Northern Territory
Resources and Infrastructure
Mining
Mineral and hydrocarbon production has been a significant contributor to the Northern Territory’s economic development.
Exploration in the Territory and known mineral resources include:
• bauxite, with the third-largest bauxite mine in Australia at Gove;
• gold, with significant mines in the Pine Creek area, the Tanami Desert, and the Tennant Creek area;
• manganese on Groote Eylandt – one of the world’s four major producers of high-grade ore;
• zinc, lead, and silver, including one of the world’s largest known ore bodies at McArthur River; and
• bismuth, copper, diamonds, galena, mica, molybdenum, ochre, opal, palladium, phosphate, platinum, tantalite, tin, tungsten, turquoise, rubies, and wolfram.
Energy Resources
The Northern Territory’s energy resources include oil, natural gas, and uranium. Oil and gas exploration and production occur onshore and in three areas offshore which continue to dominate energy exploration.
Infrastructure
Sealed roads include the three primary interstate links – the Stuart Highway from Darwin to the South Australian border, the Barkly Highway from Tennant Creek to the Queensland border, and the Victoria Highway from Katherine to the Western Australian border.
Darwin is the first port of call for many international aircraft flying from Asia. From Darwin, there are connections to all Australian capital cities.
The Port of Darwin is the main deepwater port in the north of Australia. There are two other major ports in the Northern Territory – Milner Bay and Grove, both managed by mining companies.