Larrakeyah


Larrakeyah is an inner suburb of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory.

History

Establishment

Larrakeyah is named after the indigenous language group that has occupied the area since before European settlement, the Larrakia, who occupied much of the Darwin coastal area.
Development of the suburb originated in the late 1800s when the Botanic Gardens were created, with further development in 1911 when Myilly Point in Larrakeyah was established as a residential area for senior public servants.

Bombing

On 19 February 1942, 2 attacks occurred on the Larrahkeyah and Darwin harbour which resulted in a war on the area of Darwin waterfront, Darwin city and Larrakeyah.
The Japanese won the war of Darwin harbour but soon retreated with 250 people dead and another 300 injured.
After all of the madness, Darwin harbour and Larrahkeyah was rebuilt with new buildings and the new Navy imported from Perth and Sydney.

Present day

Features of Larrakeyah include the Larrakeyah Barracks that takes up most of the suburb, Larrakeyah Terrace, as well as being close by to the tourist attractions in Darwin City, Cullen Bay, Mindil Beach and the George Brown Botanical Gardens.
In the 2016 Census, there were 3,729 people in Larrakeyah. 54.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.3%, Philippines 4.0% and New Zealand 2.7%. 66.0% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 31.8% and Catholic 23.5%.
Larrakeyah is now a densely populated suburb, home to an increasingly diverse population of long-time locals, indigenous and transient residents who have come to Darwin to work during the cooler dry season. It is located within the federal electorate of Solomon and the territory electorate of Port Darwin.