Batchelor, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Batchelor is a town in the Northern Territory
of Australia
. The town is located in the Coomalie Shire Local Government Area, 98 kilometres (61 mi) south of the territory capital, Darwin
. At the 2006 census
, Batchelor had a population of 481 with 49% of indigenous
origin.
Batchelor was named after Lee Batchelor
, who was responsible for the Northern Territory when it was ceded to the Government of Australia by South Australia
in 1908. It is an entry point for travellers to Litchfield National Park
, and previously serviced the Rum Jungle
uranium mine. The major employment industries in Batchelor are education
, tourism
and horticulture
.
The town is home to a TAFE and higher education college, the Batchelor Institute
, with a strong focus on delivery higher educational outcomes for indigenous students from around Australia.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The town is located in the Coomalie Shire Local Government Area, 98 kilometres (61 mi) south of the territory capital, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Batchelor had a population of 481 with 49% of indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
origin.
Batchelor was named after Lee Batchelor
Lee Batchelor
Egerton Lee Batchelor, known as Lee Batchelor, , Australian politician, was the 2nd leader of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party, a member of the First Australian Parliament, and the first member for the Federal Division of Boothby in South Australia, from 1903 to 1911...
, who was responsible for the Northern Territory when it was ceded to the Government of Australia by South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1908. It is an entry point for travellers to Litchfield National Park
Litchfield National Park
Litchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km2, is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia...
, and previously serviced the Rum Jungle
Rum Jungle, Northern Territory
The Rum Jungle uranium deposit in the Northern Territory, Australia was found in 1949. It is 65 kilometres south of Darwin on the East Finniss River.-Original uranium mine:...
uranium mine. The major employment industries in Batchelor are education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
.
The town is home to a TAFE and higher education college, the Batchelor Institute
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education provides training and further education , and higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is based in Batchelor, Northern Territory in Australia...
, with a strong focus on delivery higher educational outcomes for indigenous students from around Australia.