Northern Territory historical timeline

Origins

Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land has been dated to around 65,000 years, making it among the oldest known sites of human occupation in Australia. The rock art of the escarpment records that continuity, including paintings of animals extinct for millennia and, later, of European ships.

Turning points

Darwin was bombed by Japanese aircraft in February 1942 — a heavier raid than Pearl Harbor and largely absent from popular memory for decades. The city was then destroyed again by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974 and rebuilt almost entirely.

Influential people

The Gurindji walk-off at Wave Hill in 1966, led by Vincent Lingiari, began as a strike over wages and became a land claim. It led to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act of 1976, the first law anywhere in Australia to return land on the basis of traditional ownership.

Cultural evolution

Uluru was returned to Anangu ownership in 1985 and leased back as a jointly managed national park. The climb closed in 2019 at the traditional owners' request.

Present-day significance

Around 30% of the Territory's population is Aboriginal, far higher than any state, and roughly half its land is Aboriginal freehold.