Extract date: 14/07/2025
| Name | Ryko |
|---|---|
| Type Designation | Court |
| Place Id | 24649 |
| Place Type | Road |
| Status | Recorded |
| Date Registered | 21 November 2014 |
| Locality / Suburb | |
| Darwin City | |
| Local Government Area | |
| Darwin City Council | |
| History/Origin | Edward Frederick 'Ted Ryko' Reichenbach (1893-1968) was an intrepid Australian adventurer and photographer whose remarkable bicycle journey across the continent and photographic legacy remain an important part of Australia's outback history. In May 1914, aged 21, Ryko set out from the Adelaide Post Office alongside John Fahey. Their goal was ambitious: to break the existing cycling record from Adelaide to Darwin. Ryko, armed with a Kodak 3A camera, planned not only to push physical boundaries but also to document the remote and isolated landscapes they would traverse. The two men travelled together until Fahey sprained his ankle near the South Australia - Northern Territory border, forcing him to stop and rest. Ryko pressed on alone through harsh and challenging conditions - rough terrain, heat, sand, and scarce water sources - stopping along the way to capture striking photographs of the outback using his camera. Despite these pauses, Ryko completed the 3,000 kilometre journey in an impressive 28 days, 15 hours, and 30 minutes, shattering the previous record by over 15 hours. Ryko's finishing point was the old Darwin Post Office, located on The Esplanade. While this building no longer stands, the site now houses the Northern Territory Parliament. After his record breaking ride, Ryko settled in Darwin and opened a photographic studio in Chinatown on Cavenagh Street, selling postcard prints of his images. However, during World War I, his German sounding surname led to suspicions of espionage, resulting in harassment and repeated searches of his premises. Seeking refuge, Ryko retreated to Arnhem Land, where he integrated into Aboriginal communities and continued to document Aboriginal life through his photography. His intimate portraits and scenes provide historical insight into Aboriginal culture and the Australian outback in the early 20th century. Throughout his life, Ryko travelled extensively across the Northern Territory, from the Victoria River in the west to the McArthur River in the Gulf of Carpentaria. He regularly returned to Darwin to develop, print, and sell his photographs, contributing a rare visual record of remote Australia. Ted Ryko passed away on 2 September 1968, leaving a unique legacy as an explorer, cyclist, and cultural documentarian. Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2023, October 28). Maverick adventurer Ted Ryko's unique record of Arnhem Land communities in early 20th century. ABC News. Retrieved 11 July 2025, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-28/arnhem-land-adventurer-and-photographer-ted-ryko-remarkable-life/102989158 |
| Date | Gazettal | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 21/11/2014 | Date added to Register | |
| 03/12/2014 | NTG G48 | Date Gazetted |