East Arm
East Arm is one of prominant three arms on Darwin Harbour, the others being Middle, and West Arms which flows from the south. East Arm peninsula, on the northern side of East Arm, is Darwin's main industrial area, which is developing into a national and international hub for transport, exports, oil and gas.
Darwin is the closest Australian city to Asia; has the ASEAN countries, including Singapore, as its neighbours; and is strategically well placed to contribute to, and benefit from, the economic growth of the ASEAN area. The northern terminus of the Alice Springs - Darwin railway is at East Arm, adjacent to the Darwin rail freight terminal, the Port of Darwin and Darwin Business Park.
Where is it: 16 kilometres (by road) east of the Darwin CBD via Berrimah Road.
Port of Darwin
Port Darwin has become a major recreational fishing haven since it was closed to commercial fishing in 1997. Several rivers and creeks feed into the harbour, via three arms; East, Middle, and West Arms which flows from the south. It is the only harbour in Australia sited on a large city that continues to produce the best fishing and crabbing anywhere. The Elizabrth River drains into the East Arm, it and a number of rivers that feed into Middle Arm and Little West Arm ensure an excellent run of freshwater in the wet (monsoon) season, ensuring plenty of protein.
Darwin Harbour and its arms, the tidal rivers and steams are muddy, resulting in fringing mangroves along most shores, though the water is clear. Mud crabbing is popular with locals, and not without reason as the muddies are plentiful. As elsewhere in the Top End, there are plenty of oyster banks. Fishing is popular throughout the year. The harbour is stocked with barramundi fingerings from time to time. Hundreds of wrecks of various kinds, mainly sunk during the Japanese air raids on Darwin during World war II, along with a lot of material deposited by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974, have become home to black jewfish and golden snapper. East Arm has a boat ramp at the end of Berrimah Road.
The East Arm Leprosarium opened in 1955 and replaced the Channel Island Leprosarium. Situated several kilometres south east of Darwin, it was run by the Northern Territory Administration and was staffed by nursing Sisters from the Catholic order, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Patients isolated at the Leprosarium included children as young as four years of age. Improvements in treatment and changing attitudes towards the disease led to the closing of East Arm Leprosarium in 1982, after which patients were treated in regular hospitals.
