Place Names Register Extract
Liberty Square
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Print Extract | Search Again| Name | Liberty Square |
|---|---|
| Type Designation | Urban Park |
| Place Id | 6874 |
| Place Type | Park or Cemetery |
| Status | Registered |
| Date Registered | 3 July 1996 |
| Location (Datum GDA94) | |
| Latitude: -12° 28' S (Decimal degrees -12.46713) | |
| Longitude: 130° 50' E (Decimal degrees 130.84342) | |
| View Map | View in NT Atlas | View in Google Earth | |
| Locality / Suburb | |
| Darwin City | |
| Lot/Portion | |
| Town of Darwin | |
| Local Government Area | |
| Darwin City Council | |
| History/Origin | Liberty Square is a landscaped park located within the civic precinct of Darwin, adjoining Parliament House and the Supreme Court. Its history contains several documented layers of the Territory's natural, political, and civic development. The name Liberty Square was adopted by the Darwin Town Council in 1919 to commemorate the events of 17 December 1918, commonly known as the Darwin Rebellion. On that day, a public demonstration was held in protest against the administration of the Northern Territory. This unrest led to a Royal Commission of inquiry and is recorded as a significant event in the Territory's political history. The park contains a heritage listed banyan tree (Ficus virens), estimated to be more than two centuries old. As a remnant of the monsoon vine forest that once covered the headland, the tree has survived successive phases of settlement, cyclone damage, and wartime bombing. The site contains various historical and technical installations. This includes stone remnants of the 1870s cable station, which serviced the undersea telegraph cable between Banyuwangi, Indonesia and Darwin, connecting the Overland Telegraph Line and the rest of Australia to the international network. The square also houses an astronomical observation pillar, erected in the 1880s by Pietro Baracchi and other surveyors to establish the true longitude of Port Darwin and coordinate measurements for Australian and New Zealand capital cities. Additionally, the square was the original location of the Darwin Cenotaph, dedicated in 1921. The memorial was relocated to the Civic Centre in 1970 and subsequently to Bicentennial Park in 1992 to accommodate precinct development. |
Register & Gazettal information
| Date | Gazettal | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 03/07/1996 | NTG27 |