Although the Aboriginals had been living in Northern Australia for 40,000 years +, European peoples like Captain Willem Jootszoon van Colster aboard the Dutch vessel Arnhem did not arrive until the early 1600's. They left names on the maps such as the Gulf of Carpentaria named after Peter Carpenter the then Governor of the VOC, Groote Eylandt in the gulf, Arnhem land, Van Diemen Gulf, Vanderlin Island and Cape Keerweer.

Soon after the founding of the settlement at Port Jackson in Sydney harbour several British settlements were made in the north such as Fort Dundas on Melville Island on Sept 30th 1824 by Capt. James Gordon Bremer who came aboard the Tamar. Fort Dundas was named after the First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Philip Dundas. The early days were not easy as they had to put up with the troublesome Tiwi Islanders, the white ants and the occasional cyclone common in the area. The soil was of good quality but there were no heavy animals to carry out the required work. Eventually Water Buffalo's were imported from Timor which became the basis of a herd that was later moved onto the Cobourg Peninsular. In 1827 Major John Campbell arrived and took charge, by this time the relationship with the Aboriginals had deteriorated with several leading citizens being speared to death. The fort was abandoned in 1828 and by 1829 the Tiwi Islanders were again in control of their land. In June 1827 Capt. James Stirling established another fort on the Cobourg Peninsula but found the natives to be even more of a problem, the order was eventually given Governor Darling to abandon this fort as well. During those years no other nation showed any interest in the area but the British government made another attempt, this time establishing Fort Victoria at Port Essington again by Capt. Gordon Bremer on 27th Oct 1838.

This time he sailed in the Alligator with two other ships carrying supplies. Later in July 1839 the settlement was visited by Capt. J.C. Wickham and the Beagle which carried the well known Charles Darwin the father of the evolution theory. The harbour had been discovered in 1893 by John Lort Stokes aboard the 'Beagle' who named it 'Port Darwin' after his former shipmate. In 1845 the explorer Ludwig Leichardt reached Port Essington which aroused more interest in the 'Top End'.

For a while the little outpost thrived but gradually fell into disrepair after Bremer left in June 1839. A migration scheme was advertised in Singapore and even in China but with no success. In 1846 Father Angelo Confalonieri became the first Catholic priest to establish a church in the Northern Territory,  died soon after and Fort Victoria and Port Essington were abandoned on Dec 1st 1849.

A 4th attempt was made at Escape Cliffs about 75 kilometres from present day Darwin a year after South Australia took control of the NT (Northern Territory). 250,000 acres of land were sold before anyone even set foot in the area. Lieutenant Colonel Boyle Travis Finniss was appointed the Resident Governor of the NT in March 1864 but his bull headed manner of running the settlement soon got him into hot water. His policy of shooting any Aboriginal on sight soon caused the white population to come under attack again. Seven of his men also departed in an open boat to find their own spot in paradise but ended up in Fremantle WA. (Western Australia). He was advised to settle in Adam Bay but he insisted with Escape Cliffs against all protests. During the WET season that year they had a terrible time.

Eventually Finniss was recalled to Adelaide to face a Royal Commission during which he was criticised and censured for his actions. In 1867 the settlement at Escape Cliffs had also been abandoned which gave to Marananggu  aboriginals a few years of peace. In 1869 George Woodroffe Goyder and his men arrived to establish Palmerston later changed to Darwin.

In 1845 Ludwig Leichhardt the explorer reached Port Essington trekking overland from Brisbane in Queensland creating prolonged interest i the 'Top End'.

The area came under the control of South Australia in 1863 when more ambitious development plans were made. The process of White settlement in the NT was just as violent and troubled as in all parts of Australia with Aboriginal groups trying hard to resist the newcomers from taking over their lands. Darwin's growth was accelerated by the discovery of gold at Pine Creek 200kms south of Darwin in 1871.