Berrimah, Northern Territory

Berrimah is an eastern suburb in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is on the traditional Country and waterways of the Larrakia people.^[5]

Berrimah Darwin, Northern Territory
Amy Johnson Avenue, Berrimah
Berrimah
Coordinates	12°26′2″S 130°55′22″E
Population	789 (2016 census)[1]
Established	1941
Postcode(s)	0820[2]
Location	12.4 km (8 mi) from Darwin
LGA(s)	City of Darwin[3] Northern Territory Rates Act Area[3]
Territory electorate(s)	Karama Fong Lim Sanderson
Federal division(s)	Solomon
Suburbs around Berrimah: Eaton Marrara Karama Holmes Eaton Winnellie Coonawarra Berrimah Knuckey Lagoon Pinelands Hidden Valley Hidden Valley Wishart Pinelands Tivendale
Footnotes	Adjoining suburbs[3][4]

History

Before World War II, the military authorities had decided on a number of locations in the north to identify strategic "camps" on "the road to the North" – "Berrimah", "Noonamah" and "Larrimah". The military board chose some local Aboriginal names. During that time Berrimah became a military and industrial area.^[6]

Leading up to the bombing of Darwin and in late 1941, action was being taken to erect quickly the 119th Australian General Hospital^[7] at the camp site to be known as "Berrimah", the Army quoting the origin of the Aboriginal word "to the south". The hospital was erected on the present day Kormilda College site and was then called "Berrimah".

The original road reserve between Sections 41 and 42, Hundred of Bagot, became known as Berrimah Road and by September 1952, this name was officially gazetted as the access road south of the main highway crossing to the quarantine station. The strafing of this hospital by Japanese war planes in 1942 led to its eventual removal to Adelaide River.

Not far away on the eastern side of Berrimah Road, a small cemetery reserve marked the graves of Japanese airmen who died in the earlier attempts to bomb Darwin into submission.

It is also the rough location of a concept known as the Berrimah Line, demarcation of inequitable resourcing towards the capital Darwin and surrounding areas, over the vast remote areas of the south.^[8]

Present day

Located within Berrimah are the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Kormilda College, Berrimah Power Station, CSIRO Wildlife Research Laboratory, Berrimah Research Farm Centre, Darwin Prison, Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, the Showground and Exhibition Centre.

Berrimah is a predominantly industrial area.

Population

According to the 2016 census of population, there were 789 people in Berrimah.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 38.0% of the population.
• 67.3% of people were born in Australia and 48.8% of people only spoke English at home.
• The most common response for religion was Christian at 42.7%.^[1]