Make Your Voice Heard: Support Heritage Listing of the Darwin Esplanade
Closing 23rd July 2025!
✅ Sign the petition to support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade: support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade
The NT Heritage Council is currently reconsidering the full heritage listing of the Darwin Esplanade, following a 2023 NT Supreme Court decision that set aside the previous provisional listing on procedural fairness grounds. This rehearing provides an important chance for the community to confirm the Esplanade’s status as a unified and historically significant heritage place.
First established in 1869 by George Goyder and his survey team during the founding of Palmerston (now Darwin), the Esplanade is not a random collection of park spaces. It reflects a pattern of coastal public parklands found in many cities established under British colonial systems. For over 150 years, it has been freely used and loved by the Darwin community for recreation, gathering, commemoration, and quiet enjoyment.
Historical records show that in 1921, the Commonwealth Government proclaimed the Esplanade as a public domain for the exclusive use and enjoyment of the people of Darwin, with a clear restriction against commercial buildings.
While the Darwin City Council manages the Esplanade as a custodian on behalf of the public, the land is held in public trust and is not owned by the Council as private property. This means the Esplanade cannot be treated as council-owned land for commercial or private development. Heritage listing provides statutory protection by requiring any proposed changes to be approved by the Heritage Council, helping to safeguard the Esplanade’s cultural and historical significance from repurposing or inappropriate commercial use.
This situation reflects a broader need for statutory reform to protect land reserved for community benefit from being gradually redirected toward commercial purposes.
✅ Sign the petition to support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade: support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade
📩 Send your submission to the Heritage Council by Wednesday 23 July 2025 at: heritagecouncil@nt.gov.au
A submission template is provided below. Your voice helps ensure the Esplanade remains a protected and cherished public space for all Territorians.
Remember to use your own words!
Dear Mr Walker,
I am writing to express my strong support for the full heritage listing of the Darwin Esplanade.
This is not a random collection of small parks, but a unified and historically significant reserve that was first laid out in 1869 by George Goyder and his team during the original survey of Palmerston (now Darwin). The Esplanade reflects a planning pattern seen in many British colonial cities where generous coastal parklands were deliberately set aside for civic life and public recreation.
For over 150 years, the Esplanade has been central to the cultural and social life of Darwin. It continues to serve as a place of recreation, ceremony, gathering, commemoration, and peaceful reflection. It is a beloved and irreplaceable landscape.
Historical sources indicate that in 1921, the Commonwealth Government formally proclaimed the Esplanade as a public domain for the exclusive use and enjoyment of the people of Darwin. This proclamation also made clear that no commercial buildings were to be constructed on the land. This public purpose must be honoured.
In 2023, the Darwin City Council challenged the Esplanade’s provisional heritage listing in the NT Supreme Court. While the listing was set aside, it was done so on procedural fairness grounds — not on the basis of merit. The Heritage Council is now rehearing the matter, and public submissions are open until Wednesday 23 July 2025.
While the Darwin City Council manages the Esplanade, it does so as a custodian on behalf of the public — the land is held in public trust and is not owned by the Council as private property. This means the Esplanade cannot be treated as council-owned land for commercial development or other private uses. Heritage listing provides statutory protection by requiring any proposed changes to be approved by the Heritage Council, helping to safeguard the Esplanade’s cultural and historical significance from repurposing or inappropriate development.
I therefore urge the Heritage Council to:
• Reaffirm the Esplanade’s status as a unified and significant heritage place;
• Protect it from inappropriate commercial development that would undermine its historical, civic, and environmental value;
• Recognise and reflect the enduring connection between the Darwin community and the Esplanade.
Please confirm receipt of this submission and include it in the public record of this process.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Suburb or Organisation]
Read other PLan articles on the Esplanade: