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When you see this blue icon, you can copy the reference and send it, or share it with anyone. To copy the link, right click on the blue icon - After you copy the link, it can be emailed, or texted to a friend to help them find any post, image or piece of information that you'd like to share with them. (These are called Anchor Links).
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You can use this search tool below to find any image quickly if you know its reference number.
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I am uploading all of my high-resolution Darwin Historical Colourised images to my Google Drive in the cloud.
You can download them by clicking on the image.
These are zipped into single files of 50 images for each group, and each image within an individual sub-directory so that everyone can enjoy them in the future.
Listen to my Interview with James Finlay on ABC Radio Darwin
I did a live ABC Radio Darwin interview on the 8th of September 2022, however, it was very hard to select my interview within the program on a PC, and almost impossible on a phone.
The interview was with James Finlay on the "Afternoon Show", and covered my colourisation of my Darwin historical Photographs.
Click on the image and jump straight to my Google Drive and listen to the full 19:25 minutes.
Thank you Sajarn Stow for your assistance.
Darwin Links
This will be an ongoing project over possibly many months to build it into what I would like to achieve.
Any Commercial Websites that are added will only be Historical or Community based, such as Museums, Archives, History based tours, etc.
I will accept submissions from readers, but please, I need the URL, a Title, and a short description to be able to add an entry easily.
I am still suffering from the effects of Long Covid (acquired in the NT), so please be gentle, and don't expect any additions quickly. Don...
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There will be events to commemorate the occasion up and down the line and a group in South Australia and the NT have a website to inform anyone interested in the 'Events' section.
It is also a place to read about the OTL and participate in forums.
The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3,200 km (2,000 mi) telegraph line that connected Port Darwin N.T. to Port Augusta in South Australia in 1872. This was a significant milestone in the history of the development of Australia.
Commemorative events are planned in S.A. and N.T. The links below will direct you to the schedules, venues and contact details for each event.
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Cadastral map of Palmerston (Darwin), Northern Territory. Details include lot numbers, reserves, Government House, street names, and first telegraph pole.
Township of Palmerston, on the east side of Port Darwin. Including boundaries of "Chinese gardens" with a note, shows lot numbers, Pine Creek railway, Harbourmaster's residence, sold and unsold allotments, and cricket oval.
Robert Porter
Parap railway workshops and sidings showing the two different layouts in 1895 and 1976.
Robert Porter
Darwin. Four different layouts of the yard where the old railway station and associated buildings and structures from 1895 up until the closure of the North Australian Railway.
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My thanks to Bryan Baker for pointing me to this map, and many other items.
This is a large 3.78Mb map with lot numbers. If you really want to study it in depth, I suggest you download the JPG to a PC, and use an image viewer to navigate your way around it.
Creator: Sean Casey
Citation address: https://hdl.handle.net/10070/457641
Residence Map
By Sean Casey Place of publication - Moil Territory Stories NT
Sean not only gave me permission to use this map on my website, he supplied me with his latest version.
This is a great map with a lot of work done to produce it. Lot numbers and all.
This version can be blown up to 500% and still be readable. Not that you need that.
I know many people will enjoy this map as it is now a great on-line experience. I also know it will trigger greater awareness and conversation of Darwin's History, on that dramatic day in Darwin.
My special thanks to Rosemary Chalmers for putting me in direct contact with Sean.
Clicking on the Updated image below to open the full PDF file. Best done on a PC.
The original map and full credits can be found at this Link:
Creator: Darryl Withnall
For PC use only.
Darwin, as it was on 18 February 1942 (before the bombing), Revised 2017
With Sean's permission, Darryl has used his basic data and produced a web-friendly residence map of what Sean Casey has produced. This is a vector-based web image that is much clearer than a raster (jpeg, tiff, etc.) image, and does not lose resolution even when zoomed right in. It is very simple to navigate as it uses a point and view enlarged screen capture system.
In fact, it is much easier to run this program and check the results, than to try to explain it.
It really is simple now, to navigate over this map.
Darryl would like to add new features over a period of time, such as:
"You could have a button on a web page that hides all the buildings except the ones that still exist, like Cashman's News agency, Bank of NSW, Brown's Mart, etc".
These updates will take time, and suggestions are welcome.
Click on the image below to open the new map program:
From the 1887 Palmerston township map. Beach Lots 868, 869, and 870 are further detailed in the image below:
Darwin 1944 Military-grade Aerial photo with a modern GPS mapped street overlay.
