Tennant Creek
Situated in the eastern central region of the Territory, the Barkly is known as the Golden Heart of Australia. The township of Tennant Creek serves as the primary service and supplier hub for the Barkly, with a population of around 3,500 - nearly half the population of the region.
Major industries include government services, agriculture, construction, and mining, with the Barkly and Tennant Creek pastoral district accounting for a substantial proportion of the Territory’s cattle industry.
The Beetaloo Sub-basin, which overlaps with the Big Rivers region, is a world-class shale gas resource and home to over three-quarters of the Northern Territory’s prospective shale gas resources.
With some of the highest and most reliable solar irradiance in the world, the Barkly will be home to SunCable, the world’s largest solar farm.
The Barkly region is rich in rugged beauty, including the Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, the Lytwelepenty/Davenport Ranges National Park, and the birdwatcher’s paradise of Lake Woods Conservation Covenant.
Economic opportunities
- Energy
- Tourism
- Mining
- Agriculture.
Wet season
November to April
with temperatures up to 40˚C
Dry season
May to October
with temperatures from 12 - 25˚C
THE BEETALOO SUB-BASIN
one of the world’s largest onshore gas reserves, with an estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of gas
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