...

and connects via the

Clarence Strait Clarence Strait, originally Duke of Clarence Strait,''Statement ...

with the

Van Diemen Gulf Van Diemen Gulf is a gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia. It connects to the Timor Sea in the north via Dundas Strait. Most of its area is also gazetted as a locality with the name Van Diemen Gulf. History The gulf was named after th ...

.N Smit, R Billyard and L Ferns:
Beagle Gulf Benthic Survey: Characterisation of soft substrates.
'' Technical Report No. 66 (2000), Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. It contains

Port Darwin Port Darwin is the port in Darwin, Northern Territory, and is the most northerly port in Australia. The port has operated in a number of locations, including Stokes Hill Wharf, Cullen Bay, and East Arm Wharf. Since 2015, the port has bee ...

, which is flanked by Frances Bay to the east and Cullen Bay to the west.

History

The Larrakia people are the Traditional Owners of Darwin Harbour who used

canoes A canoe is a lightweight, narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ''canoe'' ca ...

to navigate its waterway for fishing, trading and cultural purposes. Despite having never visited the area, Darwin Harbour was named after naturalist

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

. It was named by his friend and former shipmate Lieutenant John Lort Stokes during 's third expedition on 9 September 1839. Ships in Darwin Harbour were heavily bombed by the Japanese during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in February 1942, leaving numerous wrecks that were eventually salvaged up in the 1960s.

Climate

The climate of the Darwin Harbour region is monsoon tropical with two distinct seasons: the Dry and the Wet. The Dry lasts for 6 months between April and September with an average rainfall of 24 mm, whereas the Wet lasts between October and March with an average monthly rainfall of 254 mm/month (according to the Bureau of Meteorology, 1999). The majority of the rain falls between December and April. Runoff varies between 250–1000 mm. Riverine discharge is relatively low with the exception of the Blackmore River and Elizabeth River. Peak flow for these rivers occurs in February, respectively 605Ml/day and 389 Ml/day, after which it slowly decreases until July when there is no freshwater input into Darwin Harbour until the onset of the following wet season (Padovan 1997).

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

frequency is low to moderate.

Marine life

Darwin Harbour supports very high fish diversity with 415 fish species now known. Darwin Harbour provides a unique opportunity to see

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...

s in the wild, because their favourite food is located off Casuarina and Bundilla (formerly Vesteys) beaches.

Seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...

s are also the main diet of green turtles and provide habitats for many smaller marine animals including commercially important species such as prawns and fish.

Oceanography

Currents

The tides at Port Darwin are macro-tidal with a maximum tidal range of 7.8 m, a mean spring range of 5.5 m and a mean neap range of 1.9 m (Padovan, 1997). The currents caused by these tides are complex and strong.

Estuaries

Darwin Harbour is a drowned river valley and consist of

ria A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

shorelines and extensive headlands.

Catchment

The catchment of Darwin Harbour occupies a total area of approximately , of this is land based and the other are estuarine areas at the high water mark.

Geology

The underlying lithology is dominated by Permian siltstones and sandstones.

Administrative status

On 4 April 2007, the remainder of Darwin Harbour which was not already part of a suburb or a locality within the boundaries of either of the two local government areas, the

City of Darwin The City of Darwin is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia. It includes the central business district of the capital, Darwin City, and represents two-thirds of its metropolitan population. Located on the traditional la ...

and the

Litchfield Municipality The Litchfield Council is a local government area of 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 ...

, was gazetted by the Northern Territory Government as a locality with the name, Darwin Harbour. Its north-western boundary aligns with that of the boundary for the Port of Darwin which extends from Charles Point in the west to Lee Point in the east. The locality has not been added to any existing local government area and is considered to be part of the Northern Territory's unincorporated areas.

References

External links

{{coord, 12, 31, S, 130, 50, E, type:waterbody_dim:50000_region:AU, display=title Darwin, Northern Territory Ports and harbours of the Northern Territory Bays of the Northern Territory