A three way collaboration project by Don McKenzie, Bryan Baker, and Mick Gulovsen.
For many years, I have stayed at the ZEN apartments on Carey Street, looked out over the balcony, and had a magnificent view of the old Darwin Railway yards, and Stokes Hill. I always wondered about the location of the old Darwin Station. In fact, I had it on my thimble list to actually find out exactly where it was.
On the 6-Apr-1944, a year after I was born, a B&W military-grade aerial photograph was taken from 6000 feet of Darwin town.
Around the 18-March-2022
I rotated it 180 degrees to make it more in line with north being up, then colourised, enhanced, and sharpened it so that it became a reasonable quality image that could be looked at by anyone who wished to study the Darwin streets of 1944, the WWII years.
To set it to correct north would have meant a very unusual image shape, which would reduce overall resolution, or loosing perhaps 35% of the image. I felt this wasn't an option.
BTW My best claim to fame in this collaboration, may be having the first Personal Computer in Australia.
This was in March of 1978. This story is told on my "About Us" page.
I then asked for assistance in getting some street labels on the image, so that we could examine both "standard" and "street label" versions. I knew this may be a labour intensive job, and many hours could be spent, and didn't relish the thought of doing this myself.
Environmental Scientist Bryan Baker of Darwin, came to the rescue with a GPS mapped street overlay, that we added to the final image. Bryan has many years experience with aerial photography interpretation, GIS and mapping.
To top this off, Andrew King (Admin - Darwin History FB Group) came up with a better resolution B&W image, and questioned the resolution of the final output. So maybe this is a four way collaboration.
Then we found another major hurdle. Bryan wasn't able to mix this new high resolution image readily with his overlay.
I got onto my old friend Mick Gulovsen, who has spent 40+ years with me in the computer game and he was able to do the mixing. He is a wiz with images.
The resolution then shot up from approx. 900 x 900 up to around 4000 x 4000 pixels.
To my knowledge, this is the first time in Darwin that an analogue photograph has been mapped with a GPS street view overlay to this high resolution standard.
Alignment registration:
We all spent a lot of time fine tuning the overlay, to get a good match on the before and after images.
An aircraft at 6000 feet! Is the focal point directly in the middle of the image? Is the camera at precisely 90 degrees to the ground? There are so many things that could upset an analogue image from being 100% accurate in those years. Even perhaps slight air turbulence. So to match it in with what is a dead set accurate GPS generated map, requires a little bit of fiddling. There are slight inaccuracies that must be overlooked.
Major items of interest:
Lameroo Beach side of The Esplanade is a very different layout.
Mitchell Street no longer meets The Esplanade.
Cavenagh Street no longer meets The Esplanade.
Harry Chan Avenue takes over the bottom end of Cavenagh, and preserves the Tree of Knowledge.
Woods Street no longer meets The Esplanade.
McMinn Street takes a wild sweep across the bottom end of where Wood Street was. Previously it went straight down to the railway line.
Bennett Street ran all the way to the railway station on the right hand side of this image.
Because of recent road works, a small section of Tiger Brennan Drive seems to be isolated. This is between McMinn Street and Garramilla Boulevard. Just my opinion, I feel it could be Bennett Street still, so you can see it on sign posts as you drive into town. With no physical addresses in this section, it wouldn't be hard to do.
A three way collaboration project by Don McKenzie, Bryan Baker, and Mick Gulovsen.
I have given a medium resolution option, as the images below are 4000+ pixels, and these links will display 2500+ pixel sizes. For casual viewing, these two links may suit most viewers.
If you click on the image below, it will open up in a new TAB, and a further click should bring you up to full resolution 4000 pixel mode.
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You can actually have two tabs open on a PC in full resolution view (4000 pixel mode), and flick between the tabs for comparisons.
Thank you Bryan Baker for the street overlay. Nice work.
And to Mick Gulovsen for mixing the hi-res images in with the overlay.
With Street Overlay:
(click to jump to image, another click to enlarge).
A three way collaboration project by Don McKenzie, Bryan Baker, and Mick Gulovsen.
If you click on the image below, it will open up in a new TAB, and a further click should bring you up to full resolution 4000 pixel mode.
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You can actually have two tabs open on a PC in full resolution view (4000 pixel mode), and flick between the tabs for comparisons.
Thank you Bryan Baker for the street overlay. Nice work.
And to Mick Gulovsen for mixing the hi-res images in with the overlay.
With Street Overlay:
(click to jump to image, another click to enlarge).
