Australia's Northern Territory

www.migration.nt.gov.au

A Land of Opportunities

The capital of the Northern Territory is Darwin, with a population of approx. 107,000. The near-by satellite city of Palmerston has around 20,000 residents, and the outer rural area of Litchfield a further 16,000. Darwin is a deep water port located on the Arafura Sea and is the main supply hub for the oil and gas industries located in the Timor Sea and nearby Asia. It is also the base for a large contingent of the Royal Australian Navy, Army and Airforce. Darwin is a modern, well serviced city with excellent educational facilities and a system similar to those in other Australian States. It also has modern, new, sporting facilities, and good shopping based on several shopping precincts containing a number of major retail chains and outlets.



Darwin has major public and private hospitals in addition to a well developed arts and cultural sector. It is undergoing rapid expansion and development to cater for the needs of the increasing tourism market, and expanding population. The city's face will be transformed by the Darwin City Waterfront Project which, by 2007, will see an old port area and associated warehouses transformed into a convention centre, apartments and shopping precinct, with gardens, public open spaces, wave pool, restaurants and hotels.

Due to its deep water port, international airport and excellent road links south, Darwin has become Australia's "Gateway To Asia". The city stands at the northern end of the Australian trade route, and with its modern facilities and stability, it is the logical entry and exit point for the country's exports and imports. This active sector of the economy also provides excellent growth prospects for investors and opportunities for skilled workers.

There are two seasons in the Top End of the Territory, the "wet" from November to April, and the aptly named "dry" from May to October. The wet is monsoon season. Days are humid and hot, with thunderstorms drenching and cleaning the air late afternoon of most days. The dry, by contrast, has clear blue, rain free skies for the entire time and temperatures constant at around 29 degrees celcius.

The Territory's other major cities are Alice Springs, known as "The Alice" home to some 28,000 people right in the geographical centre of Australia. Alice Springs has good education, health and sporting facilities, is linked to Darwin and southward to Adelaide by road and rail, and by air to the rest of the country. "The Alice" is an unusual town in any language. Ringed by the rugged McDonnell ranges, the town is the stepping off point for a variety of drives and tracks which explore the ruggedly beautiful Australian inland. The climate here is not as humid as Darwin and the northern part of the Territory during the wet season, and during the dry season, overnight temperatures can fall to zero!

As well as being the geographic heart of Australia, Alice Springs is the heart of The Territory's tourism industry, with thousands of visitors annually arriving by rail, road and air to take in the wonders of Uluru (Ayres Rock) Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and the ruggedly beautiful scenery of the wild McDonnell ranges. Alice Springs is also the centre for the booming pastoral industry of Central Australia, being the main supply base for stations from thousands of miles around, and the sale and loading point for cattle. Mining is also on the increase in the region with the future looking bright for gold and gemstone exploration. 

Katherine is a town of 10,000 found 300 kilometres south of Darwin. It is located in the heart of a grazing and market-garden region, and has good health, education and sporting facilities. Katherine is also the gateway to an array of fascinating national parks and gorge complexes, making it an ideal base for fishing and bushwalking holidays.

Other centres in The Territory are Tennant Creek, where around 3000 people live some 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs, and Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula, home to some 3800 people and the location of the huge Alcan aluminium mine and smelter.  

There's a special kind of energy in the Northern Territory. Territorians see themselves as being a bit different to other Australians, not just younger in spirit, but forward thinking and confident, tolerant and welcoming and willing to have-a-go.  The people who live and work here have a very youthful attitude, partly because the region has the youngest population of any Australian State or Territory at an average of 30, some five years younger than elsewhere in the country. These factors make for a dynamic population mix, with a very multi-cultural feel.

Mining in the Territory accounts for much of Australia's exports of bauxite, uranium and manganese. Gold is mined in the Tanami Region near Alice Springs while a new manganese mine near Tennant Creek will bring millions of dollars a year in export earnings. Other high demand commodities are extracted from world-class deposits at Groote Eylandt, Jabiru, Nhulunbuy and McArthur River. Add to these the high quality diamonds from the Gulf of Carpenteria region, and its easy to see why this industry sector is always looking for skilled workers with a desire to succeed.

In addition to the mining industry, The Territory plays a major role in the oil and gas industry, with Darwin operating as a northern hub for energy exploration and extraction. The Bayu-Undan gas field in the Timor Sea has attracted multi-billion dollar investment from some of the world's biggest companies. Corporations like Bechtel, Conoco-Phillips and Alcan are already investing in the Territory, and need an ever expanding pool of skilled workers.

As well as ample opportunities for business and employment, the Territory offers an unsurpassed tropical lifestyle. Darwin plays host to a multitude of markets which are patronised by locals and visitors alike. Arts, crafts, fruit and vegetables as well as taste tempting dishes from virtually every region of the world can be purchased amid the colourful, relaxed atmosphere.

Darwin is home to Charles Darwin University (CDU) which, whilst being one of the country's newer faculties of higher education, is very well regarded academically. CDU is home to the new Institute of Advanced Studies and the maritime scientific think-tank, the Arafura Timor Research Foundation has established its major research and development facility adjacent to the university.  CDU also has campuses in Katherine, Palmerston and Alice Springs, as well as a remote learning program. In addition to the marine research underway for the region in Darwin, the Territory leads the world in scientific research in the field of arid and desert climates, as the $27 million Desert Knowledge Precinct in Alice Springs attests.  Darwin also has a number of high schools, both state and private, primary schools and many pre-schools, and is well serviced by a number of specialist colleges dedicated to rural and theological studies.

The Northern Territory of Australia is a place unique in the world. Its scenery ranges from the ochres and earthy tones of the "red centre" and the internationally famous Uluru (Ayres Rock) through to lush tropical greenery and turquoise and sparkling blues of the Arafura and Timor Seas in the north. With a climate that welcomes outdoor living all year round, and some of the best fishing and bush-scenery in the country, it is no wonder that so many people from so many different parts of the world have made it their home. Australia's Northern Territory is waiting for you . And so are unlimited opportunities!