THE CONCEPT FOR AN INTERPRETIVE MUSEUM RELATING TO BATCHELOR TOWN – Three happenings of European history dating back to 1911 each stand out as unique and important to Australia and so understated! Before that, the area contained Aboriginal lands of several different tribes; some of those lands were utilized for a Commonwealth defined Aboriginal settlement.
WWII
BATCHELOR DURING THE WAR YEARS – Cleared as a civil aerodrome in 1933 on what was part of the former Batchelor Farm Darwin, Batchelor Aerodrome became an important base for Allied Air operations during the war years from late 1941. The ‘drome became a RAAF base on 3rd July 1941 and on 22nd December
Indigenous Background
ABORIGINAL HERITAGE – The Aboriginal tribes in the immediate area of the Batchelor farm, and subsequent Batchelor township, were Warrai and Kungarakany tribes. As Europeans moved into the area with the development of the Old Telegraph Line, and then the railway and mining, traditional aboriginal people married people of other nationalities. Thus many families which
Mining
RUM JUNGLE URANIUM MINING & BATCHELOR TOWNSHIP – In 1944 the British Government requested its Australian counterpart to search for uranium as they wanted to develop it for peaceful purposes such as power generation. The search was announced in 1948 and a coloured pamphlet produced by the Bureau of Mineral Resources.
Farm
BATCHELOR DEMONSTRATION FARM – When the Commonwealth took control of the Northern Territory in 1911 the authorities were determined to make a full investigation of the economic potential of the country before deciding on a policy for developing the region. One of the first experts appointed to do a survey of the Territory
Update 2011
WHERE WE ARE IN 2011 LEADING UP TO THE OPENING IN 2012 Volunteers have tidied the overgrown grounds with more work to do. Volunteers have also cleaned the rooms of the two buildings which have been subject to squatters and people who have removed many fittings obviously for re-use in their own building. The [...]
