Daly River, Northern Territory

The traditional owners of the area are the Mulluk-Mulluk people who live both in Nauiyu and at Wooliana downstream from the community.

European settlement of Daly River began in 1865 with the arrival of Boyle Travers Finniss, the first Premier of South Australia and the first Government Resident of the Northern Territory. Finniss named the river after Sir Dominick Daly, the Governor of South Australia, since the Northern Territory was at that time part of South Australia. The region lay untouched by Europeans until 1882 when copper was discovered.

Daly River town was the scene of some particularly bloody exchanges between the local Aborigines and the miners. In 1884 three miners were killed. The miners in the town wreaked vengeance on the local Aborigines out of proportion to the perceived crime. A year later, probably aware of the tensions in the area, the Society of Jesus order of the Roman Catholic Church established a mission in the town, introducing Christianity and farming techniques to the local Aboriginal population. The original mission endured until 1899, when following a significant flood the missionaries were withdrawn.

In 1954, contact between traditional Malak Malak elders and the then bishop of Darwin led to the mission being reestablished. In 1955, the church purchased {{convert|4000|acres|ha}} of land and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart helped to establish a school and a clinic for the community. The mission was later renamed Nauiyu and with the exception of the church, convent, school and associated residences transferred to community ownership.{{cite web |url=http://www.darwin.catholic.org.au/aboriginal-communities/sub-nauiyu.htm |title=Our Mission - Daly River |publisher=Diocese of Darwin |access-date=25 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719005350/http://www.darwin.catholic.org.au/aboriginal-communities/sub-nauiyu.htm |archive-date=19 July 2012 }} Due to the influence of the mission in the town, 75% percent of the population identify as Roman Catholics.

Through the twentieth century there were a number of attempts to settle the town without real success. In 1911 the Commonwealth Government tried to convince people to move to the town. By the 1920s there were plans for crops of peanuts and tobacco which came to nothing. Cashews and sugar cane were also planted unsuccessfully. In 1967 the Tipperary Land Corporation cleared large tracts of land around the settlement and started growing sorghum but the operation was closed down in 1973.

{{Main|1998 Katherine Floods}}

Like other rivers of the Top End, the Daly is prone to seasonal flooding and this has had a significant impact on the small community throughout its history. Major flood events devastated the town in 1899 and 1957, causing widespread property damage. On 28 January 1998, a major natural disaster saw every building in the town inundated and the entire population airlifted to Batchelor during the emergency evacuation. The floodwaters, fed by heavy rainfall in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Les continued to rise until 3 February, reaching a peak of {{convert|16.8|m|abbr=on}}, the highest level recorded to date.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Daly River is considered a remote community, and is primarily accessed via the Daly River Road which was sealed as far as the river crossing in 2007, providing all weather access to Darwin. A sealed airstrip at Nauiyu provides for charter and medical evacuation flights, however there are no scheduled air services to the airport, or aircraft regularly based in the town.

Other public facilities at Daly River include a public library, swimming pool, school and health clinic. There is a Catholic church, St Francis Xavier located in Nauiyu. The Victoria Daly Regional Council maintains a regional office in the community, contributing more than 40 jobs to the local economy.{{cite web|url=http://victoriadaly.nt.gov.au/service-centres/centre/nauiyu-daly-river |title=Nauiyu / Daly River |publisher=Victoria Daly Regional Council |access-date=25 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420215603/http://victoriadaly.nt.gov.au/service-centres/centre/nauiyu-daly-river |archive-date=20 April 2013 }} Public Administration is by far the largest employment industry, accounting for over half of the workforce.

The town and surrounding district are served by a modern police station, built in 1994. Two members of the Northern Territory Police are based here. The area serviced by the station is {{convert|33000|km2|abbr=on}}, and the responsibilities of the Daly River members include Emergency Management and boat access to the communities when the roads are cut by seasonal flooding.{{cite web|url=http://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/Police/Contact-police/Remote-Station-Profiles/Daly-River.aspx |title=Daly River |publisher=Northern Territory Police |access-date=26 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321154532/http://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/Police/Contact-police/Remote-Station-Profiles/Daly-River.aspx |archive-date=21 March 2012 }}