Andrew King
People are often asking where is the present day location of the old Darwin Railway Station.
Here is a short video with a 1955 aerial photo is morphed with a 2001 aerial photograph.
The Station is circled in red.
Video will open up in a new Tab, and you can set it to full screen if you wish.
Colour transition will start to take place at around the 10 second mark. You need to wait for it to change.
Robert Porter Facebook post
I just came across this and has all the businesses and buildings 1948 to 1954 in the Darwin central district area. Some of these might have also been there before 1948 and still there after 1954. As there were no photos, the book is still available. A lot of those names, I haven't heard about, but I'd like to find out on the Internet or the N.T library.
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NOTE *** Google Earth Map 1. Darwin CBD Area.
Google Earth and Military Grade Darwin Photographs. 6-April-2022
I seem to have gathered up a small group of very talented computer savvy friends since I have been posting to the Darwin Facebook Groups.
They have been willing to join me in my quest to create a mixture of old and new Darwin, and share their results with everyone using modern technology. Looking from a very different viewpoint, we hope it brings a new dimension to the study of Darwin, both old and new.
Be warned. You need to be pretty much up to date with using a PC computer to gain a lot out of this little project. Google Earth experience will help considerably.
Bryan Baker has put together a Google Earth "KMZ" file that allows you to view a 1944 aerial image of Darwin CBD area, interlaced with Google Earth. This is a very similar operation to Google Maps.
Please let me also warn you, I have not extensively used Google Earth, in fact until Bryan prompted me, I hadn't looked at it for about 3 years, so I am not an expert. If you are, or a prepared to give it a try, here is what you need.
You need to download two things.
1) Google Earth Pro. This is free and must be installed on your PC.
2) 1940s image KMZ file. Nearly 1 Mb. You need to download the zip file and unzip it to a KMZ file.
You then run Google Earth, create a project, and load the KMZ file into it.
If you get that far, then the magic will begin.
I hope you can now teach me something new, as I know this is a powerful program, but have no idea how to get the best out of it.
And Good Luck!
NOTE *** Google Earth Map 2. Darwin - Stuart Park Area.
Google Earth and Military Grade Darwin -Stuart Park Photographs. 11-April-2022
I seem to have gathered up a small group of very talented computer savvy friends since I have been posting to the Darwin Facebook Groups.
They have been willing to join me in my quest to create a mixture of old and new Darwin, and share their results with everyone using modern technology. Looking from a very different viewpoint, we hope it brings a new dimension to the study of Darwin, both old and new.
Be warned. You need to be pretty much up to date with using a PC computer to gain a lot out of this little project. Google Earth experience will help considerably.
Bryan Baker has put together a Google Earth "KMZ" file that allows you to view a 1944 aerial image of Darwin - Stuart Park area, interlaced with Google Earth. This is a very similar operation to Google Maps.
Please let me also warn you, I have not extensively used Google Earth, in fact until Bryan prompted me, I hadn't looked at it for about 3 years, so I am not an expert. If you are, or a prepared to give it a try, here is what you need.
You need to download two things.
1) Google Earth Pro. This is free and must be installed on your PC.
2) 1940s image KMZ file. Nearly 1 Mb. You need to download the zip file and unzip it to a KMZ file.
You then run Google Earth, create a project, and load the KMZ file into it.
If you get that far, then the magic will begin.
I hope you can now teach me something new, as I know this is a powerful program, but have no idea how to get the best out of it.
And Good Luck!
After a little experimentation, I have found that you can run the on-line version of Google Earth with Bryan Baker's KMZ files. You don't have all the features that the Pro Version gives you, but I feel for many users, this could be more than enough. See Image Below:
You need to do two things.
1) Go to the Google Earth on-line version.
2) Download the zip file and unzip it to a KMZ file.
I am told you can load both KMZ files, copy them to a folder, and save them as a single file, but I haven't got there yet. Not sure if this is for online or PRO.
You then run Google Earth, create a project, and load the KMZ file into it.
If you get that far, then the magic will begin. Click on the 3D button.
And Good Luck!
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Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart. Two Famous Darwin Visitors 1930s. Amy Johnson (left) and Amelia Earhart in New York, 2 August 1933. Image courtesy of The Amy Johnson Estate.
A Facebook group to share Darwin's historical photographs that have been colourised. Photos should be of Darwin or the surrounding area and be historical in nature. For more details, please read the "About" Group information.
