Larrimah, Northern Territory

Larrimah is a town and a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 431 kilometres (268 mi) southeast of the territorial capital of Darwin and about 158 kilometres (98 mi) southeast of the municipal seat of Katherine. It is built along the Stuart Highway. It was the railhead on the North Australia Railway during World War II.

Larrimah
Northern Territory
The Big Stubby
Larrimah
Coordinates15°34′33″S 133°12′59″E[1]
Population47 (2016 census)[2]
EstablishedMarch 1941 (village)
29 June 1950 (town)
3 April 2007 (locality)[3][4]
Postcode(s)0852[5]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
Location
LGA(s)Roper Gulf Region [1]
Territory electorate(s)Barkly[6]
Federal Division(s)Lingiari[7]
Mean max temp[8] Mean min temp[8] Annual rainfall[8]
33.9 °C
93 °F		 19.6 °C
67 °F		 859.6 mm
33.8 in
Localities around Larrimah:
Elsey Elsey
 Birdum
Sturt Plateau
Birdum		 Larrimah Birdum
Birdum Birdum Birdum
FootnotesLocations[5][9]
Adjoining localities[10]

Description

Larrimah was established in March 1941 as a "village" during World War II. The 8th Australian Staging Camp, built by the Australian Army, was set up for troops making the journey by road from Adelaide before transferring onto rail at Larrimah siding for the rest of the journey to Darwin. No. 45 Australian Camp Hospital was also set up at Larrimah by the Australian Army. The town then served as a railhead until the line closed in 1976.[11]

The town's pub, the Pink Panther, was originally 9 km south in Birdum, but was moved when Larrimah became the end of the railway. It is the home of the Big Stubby, a large replica of a Darwin Stubby beer bottle. In 1998, it received a National Tidy Towns award.[11] Larrimah's fuel station burnt down in October 2009 so no fuel is available there. The closest fuel available is 76 kilometres north at Mataranka, or 100 kilometres south at Daly Waters. There is a Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service unit stationed there to attend motor vehicle accidents and local bush and grass fires.

On the north end of town is Fran's Devonshire Tea House. Fran's is the location of Larrimah's old police station, and uses the original bars and windows of the jail cells. The shop is the tracker's quarters and courthouse.

Demographics

The 2016 Australian census reports that the locality of Larrimah had 47 people living within its boundaries while as of August 2018, the town of Larrimah was reported as having a population of 11.[2][12]

Government

Larrimah became a town on 29 June 1950[1][3] and the locality of Larrimah was established on 3 April 2007.[4] Larrimah is located within the federal division of Lingiari, the territory electoral division of Barkly and the local government area of the Roper Gulf Region.[4][7][6]

Heritage

The following places listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register are located within the locality of Larrimah:

  • Birdum Historic Township[13]
  • WWII Larrimah Telephone Repeater Station and Powerhouse[14]

Larrimah was visited in an episode of Dom Joly's Happy Hour.

Disappearance of Paddy Moriarty

On 16 December 2017, 70 year-old Larrimah resident, Paddy Moriarty, and his red kelpie, Kellie, went missing after leaving the town pub.[15] Three days later, police searched his house, finding his car, quad-bike, keys, hat, glasses, wallet, and food in the microwave. There were no signs of violence or a struggle.

Police then scoured the local area but called off their search on 23 December and are treating the case as a suspected homicide.[11] As of February 2018, no reward has been offered in the case.[16] An inquest was held in Katherine into his suspected death in June 2018.[17] To aid the case, one year after the disappearance, police released photos of the inside of his home.[18]

The unique character of the case soon made it well-known internationally.[19] In tracking next of kin, media learnt that Moriarty had immigrated to Australia aged 19 in the 1960s on Fairstar, and members of his extended family were traced to Abbeyfeale, in Limerick, Ireland, and others who had gone to the US.[20]

The Walkley Award winning Australian crime podcast Lost in Larrimah,[21][22] released in April-May 2018, explored the mystery of Moriarty's disappearance, as well as the town's history in great depth, including the feuds within the small community.[12] The disappearance was also the subject of a four part Radio National series by ABC News called A Dog Act: Homicide on the Highway, released in December 2018.[23]

References
  1. "Place Names Register Extract for Larrimah (village)". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Larrimah (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  3. "NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (36). Australia. 29 June 1950. p. 1557. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "NT Place Names Register". Place Names Register Extract for Larrimah (locality). Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  5. "Postcode for Larrimah, Northern Territory". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  6. "Division of Barkly". Northern Territory Electoral Commission (. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  7. "Profile of the electoral division of Lingiari (NT)". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  8. "Summary statistics LARRIMAH". Bureau of Meteorology, Australian government. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  9. "Roper Gulf Shire (map)" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. "Search result for 'Larrimah'". NT Atlas. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  11. "Lost in the Outback: what became of Paddy Moriarty?". independent. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  12. Williams, Jacqueline (11 August 2018). "In a Town of 11 People, Mysterious Disappearance Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  13. "Birdum Historic Township". Heritage Register. Northern Territory Government. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  14. "WWII Larrimah Telephone Repeater Station and Powerhouse". Heritage Register. Northern Territory Government. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  15. "Lost in the Outback: what became of Paddy Moriarty?". independent. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  16. "Police consider reward over Paddy's disappearance". NewsComAu. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  17. "Pies, crocs and threats: Feuds aired as entire town gives evidence at inquest". www.abc.net.au. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  18. "The chook, the hats and the dim sims: Clues that made police concerned for Paddy Moriarty". www.abc.net.au. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  19. McLennan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Paddy Moriarty has become a global industry". Katherine Times. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  20. "Police request DNA tests as Paddy Moriarty's Irish family comes forward". www.abc.net.au. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  21. Stevenson, Kylie; Graham, Caroline (9 May 2018). "Lost in Larrimah, One tiny town. One huge mystery". The Australian. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  22. "Lost in Larrimah on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  23. Henderson, Anna; Vanovac, Neda (3 December 2018). "Could the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty end up unravelling an entire town?". ABC News. Retrieved 16 December 2018.


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