Berry Springs is about 50 kilometres south of Darwin, and about 9 kilometres past Noonamah along the Cox Peninsula Road.

The original settlement of the town was located about 5 kilometres south of the current site, and was named Southport. Southport was one of four towns which had plans drawn up for it in 1869 by Surveyor-General Goyder. The towns were part of the South Australian government's vision for acquiring and developing land in the Northern Territory, to firstly increase the state's land holdings, but also to encourage migration, therefore creating a sound economic base for South Australia

In the 1870s people flocked to the area, to mine for gold and other precious metals and stones. There were a few insubstantial findings made - just enough to keep the miners and fossickers interested, and for them to set up temporary dwellings around the Southport township.

In the late 19th century Southport housed railway construction crews. Because of this, the population of the town again grew, and a number of different facilities were established to cater for the new inhabitants. At one point in time there were 4 hotels in Southport, and a number of specialist stores.

Eventually, with the redirection of the railway, the town of Southport began to lose its life. There was little work to be found there, and the itinerant population moved on. Today, the ruins of Southport can still be seen, and are a popular attraction in the Berry Springs area.


The main attractions in the town are the Berry Springs Nature Park and the Territory Wildlife Park.

About 10 kilometres south east of Berry Springs is the Blackmore River Conservation Reserve - also known as Tumbling Waters for the 15 kilometres of the Blackmore River that lie within the Reserve's boundaries. Both riverine and estuarine mangroves are protected in the reserve, and the area was the pioneer for mangrove protection in the Darwin Harbour region. Swimming is prohibited here, because of the number of saltwater crocodiles in the area. Picnics and fishing are both popular in the reserve, and campers frequent the area in the drier months.

The Darwin River Dam is about 17 kilometres south of Berry Springs. The dam holds in excess of 250,000 million litres of water, and has a primary purpose as a supplementary water supply for the Darwin area. There is a lookout which has good views of the catchment area, and there are picnic facilities nearby.

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