Miles Peg NT, is a site that aims to gather together stories and photos of World War 2 sites along the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory Australia.A note: Unless a press release photo sanctioned by the defense forces, please do not post pictures.
4,497 people follow this.
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Description Heading to Darwin? Want to know what to do when you are here? Travel with us around Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. Using the DJI Mavic Air 2S drone, Samsung Gear 360, the GoPro Hero 8 Black and Kogan underwater cameras, take a look around Darwin, the top end of Australia. 1.17K subscribers.
Thank you Marianne McAdie for directing me to this one:
Aerial Views of Darwin during World War II - The Bombing of Darwin
On 19 February 1942 Darwin was bombed by two separate Japanese air raids in the largest attack ever mounted by a foreign country on Australia. The strike left hundreds of soldiers and residents dead, and many others were injured.
This video was originally made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin in 2012.
The video presents various aerial views over Darwin in 1941, 1943, 1945 and 2011. The views over the harbour are particularly interesting as they depict ships on fire. In the 1945 view, a large sunken warship can be seen just off the pier.
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The early days of Palmerston:
On 5th February 1869, George W. Goyder, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established a small settlement of 135 men and women at Port Darwin. Goyder named the settlement Palmerston, after the current British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston.
The streets of Palmerston (now known as Darwin) had been named by Goyder on the journey north from Adelaide to the location long before the site of the township had been selected. Goyder named all the streets after surveyors and members of his party except for Cavenagh Street, which was named after Wentworth Cavenagh-Mainwaring (1822-1895), a South Australian farmer, land agent and MP who was the Commissioner for Lands. His name was given to the principal street and the town square.
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Devoted to cataloguing the many and varied architectural treasures of the Northern Territory, Australia.
NT Modern seeks to identify some of the wonderful modernist buildings in the NT. The focus of this site is on public structures built post WW2 as there are already many organisations that have identified the architectural heritage (pre-WW2) of the NT.
Information relating to these buildings is fairly scarce to say the least, so the site is open to anyone who would like to contribute photos, specific information or even memories and anecdotes about the buildings. Obviously it's not an exhaustive list and we'd be happy to hear about buildings which are not featured that are still standing or those that have unfortunately been demolished.
Jeffrey Fong shared a link: Australian Screen. An NFSA Website.
In this short clip, the camera observes part of Darwin’s town centre, main street and shopfronts. People walking along the footpaths under shopfront verandahs look at the camera. A Chinese family walks into one of the shopfronts before the clip ends on a close-up on one of the boys looking straight into the camera.Just putting up this old movie of China Town area again for those that haven't seen it. You can see the Tree of Knowledge down Cavenagh St
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The Darwin Aviation Museum (formerly known as Australian Aviation Heritage Centre) is an accredited Northern Territory tourism attraction hosting 30,000 visitors each year.
The Darwin Aviation Museum is the commercial arm of the Aviation Historical Society of the Northern Territory.
Specializing in WW2 military items. On Displays at Marrakai Military museum. Australian, American, German, Japanese and Russian uniforms and artifacts. Art, photos and ceramics. Items from Midway, Tobruk, Band of Brothers, Z Force, Sea Mine 40mm Bofors Auto canon, and much more. For the first time in 75 years.
The Only Mark 8 Motorized Cockleshell Canoe M.H.M.S 22 is on Display immortalized in the film The Cockleshell Heroes. The one on display was used by the Australia Z Force, Special Units in WW2. Darwin Best WW2 Museum Marrakai Military Museum.
36 Stephen Road Marrakai. Just Follow the signs From the Corroboree Tavern. Open All public holidays Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 5 pm Sunday 10am to 4 pm.
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Check out the video first, and you will see that your clipboard now has a copy of the link required.
Don't understand Clipboard? Do a "Ctrl and V" to paste the Clipboard contents into a message.
Google Street View:
https://goo.gl/maps/fKzkemnSFX89YjbR6
One of the most asked questions about the history if Darwin is "Where was the Darwin Railway Station?"
As shown in this 1944 colourised map, it can be found at the end of old Bennett Street. This is now in a car park off Frances Bay Drive, almost straight out from the ZEN apartments.
For the first time, we can now verify the exact location using a high resolution Military grade colourised photograph, that has a GPS generated "Streets and Labels" overlay mixed with it.
The station operated from 1889 to 1975.
-12.460173, 130.847247
Station location on Google maps. Verified with Bryan Baker.
Please share this story with your family and friends so that they can read about the Darwin stories, its history, and what it has to offer tourists.
Thank you very much, Don...
