Pine Creek
Home Signal Pine Creek
Is a small town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. According to the 2001 Australian census 665 people live in Pine Creek, which is the fourth largest town between Darwin and Alice Springs. Pine Creek is just off the Stuart Highway (the road from the south to Darwin) and is still a notable tourist stop. A number of events are held each year to promote the town in the region. These include the annual Goldrush Festival, featuring the NT Gold Panning championships and Didgeridoo Jam, the Pine Creek Rodeo and Pine Creek Races. In 2005 a prominent resident of Pine Creek, Edward Ah Toy, was recognised as the Northern Territorian of the year.
History
The town was founded in 1870 during the construction of the Overland Telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin, in 1871 workers digging holes for the telegraph line found gold in the soil, triggering another Australian gold rush. The Northern Territory Railway was built between Pine Creek and Darwin, reaching Pine Creek in 1889 but closing in 1976. The old railway station and some old rolling stock remain. The Alice Springs – Darwin railway (used by The Ghan) now passes near the town.
Indigenous History
Pine Creek was traditionally the junction of three large indigenous ethnic groups. Stretching south-west from the Stuart Highway towards, and across, the Daly River was the land traditionally associated with the Wagiman people. The land east of the Stuart Highway and south of the Kakadu Highway, stretching to Katherine, was associated with the Jawoyn people, and north of the Kakadu Highway was land traditionally associated with Waray.
World War II
Pine Creek Rail
During World War II, the Australian Army set up 65th Australian Camp Hospital near Pine Creek.
Mining
The Eleanor Reef at Pine Creek was discovered in 1880, some 9 years before the railway reached the town. The Jensen Gold Mining Co. established a mine on the reef about a mile from the southern boundary of the Pine Creek Railway reserve. A battery was built in 1893 to crush ore from the Eleanor and another reef and, concurrently, they ordered tramway materials from England. The tramway was operational by 1895. The tramway was still in place in 1912 when surveyors plotted the route of the extension of the North Australia Railway from Pine Creek to Katherine, but was abandoned by 1914 when construction teams arrived. The locomotive was moved to the Maranboy Tin mines in 1916.
Pine Creek Goldfields Limited opened an open-cut gold mine in the region in 1985; however, the mine is now closed and its main pit, the Enterprise Pit, has been carefully filled with water to prevent acid build-up. In June 2007, Territory Resources commenced mining iron ore at their Frances Creek mine just north of Pine Creek. This iron ore was previously mined between 1967 and 1974, and consists of haematite with some goethite and limonite.
Pine Creek
Fascinating historic town full of unusual buildings and memories of the old railway and telegraph line.
Rly Bridge Pine Creek
Located 248 km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway Pine Creek was named after the local creek which was crossed in December 1870 by the teams constructing the Overland Telegraph Line. The creek was notable, as the name suggests, for the many pines on its banks. One of the OTL workers, Sydney Herbert, noted ‘This creek was by no means large, but was remarkable for the pines growing there’. Ironically, although the town was always known as Pine Creek it was officially named Playford on the 24 January 1889. At the time Thomas Playford Sr was the South Australian Commissioner of Crown Lands. Playford’s desire for immortality was misplaced. The town continued to be known as Pine Creek in spite of the government’s attempt to honour him. It was not officially gazetted as Pine Creek until 20 September 1973.
Pine Creek was, until the turn of the century, one of the major centres of the Territory’s mining industry. Consequently the history of the town is largely the history of the Territory’s goldmining industry. In December 1870 a work party drilling holes for the Overland Telegraph Line discovered alluvial gold near Yam Creek. The following year attention turned to Pine Creek and overnight, in spite of warnings that it ‘would be foolish for people to come running here’ it became the site of one of the Territory’s most frenetic goldrushes. Significant deposits of alluvial gold had been discovered either by the overlander, D’Arcy Wentworth Uhr or by G. G. McLachlan – credit for the discovery is somewhat blurred. The Eleanor Gold Reef was opened in late 1872 and the following year the Union Gold Reef established the area as a major goldfield. The town grew rapidly. In 1873 both the Pine Creek Repeater Station and the Police Camp were established. The following year the Royal Mail Hotel, the town’s first, was opened and a year later it had competition from The Standard.
