Construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway
The old end of track at Alice Springs before the extension to Darwin, 2001
In 2001 I was commissioned by the Northern Territory government to produce a comprehensive body of work telling the story of the construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. I was the only photographer commissioned to photograph the three-year duration of the project. The resultant body of work is an expansive and unique documentation of a project that wss one of the most culturally, socially, economically and strategically significant undertakings in Australia’s history.
The construction of this railway was the culmination of 100 years of promises and false starts. The building of a north south trans-continental railway was first proposed at the time of federation in 1901.
Its creation was one of Australia’s biggest construction projects, rivalled only by the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The chief minister of the Northern Territory, Clair Martin called the project ‘the steel spine running down the centre of Australia’.
The construction of this railway was the culmination of 100 years of promises and false starts. The building of a north south trans-continental railway was first proposed at the time of federation in 1901.
Its creation was one of Australia’s biggest construction projects, rivalled only by the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The chief minister of the Northern Territory, Clair Martin called the project ‘the steel spine running down the centre of Australia’.
