Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Gurig National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remote series of ruins. The Cobourg Peninsula is located 350km east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. ... Motto: None Nickname: ? Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Administrator Chief Minister Const. ...

In the early 1800s, the British government became interested in establishing a settlement on Australia's northern coastline in order to facilitate trade with Asia. In 1824, Port Essington was proposed as the first such settlement, but was later passed over in favour of Fort Dundas on Melville Island and Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay. In 1831, a small station was constructed in the area, in the hope of using it as a stopping point for ships, but it was rarely used. When both Fort Dundas and Fort Wellington failed within several years, the Port Essington site was revisited. As a result, a settlement, officially named Victoria, but popularly known as Port Essington, was established in 1838, consisting of 24 houses and a hospital. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Melville Island can refer to: Melville Island, Canada shared between Northwest Territories and Nunavut Melville Island, Northern Territory in Australia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

While the British government intended to establish Port Essington as a major trading port, along the lines of Singapore, the new settlement suffered from the same adverse conditions that had previously plagued Fort Dundas and Fort Wellington. The settlement lacked resources and supplies and skilled labor. While some prefabricated buildings were brought from Sydney, many had to be built with what materials could be found in the area, and due to the unskilled nature of the builders, many of these were of poor quality. Disease was also rampant among the small population, and living conditions were poor. Consequently, it struggled to attract settlers, and the the post was much-disliked by the troops stationed there. Sydney Harbour looking south from the vicinity of the Sydney Harbour Bridge towards the CBD skyline; the Opera House is visible in the background on the left. ...

Port Essington suffered a further setback when the settlement was demolished by a cyclone on November 25, 1839. The cyclone killed twelve people, drove the ship HM Pelorus aground, and caused a 3.2m storm surge. The settlement was rebuilt afterwards, with some stone and brick buildings, due to the assistance of a brick maker who had been shipwrecked during the storm. November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Despite these setbacks, there was still widespread hope that Port Essington may be able to break the curse, as evidenced by Ludwig Leichhardt's 1844-1845 expedition. The New South Wales government had hoped to establish a direct line of communication with Asia, India and the Pacific, and supported Leichhardt's journey, which successfully charted an overland route between Moreton Bay (now Brisbane) and Port Essington. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (October 23, 1813 - 1848?) was a Prussian explorer and naturalist of Sorb descent. ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Brisbane by night Brisbane is the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. ...

In 1844, a group of convicts, which included trained masons and quarry men among them, was stationed at Port Essington. They were able to build a hospital of some quality at a beacon. This was followed by the 1846 decision of Father Angelo Confalonieri to found a Catholic mission nearby, in an attempt to convert the local population. He had some success, converting around 400 people, but he died in of fever in 1848, and the mission died with him. Port Essington was still failing to attract settlers, and it was becoming increasingly both that the 1844 works had come too late, and that the settlement was unsustainable. Soon before its closure, British scientist Thomas Huxley wrote that Port Essington was "most wretched, the climate the most unhealthy, the human beings the most uncomfortable and houses in a condition most decayed and rotten". 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley F.R.S. (May 4, 1825 - June 29, 1895) was a British biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his defence of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ...

Finally, in 1849, Port Essington was, like the two previous attempts, abandoned. The demise of the settlement saw the end of British attempts at occupying the north coast. There would be one further unsuccessful attempt, by the South Australian colonial government, at Escape Cliffs (also known as Palmerston), before the first permanent settlement was established at Darwin (also initially known as Palmerston), in 1869. 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: United for the Common Wealth Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Governor Premier Const. ... Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, and is a city of 109,419 people (2001 census [1]) on Australias far north-western coastline. ... 1869 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The ruins of Port Essington still exist today, and while access is difficult, it is possible to do so by several means. It is possible to fly in through tours that can be arranged in Darwin, or to travel to the area alone by four-wheel drive or boat - although, as the ruins lie on Aboriginal land, a permit must be obtained first. Cabins and some camping are available at Black Point Ranger Station. Four wheel drive or 4x4, is a type of four wheeled vehicle drivetrain configuration that enables all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously in order to provide maximum traction. ...