Cobourg Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about 2,100 km², and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 to 30 in five family outstation
Outstation
Historically, an outstation was a subsidiary homestead or other dwelling, on Australian sheep or cattle stations which were large enough to have more than a day's travel between different parts of the property....
s, but without any notable settlement or village. It is separated from Croker Island
Croker Island
Croker Island is an island in the Arafura Sea off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia, 200 km northeast of Darwin. It is separated from Cobourg Peninsula in the west by Bowen Strait, which is 2.5 km wide in the south and up to 7 km in the north, and 8.5 km long. In...
in the east by Bowen Strait, which is 2.5 km wide in the south and up to 7 km in the north, and 8.5 km long. In the west, it is separated from Melville Island
Melville Island, Northern Territory
Melville Island or Yermalner Island lies in the eastern Timor Sea, off the coast of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is west of the Cobourg Peninsula in Arnhem Land and north of Darwin....
by Dundas Strait
Dundas Strait
Dundas Strait is a sea passage in the Northern Territory of Australia located between Melville Island and the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park on the Cobourg Peninsula. It connects the Arafura Sea to the Van Diemen Gulf....
. From Cape Don, the western point of the peninsula, to Soldier Point in the east of Melville Island, the distance is 28 km. In the north is the Arafura Sea, and in the south the Van Diemen Gulf
Van Diemen Gulf
Van Diemen Gulf is a gulf between Arnhem Land, of the attached Cobourg Peninsula and Melville Island in northern Australia. It is connected to the Timor Sea in the west by the Clarence Strait , and to the Arafura Sea in the north by Dundas Strait...
. The highest elevation is Mount Roe in the south with 160 metres.
All of Cobourg Peninsula is part of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
Garig Gunak Barlu is a national park around the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, Australia, 216 km northeast of Darwin. It was established by joining the former Gurig National Park and the Cobourg Marine Park....
, which also encompasses a few nearshore islands. Mostly a tourist attraction, it is known for its pristine wilderness. It is home to a large variety of sea life and the world's largest herd of pure-strain banteng
Banteng
The banteng , also known as tembadau, is a species of wild cattle found in Southeast Asia.Banteng have been domesticated in several places in Southeast Asia, and there are around 1.5 million domestic banteng, which are called Bali cattle. These animals are used as working animals and for their meat...
. It is also renowned for its Aboriginal culture. While it is only sparsely inhabited today, it was once the site of an attempt at founding a major trading port on its northern shores, Port Essington
Port Essington
Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
, of which the ruins are still accessible today.
There are no notable settlements or villages on Cobourg Peninsula, just a few family outstation
Outstation
Historically, an outstation was a subsidiary homestead or other dwelling, on Australian sheep or cattle stations which were large enough to have more than a day's travel between different parts of the property....
s and other establishments along or close to the north coast, from west to east :
- Cape Don LightCape Don LightCape Don Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Don, at the tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia, in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, marking the entrance to the Dundas Strait. It is Australia's northernmost traditional lighthouse. The station served on the important...
(lighthouse) - Cape Don Airport (ICAO Code YCPD) (grass airfield 1800 m, opened 8 Nov 1989)
- Araru Point (Araru) (family outstation)
- Ardbinae (Adbanae, Trepang Bay) (family outstation)
- Port EssingtonPort EssingtonPort Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
(Victoria Settlement) (former European settlement) - Gumuragi (Gumeragi, Reef Point) (family outstation)
- Algarlalgari (Black Point) (ranger station)
- Ngardimardi (Smith Point) (camping area)
- Gul Gul (Danger Point) (abandoned family outstation, ruins)
- Meriah (Mariah, Raffles Bay) (family outstation)
- Irgul (Irgul Point) (family outstation)
The closest village is Minjilang on Croker Island
Croker Island
Croker Island is an island in the Arafura Sea off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia, 200 km northeast of Darwin. It is separated from Cobourg Peninsula in the west by Bowen Strait, which is 2.5 km wide in the south and up to 7 km in the north, and 8.5 km long. In...
close east.
See also
- Garig Gunak Barlu National ParkGarig Gunak Barlu National ParkGarig Gunak Barlu is a national park around the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, Australia, 216 km northeast of Darwin. It was established by joining the former Gurig National Park and the Cobourg Marine Park....