Pre-European settlement The
Kungarrakan and
Awarai Aboriginal peoples are acknowledged as the
traditional owners of the land surrounding the present day town of Adelaide River. There was little acknowledgement of their connection to the land in the early history of the area, evidenced by the predominantly European place names. The following year, Mr. Edward Hopewell was awarded this mail contract and built the Q.C.E. Hotel on the river bank and a restaurant, the "Jolly Waggoner" was opened by George Doherty, increasing the importance of the area as an overnight stop for travellers. The first police station in the town was constructed in 1879. Prior to the construction of the
railway to
Pine Creek, the Adelaide River crossing was the overnight stopping point for the Haimes Royal Mail Coach which linked
Southport with the goldfields. In 1886 a contract was signed between the
Government of South Australia and construction firm C&E Millar to build the railway between
Port Darwin (then known as Palmerston) and the goldfields at
Pine Creek. By April 1888 the railway had reached Adelaide River. Construction of the long steel girder across the river itself used five spans supported on four sets of piers. The bridge was all but complete by the onset of the wet season later that year. The first train to cross reached the southern bank on 3 December 1888, followed five days later by the first scheduled service, hauled by the locomotive "Silverton".
Early 20th century Pastoral and agricultural activity were stimulated with the issuing of leases for
Crown Land. In 1911 brothers Frank and Fred Hardy, local buffalo hunters, established
Mount Bundy Station on an 834sq mi pastoral lease near the town of Adelaide River. Using local
Aboriginal stockmen to hunt and process the animals, they began exporting buffalo hide to European markets. During the 1920s, Dutch-born agriculturalist Edwin Verburg (1869–1965) established a farm in the township irrigated by a weir he constructed across the river. Work began in 1936 on a road linking
Darwin to Adelaide River. As the railway was still the primary means of transportation at this time, it was an unsealed, dry weather road that was poorly maintained. This road followed a similar route to the present day
Stuart Highway. Around the same period, a road south towards the rail yards at
Larrimah was also developed to a similar standard.
World War II Adelaide River played a central role in the
defence of Australia during the second world war. In 1939, the town was designated as a rest area for personnel serving in
Darwin, Northern Territory. The allied response was a significant increase of forces to rebuild and greatly expand defences in the region. A military airfield was built in the town close to the railway station, along with several others in the surrounding district including
Coomalie Creek and
Pell. In addition an artillery and weapons range was established at
Tortilla Flats, between Coomalie Creek and Adelaide River. The town became an important tactical supply and communications base for all branches of the armed forces. In August 1942, the
Adelaide River War Cemetery was established. At the height of hostilities, there were up to 30,000
Australian Army and
United States soldiers based near the town. An ammunition dump, including a spur railway line, was established at Snake Creek, to the north. Whilst the facility became operational towards the end of the war, it was too late to be useful in the war effort. Additional rail sidings were built at the town station to serve ambulance or "hospital" trains that brought wounded personnel to the field hospitals in the area. In addition to many transient units, the 107th Australian General Hospital and 119th Australian General Hospital were set up within Adelaide River. Some of the major units deployed or detached to Adelaide River during the war included:
2nd AIF •
27th Australian Infantry Battalion •
28th Australian Infantry Battalion • 1st Australian Field Survey Section,
Royal Australian Engineers • 119th Australian General Hospital • 6th Army Topographical Survey Company,
Royal Australian Survey Corps • 1st Australian Farm Coy.
Royal Australian Army Service Corps • 121st Australian General Transport Coy. • 140th Australian General Transport Coy. • AACS (Australian Army Canteens Service)
Royal Australian Air Force • HQ North-West Area • No. 2 Base Personnel Staff Office • No. 24 Wing •
No. 44 Wing RAAF •
No. 161 Radar Station RAAF •
No. 321 Radar Station RAAF •
11 Signals Unit RAAF • No. 8 RAAF Postal Unit
Royal Australian Navy • RAN Armament Depot Snake Creek • RAN Wireless Transmitting Station (Standby Facility)
United States units • 997th Signal Service Battalion • 135th Medical Regiment • Fleet Radio Unit, Adelaide River (
USN) • 43rd Material Squadron,
Air Technical Service Command, USAAF • 709th Ordnance Co. • 24th Signal Platoon During the war years, the road to Darwin which would become the
Stuart Highway was sealed to cope with an increase in vehicular movements between military camps in the district. By 1943 over 2000 vehicles were using the road per day.
1945 – present day On 11 January 1962, Adelaide River was officially proclaimed a town. The gazetted area comprises 626.8ha. Declining passenger numbers on the
North Australia Railway led to services on the line being suspended in 1976. The line was officially closed in 1981 along with the Adelaide River station, Adelaide River police Sergeant
Glen Huitson was shot and killed while on duty by fugitive
Rodney Ansell on 3 August 1999 on the Old Bynoe Rd near
Livingstone. An unarmed civilian was also wounded in the fire fight. Sgt. Huitson was posthumously awarded several bravery medals over the incident. A park in the town was dedicated in his honour. In 2001, the Adelaide River Railway Heritage Precinct was established to restore and maintain the station as a museum and preserve the railway heritage of the town. A third river crossing was opened on 29 July 2003 as part of the construction for the northern section of the
Adelaide-Darwin Railway. The first scheduled trains from Adelaide began to operate through the town in 2004. While the original station is adjacent to the new line, it is not currently a stopping point. ==Present day==