Tennant Creek

Tennant Creek is a major town in Barkly Tablelands. It is located hundreds of miles from Alice Springs and Darwin, two of Northern Territory's most important settlements. It was named by John McDouall Stuart, a European explorer who discovered Tennant Creek during his expedition in the 1860s, in honor of his sponsor-friend John Tennant.

The Tennant Creek Region is not desert The countryside along the Stuart Highway ranges from the red sands of the Centre, past the Barrow Creek Telegraph Station, through mulga and spinifex shrubland to the flat tablelands of the Barkley Highway, which heads off to Queensland.The flat-topped hills and grassy plains can have surprising changes in store, like the Devil's Marbles, thousands of huge, precariously balanced boulders the Aboriginal people believe are the eggs of the Dreamtime's Rainbow Serpent, and their smaller sized counterpart, the Devil's Pebbles, both quite close to Tennant Creek, in Territory terms.

There is another Telegraph Station, built in 1872 is just north of the town with the original structures remaining. The preserved buildings are a piece of living history, a reminder of the remote outpost before the discovery of gold in the area in the 1930's. There is an explanation for the difference in location of original settlement at the Telegraph Station beside the actual Tennant Creek and the present town site. The story goes that Joe Kilgariff, a Territory pioneer built his store on the site of a bogged beer wagon, later to become the Tennant Creek Hotel, rather than leaving the beer there and continuing some 10 kms on to build and remain thirsty. It's a very short trip to Mary Ann Dam recreation lake.

The contribution of mining to the development and history of the area is evident and you can experience a little of the past in a visit to the local mine sites.The town’s new Visitor Centre at Battery Hill features displays and films focusing on the rich mining, pastoral and droving history. Its pride is the Gold Stamp Battery, still thundering and pounding, where miners brought their ore to be crushed and smelted into gold bars. Experience for youself what it was like down a lamp-lit mine in the old days.

Popular Spots

Tennant Creek currently hosts a number of business establishments including hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and shops. It has become one of the most popular towns in Northern Territory with only 3,500 residents. Half of this population belongs to the Aboriginal community. The town enjoys a continental climate that is pleasant all-year 'round with distinct rainy periods between December and March.

Numerous recreation sites, a pleasant climate, and rich culture are the very reasons people should pack up and take a trip to this magnificent place.

Tennant Creek is home to some of Australia's must-see sites. These sites can be reached by local transportation so visitors would not have a hard time traveling. Here are just some of the spots that should be included in any Tennant Creek traveler's itinerary:

> Battery Hill Mining Centre. Tennant Creek's mining wealth can be found here. Located at the east side of the town center, the Battery Hill houses a huge collection of mining facilities. Aside from exploring the two museums, tourists can also take a trip underground to witness the actual process of trapping gold.

> Lake Mary Ann. This spectacle was previously known as the Mary Ann Dam. Its facilities for recreation include swimming spots, outdoor plains and tracks. Lake Mary Ann is an ideal location for almost every outdoor adventure imaginable – camping, jogging, swimming, etc. There's also the Devil's Marbles, which is a prominent attraction that any tourist would not want to miss. The huge rock formations slated at the shallow valley is photographic, especially when the rocks change into a glowing red color during sun sets.

> The Pebbles.Though not quite as spectacular as the Devil's Marbles in Lake Mary Ann, the Pebbles' beauty lies in its cultural significance. The huge granite formations up north are equally scintillating along with its exquisite flora and fauna.

> Church of Christ the King. There are countless historical structures in Tennant Creek. One of them is this Roman Catholic Church that was built in the early 1900s.

> Phillip Creek Settlement. This particular spot houses theremnants of the Aboriginal peoples traditional way of life. This settlement became the site of an exclusive Aborigine community, which lived there from 1945 to 1956. As such, traces of Aborigine culture can be found here.

> The little known Davenport Range National Park, for the more intrepid visitors, is a relaxing and attractive destination, with much of the scenic value associated with the waterholes, making it great bushwalking and fossicking country of over 1100 sq.kms.

No part of this website, including content, images, photos may be copied, posted, or reproduced
Any errors or advertising requests can be made to admin@ntsearch.com.au