Northern Territory (Australia)

Last modified: 2003-08-09 by jonathan dixon
Keywords: australia | northern territory | flower | southern cross |
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The Northern Territory doesn't have a 'blue duster' like all other Australian states. It was the first internal or external Australian territory to adopt a flag post-Federation (1901). The year was 1978 and the Union Jack was fading in significance as an appropriate symbol for Australia. Since the Northern Territory had no flag, it was easy to adopt a design that was not a 'duster'.

There are seven leaves of the flower, for the same reason as there is a seven pointed star in Australian flag: it is a symbol of Federation (six original states + one point for all the territories).
Brendan Jones, 19 March 1996

The flag of the Northern Territory incorporates the three official Territory colours: black, white and ochre. I'm tempted to say that ochre is the colour of Uluru (Ayers Rock), but this would be very misleading -- it varies greatly in colour depending on what time of day it is! Ochre as a colour varies from light yellow to brown, and is a kind of native earth consisting of clay and hydrated oxide.
David Cohen, 11 December 1997