Page 270 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

268  THE NOR THERN TERRIT OR Y

Multicultural Northern Territory

The Northern Territory, with its proximity to Indonesia and the
Pacific Islands, has long served as Australia’s “front door” to
immigrants. Around 500 years ago, Portuguese and Dutch ships
charted the waters of the northern coast and from the 1700s traders
from the Indonesian archipelago visited the northern shores.
From 1874, when Chinese gold prospectors arrived in Darwin,
the tropical north has appealed to Southeast Asians and, being
closer to Indonesia than to Sydney or Melbourne, the city markets
itself as Australia’s gateway to Asia. There are now more than 50
ethnic groups living in Darwin, including Greeks and Italians who Harry Chan, elected
arrived in the early 20th century, and East Timorese, Indonesians, in 1966, was the first
Mayor of Darwin of
Thais and Filipinos, together with the town’s original mix of Chinese descent.
Aboriginals and those of Anglo-Celtic stock.

Mindil Beach Sunset Market is among several Asian-
style food markets in the Darwin area. More than 60
food stalls serve Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese,
Sri Lankan, Malaysian and Greek cuisine (see p276).

The Darwin Festival features indigenous
and multicultural performances from local
artists and acts from Asia and Australia.

The Chinese in the Top End
In 1879, a small carved figure dating from the Ming
dynasty (1368–1644) was found in the roots of a tree
on a Darwin beach, causing much speculation that a
Chinese fleet may have visited this coast in the 15th
century. If so, it was the start of an association between
China and the Top End which endures today. Chinese
came here in search of gold in the 1870s. By 1885, there
were 3,500 Chinese in the Top End, and 40 years later Chinese man using buffalo to haul wood in early
Darwin had become a Chinese-run shanty town with 19th-century Darwin
Chinese families managing its market gardens and
general stores. Today, many of the area’s leading families are of Chinese origin; Darwin has had two Lord
Mayors of Chinese descent, and fifth-generation Chinese are spread throughout the city’s businesses.