Remote Recognition Ceremony on the Roper
There aren’t many places in Australia more remote than the Roper River below Roper Bar. More than 600 km south east of Darwin and nearly 200 km from the Stuart Highway, which runs down the centre of the Northern Territory.
On 23 May 2011 a small group visited the Tomato Island boat ramp on the south bank of the Roper River about seven kilometres upstream from the Aboriginal Community of Ngukurr on to erect and unveil an interpretation panel and marker for the heritage recognition of the steam tug Young Australian, which was wrecked in the river whilst engaged on the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872.
This was an unusual heritage recognition ceremony in that, on arrival the official party dug the post holes, mixed concrete, erected the interpretation panel, placed the concrete and levelled the structure.
The interpretation panel and marker were then unveiled by Kezia Purick MLA, Member for Goyder in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Owen Peake, Chair of Engineering Heritage Australia during a brief ceremony followed by a picnic lunch.
After lunch some of us borrowed a “tinny” and visited the wreck site 700 metres up the river from the boat ramp. The engine and boiler of the Young Australian are still above water level and appear to be in good condition after 140 years in the river.
Like all the tidal rivers of the Northern Territory the Roper is home to a thriving population of crocodiles which grow larger and bolder with each passing year. We kept an eye out for crocs but as the experienced bushman Eddie Webber said “It’s the one you don’t see that gets you”.
The Adelaide to Darwin section of the Overland Telegraph was completed on 22 August 1872. The Young Australian story is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the builders of the Overland Telegraph which reduced the time for communications between Europe and Australia from months to hours.
