From the tropical north to the dry red centre, the Northern Territory is an environmentally and ethnically diverse locality in Australia. There are over 100 nationalities and around 140 social, cultural and religious organisations that call the Northern Territory home, as well as a strong and diverse Aboriginal community working to recover, revitalise and celebrate their ancient culture. Researching your family history in the Northern Territory can be very challenging, especially as they do not have a searchable Births, Deaths, Marriages Index available online. Despite this challenge there are many useful archives and sources available to aid your search.
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Understand the History of the Northern territoryUnderstand the History of the Northern territory
Indigenous HistoryIndigenous History
There is extensive archeological and cultural evidence attesting to the millennia long human habitation of Australia’s north. 60,000 years ago the sea level was considerably lower and Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea were connected by dry land. Humans migrated across this land bridge and down into the interior of the country.
Sailors from islands to the north of Australia began trading with the residents of Arnhem Land and the Torres Straight Islands. Rock art in the region clearly records the history of contact over hundreds of years.
When Europeans arrived the region was home to a large number of indigenous clan groups and so large swathes of land were set aside as Aboriginal Reserves, but the scale of these reserves was cut back in the 1940s to open the area up to more gold prospecting.
The movement towards Aboriginal land rights in Australia began in the Northern Territory. For decades indigenous people had been exploited as cheap labor, paid only in food, clothing and accommodation that was more often than not inadequate. In 1966 Guridji stockmen went on strike at Wave Hill Station. Led by Vincent Lingiari, the Gurindji drafted a petition to Governor-General Lord Casey asking him to grant a lease of 1,300 square kilometres around Daguragu. A key statement in the document was, ‘We feel that morally the land is ours and should be returned to us’. The Governor General replied he was unwilling to grant the lease. It wasn't until the election of the progressive Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in the 1970s that indigenous land rights were recognised.
In August 1975 Prime Minister Whitlam came to Daguragu and ceremonially returned a small portion of Gurindji land to the traditional owners by pouring a handful of soil into Vincent Lingiari’s hand with the words, ‘Vincent Lingiari, I solemnly hand to you these deeds as proof, in Australian law, that these lands belong to the Gurindji people’. [1]
Today, there are over 100 different indigenous language groups in the Northern Territory including Warlpiri, which is spoken in Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, Pitjantjatjara, a Western Deserts language spoken in Alice Springs, and Yolngu Matha, spoken in Yolgnu country in the top end.
Researching Indigenous Family HistoryResearching Indigenous Family History
Since Aboriginal culture was largely an oral tradition there are no formal pre European records available for aboriginal family history. However, cultural practices and traditions in the Northern Territory have been well preserved by the community, despite the dispossession caused by colonisation. Colonial and Post Colonial records are held by a variety of institutions including:
- IATSIS host a range of resources to assist people with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family history research in the Northern Territory.
- National Archives of Australia (NAA) in Darwin and Canberra hold several records and resources including the Bringing Them Home Name Index a searchable list of names and places created from NAA files about First Australians. They also have a cemprehensive research guide called Tracking Family - A guide to Aboriginal records relating to the Northern Territory, now in its second edition.
- The National Library of Australia (NLA) which holds a large range of books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs and oral histories. Some material is easily accessible online via Trove. Material such as Oral Histories need to be accessed in the library. NLA has a comprehensive Family History Research Guide and if you need assistance you can contact the library via their Ask A Librarian.
- The Australian War Memorial holds information related to the military service of Indigenous Australians
- The Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the Australian National University in Canberra holds some records from farms and cattle properties in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. These include records like diaries, wage and ration books, and registers of births, deaths and marriages.
Colonial HistoryColonial History
The first recorded sighting of the Northern Territory coastline by a European was that of Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon aboard the ship Duyfken in 1606. Abel Tasman and numerous French navigators also charted the coast, naming prominent features of the coastal landscape. Captain Phillip Parker King also made surveys of the coast.
After colonising New South Wales, the British made several unsuccessful attempts to establish a colony in Northern Australia during the first half of the 19th century. It wasn't until 1862 that John McDouall Stuart succeeded in traversing Central Australia from south to north. His expedition mapped out the route which was later followed by the Australian Overland Telegraph Line. The following year, the Northern Territory was annexed by South Australia by letters patent. Following the annexation, a fourth attempt at settlement occurred in 1864 at Escape Cliffs, about 75 km (47 mi) from present-day Darwin.
In February 1869, George Goyder, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established Palmerston, a small settlement of 135 men and women at Port Darwin.
The construction of the Overland Telegraph line in 1870, connecting Australia to the rest of the world, led to further exploration of the interior and the discovery of gold at Pine Creek in the 1880s drove further economic development.[2]
Post FederationPost Federation
For the first decade after Federation in 1901, the Northern Territory and Central Australia remained part of South Australia. In 1911 control was passed to the Commonwealth Government, with the passage of the South Australian Northern Territory Surrender Act 1907, and the federal Northern Territory Acceptance Act 1910.
