Market garden, Doctor's Gully, Darwin
Date Published
: market gardening
: Darwin
: Darwin
: 1883
Chinese garden at Doctor's Gully, Port Darwin, NT, September 1883.
Chinese garden at Doctor's Gully
Chinese garden at Doctor's Gully, hospital in background and Peel's Well, Port Darwin, NT, September 1883.
Market garden in Doctor's Gully, near Peel's Well in Port Darwin, NT Peel's Well is associated with the site of the early settlement of Port Darwin. It is a reminder of the population's dependence upon coastal springs for a reliable water supply and recalls the role of the Chinese in supply of fresh produce to town residents. The site is also associated with Doctor Robert Peel, the medical officer attached to Goyder's 1869 survey party. This association is further reinforced by the colloquial name for the area, `Doctor's Gully'. Concrete walls constructed during World War II dominate the earliest fabric of the well.
The Site has major significance in terms of its association with the first settlement in Darwin. It was named for Doctor Robert Peel the medical officer attached to Goyder's survey party in 1869. A well was gazetted on 19 April 1877 and provided water for the first gardens in the settlement. The well also provided water for visiting ships. Most of the gardens were the work of Chinese and the first formal lease was issued on 30 March 1875 to three Chinese settlers. These gardens were retained up to the late 1930's. However, with the onset of war the surrounding area became a flying boat base for the RAAF and several squadrons of Catalina's were based there. Slipways and jetties were built and the oil tanks were installed. After the war the area was abandoned by the military and the jetty collapsed in 1949.
