Place Names Register Extract
Bul Bul Bridge
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Print Extract | Search Again| Name | Bul Bul Bridge |
|---|---|
| Type Designation | Bridge |
| Place Id | 24364 |
| Place Type | Feature |
| Status | Registered |
| Date Registered | 18 July 2012 |
| Location (Datum GDA94) | |
| Latitude: -13° 45' S (Decimal degrees -13.76246) | |
| Longitude: 130° 42' E (Decimal degrees 130.70546) | |
| View Map | View in NT Atlas | View in Google Earth | |
| Locality / Suburb | |
| Daly River | |
| Local Government Area | |
| Victoria-Daly Shire Council | |
| History/Origin | Bul Bul Bridge was named after Bul Bul, an Aboriginal tracker employed by police in the Northern Territory during the early to mid twentieth century. Archival records place him working in the Top End region, including the Adelaide River, Daly River and Timber Creek districts. Historical sources, including police accounts, photographic records and contemporary newspaper reports, describe Bul Bul as a skilled tracker. A 1944 photograph held by the Australian War Memorial identifies him as a "famous tracker and head police boy" at Adelaide River, reflecting the terminology of the period. Bul Bul is most frequently associated with the pursuit and capture of Nemarluk following the 1931 killing of three Japanese fishermen near Port Keats (now Wadeye). Contemporary accounts record that he was among the trackers involved in locating Nemarluk in 1933 and again after his escape from Fannie Bay Gaol. These events were reported in Northern Territory newspapers at the time. A 1937 newspaper report described Bul Bul as a "famous police tracker" and recorded that he was engaged to assist Constable T. Fitzer in the search for Humbert Tommy in the Timber Creek district. Bul Bul continued to work as a tracker in the Northern Territory until his death in 1943, when he was killed in a vehicle accident south of Adelaide River while travelling in an army vehicle. Sources: Australian War Memorial. (1944). Bul Bul, famous tracker and head police boy, Adelaide River, NT [Photograph]. Australian War Memorial Collection. Retrieved February 13, 2026, from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C81122 Northern Territory Police Museum and Historical Society. (n.d.). Bul Bul ? tracker. Retrieved February 13, 2026, from https://www.ntpmhs.com.au/post/bul-bul-tracker TO SEARCH FOR HUMBERT TOMMY (1937, October 5). Northern Standard (Darwin, NT : 1921 - 1955), p. 6. Retrieved February 13, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49443304 |
Register & Gazettal information
| Date | Gazettal | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 18/07/2012 | Date added to the Register. | |
| 08/08/2012 | NTG G32 |