Our Regions - Tennant Creek
Tennant Creek is the fifth largest town in Australia's Northern Territory, with a population of about 3000. It is on the Stuart Highway 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs and 1000 kilometres south of the Northern Territory's capital city of Darwin.
The town is the centre for the huge Barkly region. It lies in the midst of the sprawling Barkly Tablelands, made famous by its huge cattle stations, legendary drovers and uninterrupted grazing country.
The region encompasses the junction of two great highways, the Barkly and the Stuart. Tennant Creek was once the third largest gold producer in Australia and is still highly productive.
Tennant Creek has modern shops and supermarkets, a choice of comfortable accommodation, bars, clubs and restaurants, a major regional hospital, schools, banking facilities and daily air and coach line services linking with Alice Springs and Darwin.
Indigenous people are an important part of the multicultural community of Tennant Creek, and continue to maintain their identity and traditions.
The Mary Ann Recreation Dam, built in 1981, is the favourite local swimming and picnicking retreat, and is one of the few places in Central Australia where people can canoe or sailboard. The area attracts many species of birds and small wildlife.
The Devil's Marbles, a national conservation reserve south of Tennant Creek, is one of the Territory's most photographed features and is a great place to camp.
Tennant Creek has developed from its rough, tough droving and gold mining days into an exciting area with a bright future.
Winter (May to October) in Tennant Creek is dry with cool nights and mornings. Summer (November to April) is hot and dry with occasional rainfall.
More information on Tennant
Creek
Last updated on the Tuesday 06 Jan 2009
