Extract date: 10/06/2026
| Name | Birdum |
|---|---|
| Type Designation | Historic Site |
| Place Id | 23303 |
| Place Type | Feature |
| Status | Historical |
| Date Registered | |
| Location (Datum GDA94) | |
| Latitude: -15° 38' S (Decimal degrees -15.6422) | |
| Longitude: 133° 13' E (Decimal degrees 133.2204) | |
| Locality / Suburb | |
| Larrimah | |
| Local Government Area | |
| Roper Gulf Shire Council | |
| History/Origin | The Birdum townsite consisted of 32 lots, surveyed in 1930, on the eastern side of the Birdum railway siding. (see Survey plan DIA 118) From Placenames Australia, Newsletter of the Australian National Placenames Survey, March 2024, page 11 - In the Northern Territory, off the Stuart Highway south of Larrimah, there was once a township called Birdum. It was the rail terminus of the never-completed Transcontinental Railway Development. Here road, rail and air transport converged to supply the developing region?s needs. The township basically consisted of railway worker?s homes, storage yards for engines, rail trucks, and carriages, and (of course) a pub. During World War II, Birdum performed several important functions. After the bombing of Darwin, many of the civilian population were evacuated to Birdum before being transported by army convoy to Alice Springs. Birdum became an important post in Australia?s northern defensive operations. It was for a short while the headquarters of the American air force deployed to the Territory; it accommodated the U.S. Army?s 135th Medical Regiment evacuation hospital; the RAAF constructed a Base Personnel Staff Officer and Telecommunications Camp nearby (the 9 Wireless Telegraph Station operated by the RAAF No. 11 Signals Unit). The W/T Station handled the main weather reports for the South West Pacific area. After the war, trains terminated at Larrimah. Subsequently, Birdum lost not only its raison d?être but also its pub, which was relocated to Larrimah. Today, the township site contains floor slabs of past structures, the relatively intact bottle floor at the hotel site, scattered artefacts, derelict fencing, and refuse pits. The railway terminus site contains remnants of buildings, the rail line, and the only intact structure, a tin overhead water tank. |
| Date | Gazettal | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| (None Found) |