The surface gold disappeared rapidly but the goldfields were kept active by Chinese miners who entered the area in considerable numbers. Initially they were brought in as ‘coolie labour’ with the South Australian government paying £20 per person. However the coolies, who were virtual slaves, were in ill-health and unwilling to work. The coolies, who had come from Singapore and Malaysia, were followed by Chinese diggers from Hong Kong who poured onto the goldfields. By the mid-1880s there were over 2000 Chinese in Pine Creek. In 1889 Chinese immigration was stopped. However, between 1883 and 1889, Chinese labour had been used to build the railway line from Darwin. This was another attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to establish a railway line from Darwin to Port Augusta. The idea of a Transcontinental Rail Link had been first raised in the 1870s but it had always seemed far-fetched. The English novelist and essayist Anthony Trollope thought the whole scheme absurd and summed up the attitude of many cynics when he wrote: ‘I can’t believe in the expenditure of £10 million on the construction of a railway which is run through a desert to go nowhere.’
Cosmopolitan Tramway, Pine Creek, circa 1895
This advice was ignored. In 1883 the South Australian government decided to build a line from Darwin to Palm Creek. In 1886 a contract was awarded to a Melbourne company which had underbid its competitors by demanding the right to use coolie labour. The process was that Singhalese and Indian gangs did the grubbing and earthwork. Behind them came the Chinese laying plates and up to 1200 metres of track a day. The construction was daunting. Between Darwin and Pine Creek a total of 310 bridges and flood openings were built. The first train arrived at Pine Creek in June, 1889. The great plans for a Transcontinental Line were not continued and by 1890 it was clear that estimates of use of the line had been optimistic and the service was reduced to two days per week. It was not until 1917 that the line to the Katherine River was completed. Pine Creek became an overnight stop on the journey to Darwin. There were various services for the transportation of cattle and goods but by 1930 the mixed train, also known as Leaping Lena had an established timetable. The mixed train left Darwin at 8.00 am on Wednesdays and was scheduled to arrive at Pine Creek at 4.46 pm. Those travelling on to Katherine stayed overnight and again left at 8.00 am the next morning arriving in Katherine at 11.00 am. After an hour’s stop the train continued on to Burdam (the end of the line) arriving at 5.51 pm. It is still remembered by many who used the service in the 1930s that the train was rarely, if ever, on time.
By the 1930s Pine Creek was diminishing in importance. World War II saw the town become an important staging camp and after the war some mines were reopened. Minerals such as uranium, iron ore, silver, lead and zinc were sought and Pine Creek became a service centre for over 500 miners. Between 1942 and 1965 tin was mined at Mount Masson and the government built a battery at Mt Wells for local prospectors.In 1959 United Uranium Ltd commenced processing uranium ore at Moline Mill from their El Sharana mine on the South Alligator River. In 1966 the Francis Creek Iron Mining Co was formed and production of high grade iron ore commenced shortly afterwards. During the 1980s the improved price of gold on international markets encouraged further mineral exploration and in 1985 a joint venture between Enterprise Gold Mines NL and Renison Goldfields Consolidated Ltd commenced extensive open cut operations around the old Enterprise mine. Pine Creek is still a rich goldfield. New mining companies have arrived to exploit it with new machinery and new techniques. The town is now located off the Stuart Highway to the east. It is worth a visit as the Railway Museum, Old Repeater Station, and Mining exhibition are all of considerable interest. Ah Toy’s Bakery and some of the other old buildings are fascinating more for their makeshift construction than anything else.
Butterfly Gorge Nature Park
Butterfly Gorge Nature Park
Olloo Road
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
Cool crevices in the rock face of beautiful Butterfly Gorge provide shelter for thousands of Common Crow Butterflies. The rock pools provide a chance for a refreshing swim and are shaded by paperbarks up to 50 metres tall. This quiet gorge is tucked away at the base of a low sandstone plateau. The sheer rock faces, edged by dense riverine vegetation and rocky spinifex country, offer shaded riverine walks and stunning scenery.
Past logging industries removed many of the melaleucas and the timber was used to build the Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin. The park protects a part of the Douglas River that eventually flows into the Daly River, about 50 kilometres downstream. The gorge and main swimming area are a 10 minute walk from the car park and you can swim across the main pool and through the narrow gorges to reach the upper pools. More enthusiastic walkers may climb up the rocky slopes to reach the top of the gorge with views of the rock pools.
Open 24 hours a day, from May to October.
