The Darwin Waterfront has a significant and varied history for the many different cultures who have helped to shape it.

The area was:

• home of the Larrakia people, who for centuries traded with the Macassans
• the site of early Malay/Chinese settlements
• the site of the original landing of European settlers who waded ashore and camped in the ‘gully’ by Fort Hill.

The area has historical significance as the site of the first bomb to land on Australia during World War II.

It was also the site of the first public gardens, the railway from Frances Creek to the jetty with a station near Stokes Hill, and where Travellers’ Walk marks an old path used to walk from the early camp to the escarpment.

This rich cultural heritage has been incorporated into many of the public infrastructure components of the Darwin Waterfront Precinct.
