Batchelor Township

Batchelor is a small town about 95 k's south of Darwin named after the South Australian Labour politician Egerton Lee Batchelor (1865-1911) who became Minister for the Northern Territory in 1911.

Although it was a large Allied air force base during World War II, it became widely known for the uranium mine at Rum Jungle a few miles north of the township. Mining in the area began in 1952 and the town was an active centre during the 1950s. The mine was closed in 1963 and the uranium treatment plant closed down in 1971 leaving the town with a very small remnant population.

The Rum Jungle Uranium mine site.

This mini replica of Karlstein Castle looks quite out of place in the Northern Territory. It was built by a miner from the Rum Jungle Uranium mine who maybe also felt a bit out of place in the Australian bush.

The whole area has a colourful past, beginning in 1872 when the Overland Telegraph construction party found gold at Yam Creek. The first miners arrived in the area after trekking down the road made by the telegraph parties.It became a popular resting place for teamsters because the area had good feed and water, and in 1874 The Rum Jungle Hotel, built out of rough timber and sheets of stringy bark, was opened by a Mr Lithgow.

Disguised as Black Adder Creek, the town appears the novel Capricornia by Xavier Herbert who worked in the area as a railway fettler in the 1920s.

The modern Rum Jungle Motel is very different from the original, and is a popular stop over for visitors to Litchfield Park with it's renowned buffet lunches catering for tours from Darwin.

Now the town is the main entry into Litchfield National Park because of the sealed road, and is a small community thriving on tourism.The magnificent waterfalls and fresh water swimming holes in the park have attracted growing numbers of people in recent years particularly because it is close enough to Darwin for a very enjoyable one day swimming and sightseeing trip.

Click here to return Home from Batchelor Township