Northern Territory Borders
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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