ABSTRACT
Early British interest in establishing a northern Australian base for the protection of the Torres Strait sea route and the exploitation of eastern Indonesian trade led to the establish ment of garrison settlements at Melville Island in 1824, Raffles Bay in 1826, and Port Essington in 1838. After the abandonment of Port Essington in 1849, northern Australia sparked little interest until the south-north crossing of the continent by the Scottish-born explorer John McDouall Stuart on his third attempt in 1862 led South Australians to believe that the area was promising for cattle and sheep grazing. This, together with A. C. Gregory's earlier exploration of the Vic toria River area in 1855, prompted the colonial government of South Australia to obtain permission from the British government to extend its borders to the northern coasts of the continent in 1863. In keen competition with the other colonies for economic growth and population, the South Australian government believed that this expansion would open profit able trade with the islands to the north and boost the pastoral industry. The area annexed was subsequently known as South Australia's Northern Territory until its transfer to the Com monwealth government as a dependent territory in 1911.
