Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT) is a federal Australian territory in the centre and central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west (129th meridian east), South Australia to the south (26th parallel south), and Queensland to the east (138th meridian east). To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Despite its large area—over 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. With a population of 233,300 it is the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories, having fewer than half as many people as Tasmania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territory -

Unique history for genealogical purposes - Depending on the time period you are researching records can be held in a number of different states of Australia. It was not until 1 January 1911, a decade after federation, that the Northern Territory (NT) was separated from South Australia. It was part of New South Wales from 1824-1863 with various border arrangements existing over its history from the date of European settlement in 1788. For more information refer to http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/magazine.php?article=393

The Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory - Due to the unique nature of the Territory, the GSNT has undertaken a range of projects to gather more detailed information about people who have lived, died, worked and travelled through the Territory, dating back to 1824, including some rare indigenous records. There were a wide variety of workers in the Territory during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many of whom came from overseas and interstate. If your ancestor has gone missing, you might find them here! http://www.gsnt.org.au

Convicts in the NT - Did you know some of the early convicts were sent to the NT? The book 'Distant Settlements: Convicts in Remote Australia' by Edward Street contains some fascinating information http://www.historicalsocietynt.org.au/services.htm