During WWII Australia fought alongside the UK, the US and Europe to defend democracy. On February 19, 1942 Japanese aircraft bombed Darwin. Over the next 19 months Darwin was hit over 100 times.
The Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act of 1978 established the Northern Territory as a self-governing entity. Under this act the Commonwealth of Australia transferred most of its governing powers to the territory. The government of the territory, which is seated in Darwin, is similar to that of the states in fields of transferred authority. There are, however, differences in office titles. For example, there is an administrator instead of a governor and a chief minister in lieu of a premier. Executive power is exercised by the administrator, who is advised by an Executive Council consisting of the ministers of the territory.
Since then, while not being a full state, the NT has enjoyed a level of responsibility for its own affairs.
Sources for NT historySources for NT history
- Libraries and Archives Northern Territory - Explore NT History - a gallery style collection of stories and images covering specific moments in NT history.
- Territory Stories is a government run website that makes it easier for you to search digital collections at Library & Archives NT, including digital photographs, archival items, newspapers, books, periodicals and collection and research guides about the Northern Territory. It also facilitates access to some other collections with items related to the NT.
The Changing Borders of the Northern TerritoryThe Changing Borders of the Northern Territory
The area known today as the Northern territory has only been such since 1911. Prior to that it was progressively part of NSW and South Australia.
The border shifted over time. From 1911 to 1927, the WA/NT border north of 26° south was 129° east. To the south it was the WA/SA border. 26° south became the border of SA and NT. In 1927 the territory was divided into North Australia and Central Australia, with a border set at the 20° south. This decision was reversed less than 5 years later, once again reuniting the territory and setting the SA/ NT border at 26° south.
These changes may effect where you need to look for records pertaining to your ancestors, with early records scattered across colonial collections in the UK, NSW and Canberra[3].
Migration to the Northern TerritoryMigration to the Northern Territory
The majority of the Northern Territory's diverse population is located in a few large settlements including Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. Migrants have settled in the NT from all over the world, including South East Asia, the South Pacific and Europe.
The State Library of South Australia holds a collection of passenger lists on Microfiche of people bound for the Northern territory
- Port Darwin passenger lists November 1873 to December 1914
- Port Darwin, NT shipping 1900, 1899, 1898, 1889, 1887 - Departures and arrivals.
- Index of shipping Northern Territory of Australia, Port Darwin 1901-1921 (Incomplete)
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Vital Records & Electoral RollsVital Records & Electoral Rolls
Please note:
...many Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory believe that they should not speak the name of the person who has passed away. Speaking their name or showing a photograph may be thought to disturb the spirit and prevent it from leaving safely.[4]
Births, Marraiges & DeathsBirths, Marraiges & Deaths
Unfortunately there is no online, searchable index for Births, Marriage or Death records for the Northern Territory. If you know the name of the person you are looking for you can request a search and order certificates for a fee from the Northern Territory Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages.
If you're not sure of the identity of the indivual you are searching for, MyHeritage may be able to surface obituary and death notices from the Territory via the OldNews Australian Obituary Index. Trove also has a collection of NT newspapers. Titles include the Northern Territory Times and Gazette (1873-1927), The North Australian and Northern Territory Government Gazette (1889-1890), and Northern Standard (1921-1955), among others. The Centralian Advocate (Alice Springs, 1947-1954) is also included. Many of these publications contain Family Notices.
Another way to trace a family notice is via the Ryerson Index, which is an Australia wide index of death and funeral notices, as well as obituaries, in Australian newspapers.
Burial & Probate RecordsBurial & Probate Records
There are 17 declared cemeteries that are recognised under the Burials and Cremation Act 2022 in the NT. These cemeteries are managed by local government councils and other organisations.
The Genealogical Society of The Northern Territory has a list of cemeteries and remote graves and remotes plaques with details of several cemeteries no longer in use. They also provide a research service for non-members.
Find a Grave has listings of some NT graves, including a selection of memorials of people buried on stations and remote Communities.
The NT Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture has a comprehensive research guide to Probate, Wills and Letters of Administration. Some historic Probate records can be obtained from Libraries and Archives Northern Territory (LANT). Their search engine, LANT Archives Navigator, holds indexes for some years.
Electoral RollsElectoral Rolls
Australian Electoral Rolls for the Northern territory can only be accessed in a reading room of the National Library of Australia. It's important to note that between 1912 and 1922 Northern Territory electors are not listed on any electoral rolls. Also, from 1984 residents of the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island are listed on the Northern Territory electoral roll. Prior to then this Island residents were not eligible to vote in Australian Federal elections[5].
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