Barrow Creek Travel Information

Barrow Creek Northern Territory

Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory

Barrow Creek, population 11 - is a real Australian outback spot with a pub and an old telegraph station, in the remote Australia - outback Northern Territory, just about in the mathematical heart of the continent of Australia. I must admit that I missed the pub so I cannot describe it, but I have heard that it’s a place with character, just like most of the other outback pubs - with walls covered in ID cards and memorabilia.

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History of the Old Telegraph Station
The Old Telegraph Station was opened in 1870s, along with many others such as Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, to enable communication with Europe. You can go inside – ask for the key in the bar. The pub and a hotel were built in 1932, just in time for Tennant Creek’s gold rush. There are also some old graves you can have a look at; and you can stay at the hotel or in a caravan park.

Modern Story - Peter Falconio
What put Barrow Creek on news headlines in modern time, was the disappearance of the British backpacker Peter Falconio in July 2001 - six months before I first happened to visit and it was scary to drive past the place then, but I have learned since that the outback is not a dangerous place, more crime happens in cities. The couple had bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they could have been more careful and not stopped their car.

Haven’t heard the story? Peter and his girlfriend Joanne were driving from Alice Springs towards Tennant Creek when in darkness they were stopped by a stranger who asked Peter to go out and have a look at ”something that was wrong with their campervan”. Joanne heared a bang (which is believed to have killed Peter) and was then threatened by a gun while restrained with handcuffs, but when she was left without attention only for a moment, she managed to escape and hide in the bush in darkness until in the early hours of the following morning when she stopped a truck that took her to Barrow Creek Hotel where they called the police.

Needless to say she was very lucky to escape but the story was far from over for the poor girl. It took years of court cases, in some of which she was suspected to have murdered Peter, before the murderer was finally found guilty on the basis of DNA tests and imprisoned for the rest of his life. The body of Peter Falconio has never been found.

Here is a map of Barrow Creek area. You can double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.

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NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.

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