Today 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 ...
's land borders are defined to the west by the
129° east longitude
Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
(
129° east) with
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, to the south by the
26th parallel south latitude
In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...
(
26° south) with
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
and to the east by
138° east longitude (
138° east) with
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
; however, this is not where all borders are actually marked on the ground.
The Northern Territory boundaries are shared with the
West Australian border, the
South Australian border, and the
Queensland border.
History
1788–1832
In
1788
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London.
* January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...
,
Governor Phillip claimed the continent of Australia as far west as the
135th meridian east longitude (
135° east) in accordance with his commission.
(
26 January 1788 – Map)
On 16 July
1825, the western boundary of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
was relocated to the line of
129° east to take in the new settlement at
Melville Island.
(
16 July 1825 – Map). From 1825 to 1829 129° east was the NSW border.
Following the settlement of the
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...
in
1829
Events
January–March
* January 19 – August Klingemann's adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's '' Faust'' premieres in Braunschweig.
* February 27 – Battle of Tarqui: Troops of Gran Colombia and Peru battle to a draw.
* Marc ...
(
2 May 1829 – Map), its eastern boundary was declared to be 129° east, coinciding with the western boundary of New South Wales at the time.
The colony of Western Australia (
WA) was commissioned in March
1831.
From 1829 to 1832, the SRC/NSW border was at 129° east.
1832–1836
The name of the Swan River Colony was changed to
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
in 1832 (
6 February 1832 – Map).
From 1832 to 1846, 129° east was the
WA/
NSW border.
1836–1846
South Australia became a colony in 1836 and until 1846 would be surrounded on land by New South Wales (
NSW), with South Australia extending west to the
132° east longitude. (
132° east) and north to
26° south (
28 December 1836 – Map).
From 1836 to 1846
129° east was the
WA/
NSW border.
132° east was the
SA/
NSW border as were
26° south and
141° east.
1846–1847
In 1846 the colony of North Australia (
NA) was proclaimed by Letters Patent, which was all of New South Wales north of
26° south (
17 February 1846 – Map).
From 1846 to 1847
129° east was the
WA/
NSW border and the
WA/
NA border.
132° east was the
SA/
NSW border, while
26° south became the
SA/
NA border and
141° east remained the
SA/
NSW border.
1847–1851
In 1847 the colony of North Australia was revoked and reincorporated into New South Wales. (
15 April 1847 – Map), so South Australia was once again surrounded by New South Wales on all land borders.
From 1847 to 1860
129° east was once again the
WA/
NSW border.
From 1847
132° east was again the
SA/
NSW border, and
26° south was also the
SA/
NSW border.
141° east would remain the
SA/
NSW border until 1851.
1851–1859
In 1851 South Australia's eastern border changed again when the colony of Victoria was proclaimed (
1 July 1851 – Map).
From 1851
141° east would change to include both the
SA/
NSW border and the
SA/
VIC border.
1859–1860
In 1859 The colony of Queensland is proclaimed by Letters Patent, with its western border set at
141° east (
6 June 1859 – Map).
From 1859
141° east would change to include the
SA/
QLD border, the
SA/
NSW border and the
SA/
VIC border.
1860–1862
In 1860 the western border of South Australia changed from
132° east to
129° east (
1860 – MAP).
From this time on South Australia's western border was also the West Australian border.
From 1860
129° east became
the
SA/
WA border from south of
26° south & the
WA/
NSW border north of
26° south.
1862–1863
In 1862 Queensland's western border north of
26° south) was moved to
139° east (
1862
Events
January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria.
* January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...
).
From 1862
26° south became shared as the
SA/
NSW border and the
SA/
QLD border between
139° east and
141° east.
1863–1911
In 1863 that part of New South Wales to the north of South Australia was annexed to South Australia by Letters Patent
as "the Northern Territory of South Australia", which was shortened to "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 ...
"
(
6 July 1863 – Map).
From 1863 to 1911
129° east was the
WA/
NToSA border north of
26° south & the
WA/
SA border south of
26° south.
26° south became the
SA/
NToSA border.
1911–1927
In 1911 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 ...
was split off from South Australia to be administered by the Commonwealth. (
1 January 1911 – Map).
From 1911 to 1927
129° east was the
WA/
NT border north of
26° south & the
WA/
SA border to the south.
26° south became the
SA/
NT border.
1927–1931
In 1927 the Northern Territory was split into two territories,
North Australia and
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...
, with the border set at the
20° south. (
1 March 1927 – Map).
From 1927
26° south became the
SA/
CA border.
1931–Present
In 1931 North Australia and Central Australia were reunited as the Northern Territory
(
12 June 1931 – Map).
From 1931
26° south once again became the
SA/
NT border.
Marking the NT borders on the ground
Marking the Northern Territory borders on the ground has a fascinating history.
Early attempts
Marking the NT/WA border on the ground
''See
NT/WA border marking history''
Marking the NT/QLD border on the ground
Marking the NT/SA border on the ground
The Northern Territory" border corners
Surveyor Generals Corner
The West Australian border with the Northern Territory and South Australia, which has been marked on the ground, is not as straight as it looks, with the
WA/
NT and
WA/
SA borders being displaced by approximately 127 m, due to early survey errors within the limits of technology available in the 1920s.
The 127-metre section that runs east–west along the
26° south is part of the border between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In June
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
, two monuments were erected to mark each end of this 127-metre sideways section; the easternmost of these monuments, being where all three borders meet, was named Surveyor Generals Corner.
Poeppel Corner
Also known as Poeppels Corner in Queensland, at latitude 26° S and longitude 138° E, this is a corner of state boundaries, where the state of Queensland meets South Australia and the Northern Territory.
See also
*
Greenwich Time Signal
The Greenwich Time Signal (GTS), popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones (or "pips") broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations to mark the precise start of each hour. The pips were introduced in 1924, gene ...
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20100618072942/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/state-territory-borders.jsp
External links
*{{cite web
, title = 1921 WA-NT Border Determinations
, publisher = Kununurra Historical Society Inc. (
KHS), Kununurra, Western Australia
, year = 2011
, url = http://www.kununurra.org.au/research/1921-wa-nt-border-determinations
, access-date = 10 January 2012 – This description of the 1921 Kimberley
WA/
NT border determinations, involving SA Government Astronomer Dodwell, and
SA Surveyors Hambidge and Maddern, along with the
WA Government Astronomer,
Curlewis, mixes a news article with diary entries from
M.P. Durack and photographs from the
KHS Hambidge Collection. The
KHS museum in Kununurra has a permanent display and archival material collected about the
WA/
NT border & the
WA/
SA border from which some of the research on this page has been based.
Borders of Australia
Borders of South Australia
Borders of New South Wales
Borders of the Northern Territory
Borders of Queensland
Borders of Western Australia
History of South Australia
History of New South Wales
History of the Northern Territory
History of Queensland
History of Western Australia
Geography of the Northern Territory