Enterprise Pit Mine Lookout
Enterprise Pit Mine Lookout
Mine Lookout
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
The Enterprise Pit Mine Lookout in Pine Creek affords a panoramic view of the open cut pit left when Pine Creek Goldfields ceased operation in 1994. Before being mined this area was Enterprise Hill, now it’s Enterprise Pit. The pit is now a 135 metres deep and filled with water, but before its closure, more than 764,000 ounces of gold were extracted from the mine.
Open Daily, 24 hours.
Lazy Lizard Tavern
Lazy Lizard Tavern
299 Millar Terrace
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
Built from mud brick and local timber with historic touches throughout, the Lazy Lizard Tavern is an eclectic design with a tropical open air feel. So stop in for a cool drink and a chat with the local. The tavern is also a popular restaurant and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. The meals served are good quality traditional pub fare, complemented by daily specials created by the resident French chef.
Open from 12 noon to 9pm Monday to Sunday. Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.
National Trust Museum – Pine Creek
National Trust Museum - Pine Creek
Railway Terrace
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
Pine Creek is the only original mining town remaining in the Top End from the gold rush era of the 1870s. The National Trust Museum building is the oldest surviving prefabricated structure in the Northern Territory. Originally the home of the Mining Warden in Burrundie, it was later moved to Pine Creek in 1913 and over the years it served many purposes such as; a doctors residence, clinic, dispensary, military hospital, and post office and exchange. Today the building houses the National Trust museum and town library. A browse through the building and its contents sheds light on the gold rush, local Chinese history, buffalo hunters and the Overland Telegraph Line.
Between April and September – open Monday to Friday from 11am to 5pm, Saturday 11am to 1pm, closed Sundays. Between October to March – open Monday to Friday 1pm to 5pm, closed weekends.
Pine Creek Railway Precinct
Pine Creek Railway Precinct
Main Terrace
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
Explore the Pine Creek Railway Precinct. The initial terminus of an uncompleted 19th century transcontinental railway system, the railway’s contribution to the development of the mining boom in the late 19th century was profound, enabling companies to transport machinery and equipment with greater ease to the mine fields than had been possible previously. It was also a catalyst for the opening of new mines in the area. Its contribution to the development of Pine Creek and other towns along its route was also important.
Pine Creek maintained its importance after the railway was extended to Katherine and during World War II when it became one of the four dispersal bases on the North Australian Railway. On display is one of the original Beyer Peacock locomotives that used to work the line in its heyday. The Miners Park is important in that it provides a visible link between the railway and the mining industry that it contributed so much to. The precinct also provides a place where mining machinery and technology from mines no longer in existence can be maintained to assist in the interpretation of the area’s mining history. The precinct has strong architectural and historical associations and remains a key feature in the township’s heritage and streetscape. Please note that while entry to the precinct is free, an entry fee applies to the railway station.
Open daily from 10am to 2pm, between the months of May to September.
Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park
Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park
22 kilometres along Umbrawarra Road
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
The Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park, located about 115 kilometres from Katherine, protects a beautiful isolated gorge with steep red cliffs and a creek that meanders through the gorge in the early to mid dry season. A walking track winds alongside the creek to a large pool with a small sandy beach. The rest of the gorge can only be reached by wading, swimming and rock hopping. The Wagiman Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of the land, and ancient Aboriginal art adorns the gorge walls. The car park near the entrance of the gorge was the site of a tin mine in the early 1900s.
Permits must be obtained for rock climbing and abseiling. No water is available, so please bring your own supplies and camping fees apply. Daily. Possible road closures after heavy rains.
Lake Copperfield
Six kilometres south of Pine Creek
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
Lake Copperfield is a cool haven located six kilometres south west of Pine Creek. This reserve has a deep water lake surrounded by hills and is an ideal place to swim, enjoy a picnic, kayak or to simply relax. Lake Copperfield acts as a water reservoir for the local community and therefore, to protect the water quality, camping, washing and motor boating are not permitted, to protect the water quality.
Open daily for day use only, sunrise to sunset.
Pine Creek Water Gardens
Railway Terrace
Pine Creek
Northern Territory
Australia
These water gardens in the middle of town were created after the old railway tracks were uplifted, leaving a series of unsightly trenches, which were then turned into a series of attractive ponds and landscaped gardens. The area is now a pleasant shady place for a picnic or a walk.
Open Daily, 24 hours.
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