Today the town has a pub with motel units, a police station, and a number of caravan parks. It is located on the banks of the river a couple of kilometres from the Daly River Crossing, now by sealed road from the main tourist route, the Stuart Highway. The settlement is a centre for visitors to explore the Daly River Nature Park and fishermen after barramundi. The park is home to saltwater crocodiles, reptiles, spiders, cockatoos, wild pigs, feral Water Buffalo, mangroves, giant bamboos, pandanus and the red kapok tree, Bombax ceiba.{{cite web |title=Species: Bombax ceiba (Bombax) |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2895571#overview |website=Atlas of Living Australia |access-date=2 May 2023 |language=en-AU}}

On the road {{convert|5|km|0}} east of Daly River is a turnoff to Woolianna, where there are numerous caravan parks. Just before entering the town there is a turnoff to the Nauiyu Aboriginal Community, home to the Roman Catholic Mission and Merrepen Arts Centre where local art is sold. Merrepen Arts has become a well known art centre in the top end. In recent years a number of artists from the area have become nationally famous including Marita Sambono and Kieren Karritpul. The art centre and workshops are open to the public on weekdays.

{{Weather box|location = Daly River (Mango Farm), elevation {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2015 normals, extremes 1980–2015)

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|width= auto

|collapsed = Y

|Jan record high C = 39.4

|Feb record high C = 37.9

|Mar record high C = 38.9

|Apr record high C = 38.1

|May record high C = 37.2

|Jun record high C = 36.5

|Jul record high C = 37.0

|Aug record high C = 39.2

|Sep record high C = 40.6

|Oct record high C = 41.5

|Nov record high C = 41.5

|Dec record high C = 40.5

|Jan record low C = 19.5

|Feb record low C = 19.1

|Mar record low C = 14.5

|Apr record low C = 10.0

|May record low C = 7.6

|Jun record low C = 5.1

|Jul record low C = 3.3

|Aug record low C = 4.6

|Sep record low C = 9.1

|Oct record low C = 10.5

|Nov record low C = 17.1

|Dec record low C = 20.4

|Jan high C = 33.5

|Feb high C = 33.2

|Mar high C = 34.1

|Apr high C = 34.3

|May high C = 33.0

|Jun high C = 31.3

|Jul high C = 31.7

|Aug high C = 33.4

|Sep high C = 36.6

|Oct high C = 37.6

|Nov high C = 36.5

|Dec high C = 34.8

|Jan low C = 23.8

|Feb low C = 23.8

|Mar low C = 23.6

|Apr low C = 21.7

|May low C = 18.4

|Jun low C = 15.5

|Jul low C = 14.8

|Aug low C = 15.3

|Sep low C = 19.1

|Oct low C = 22.1

|Nov low C = 23.3

|Dec low C = 23.8

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 391.1

|Feb rain mm = 351.5

|Mar rain mm = 208.5

|Apr rain mm = 71.6

|May rain mm = 4.8

|Jun rain mm = 0.2

|Jul rain mm = 0.1

|Aug rain mm = 0.7

|Sep rain mm = 6.5

|Oct rain mm = 44.5

|Nov rain mm = 140.6

|Dec rain mm = 283.0

|unit rain days = 1.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 18.6

|Feb rain days = 16.7

|Mar rain days = 12.8

|Apr rain days = 4.4

|May rain days = 0.9

|Jun rain days = 0.0

|Jul rain days = 0.0

|Aug rain days = 0.2

|Sep rain days = 0.8

|Oct rain days = 4.5

|Nov rain days = 10.8

|Dec rain days = 16.3

|source 1 = Australian Bureau of Meteorology{{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=014938&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=normal

| title = Climate statistics for Australian locations: MANGO FARM

| date = 8 April 2024}}

}}

{{stack|{{Portal|Water|Environment}}}}

• Daly Waters, Northern Territory
• Daly languages

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |title=Bombax ceiba (Red Kapok Tree) |url=https://www.territorynativeplants.com.au/bombax-ceiba-kapok-tree |website=Territory Native Plants |language=en-AU}} Images of 'Red Kapok' or 'Northern Cottonwood' trees
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150104171711/http://www.visitkatherine.com.au/pages/douglas-daly-river/ Katherine Regional Tourist Authority]
• [http://www.atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=4083/ Nauiyu Nambiyu Community Government Council]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140126010244/http://www.merrepenarts.com.au/ Merrepen Arts Centre]

{{Localities and communities of the Victoria Daly Region}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Towns in the Northern Territory

Category:1865 establishments in Australia

Category:Populated places established in 1865

Category:Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory

Category:Australian Aboriginal missions

Category:Places in the unincorporated areas of the Northern Territory

Category:Victoria Daly Region