Learn about the Aboriginal art and culture, as well as the region's fascinating history of early communication lines, pastoralists and mining.
The Barkly region is steeped in the ancient traditions and beliefs of its traditional custodians, while European settlement has played a large role in its more recent history. Spend some time in Tennant Creek and the surrounding areas to discover a rich indigenous culture and settler history.
Indigenous origins
The traditional Aboriginal owners of the area surrounding Tennant Creek are the Warumungu people, and their legend tells of Tennant Creek lying within the home of a spiky tailed goanna called Nyinkka – a powerful ancestral being. Learn more about Warumungu culture and see artworks from the region at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre.
The Pink Palace was originally built as a hostel for stockmen and their families, but is now home to the Julalikari Arts and Crafts program, which acts as a meeting place for Aboriginal women to gather and paint traditional and contemporary artwork.
Pioneer country
The Overland Telegraph Line that linked Australia with the outside world was completed in 1872, and the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station is a collection of historic stone buildings that functioned to support workers and maintenance on the line. Take a fascinating self-guided walk and learn all about the region’s telegraph communications and pastoral history.
Relive Tennant Creek’s mining past at the Battery Hill Mining Centre and the Tuxworth-Fullwood Museum, both in Tennant Creek. See mining equipment and photographs illustrating Tennant Creek’s rich history. Originally built as a camp hospital during the Second World War, the Tuxworth-Fullwood Museum is now a protected National Trust building. Other attractions at the Battery Hill Mining Centre include a native plant walk, minerals museum and an underground mine tunnel.
