Batchelor is a well-maintained town, about 100 km south of Darwin. It is the entry point for visitors to the stunning Litchfield National Park. A sealed road provides access to the town which has a small shopping/services centre and accommodation.
Named after the politician E.L. Batchelor, the town remained a quiet backwater until World War II. The township was then used as an important Allied airforce base and the population increased rapidly. The aerodrome can still be seen today.
Later, in 1949, uranium was discovered in the nearby area of Rum Jungle, 11 km north of Batchelor. Again, the town's population swelled, until the mine was closed in 1963.
Rum Jungle has a rich history, typically associated with Australian mining camps and towns. In his famous novel Capricornia
, Xavier Herbert wrote about Rum Jungle under the fictitious name of Black Adder Creek. Although the mine is no longer open for inspection, many places around the town still keep the Rum Jungle name alive.
Today, Batchelor thrives on tourism to Litchfield National Park and also has exceptional TAFE and training centres that specifically cater for indigenous students.
Some of Batchelor's local attractions include:
Coomalie Cultural Centre - presents a range of indigenous art and craft from the Top End and Central Australia
Havlik Park - a mini replica of Karlstein Castle, an old gothic European castle, built by J Havlik, a local miner
Batchelor Butterfly Farm - the Northern Territory's only butterfly sanctuary
WW II aerodrome and museum
Adventure - Scenic flights and parachuting
Things to do in the area around Batchelor:
Lake Bennett - an artificial lake for water sports, canoeing, golf driving, bushwalking or bird watching
Litchfield National Park - waterfalls, swimming, plunge pools (Florence Falls, Wangi, Buley Rockhole), Sandy Creek, bushwalking, flora and fauna, termite mounds, camping grounds, rainforest and wilderness
Rum Jungle Lake - swimming and picnics, 10 km west of Batchelor