Humpty Doo

Humpty Doo is a small town in Australia's Northern Territory, situated just south of the Arnhem Highway, approximately 40 km from Darwin. At the 2006 census, Humpty Doo had a population of 5,413. Its local government area is Litchfield Municipality. The town is a popular stopping point for tourists travelling between Darwin and Kakadu National Park, and boasts many attractions of its own. The main industries are agriculture and tourism; however, most residents commute to Darwin or Palmerston for work, and many regard the town more as an outer suburb.The locality of Humpty Doo is named after the station originally called ‘Umpity Doo’; however, origins of the name are uncertain. Three derivations have been suggested: from "the Army slang term "umpty" used in 1917 for the dash when reading Morse code" (however, the station name was in use in 1910)from a colloquialism to describe "everything done wrong or upside down"the place was known as "Umdidu", an English language corruption of an Aboriginal term which meant a popular resting placeHistoryThe Djerimanga (also known as Woolner) people are recognised as the traditional owners and first inhabitants of an area from the present day site of Humpty Doo east into the Adelaide River wetlands. Their way of life remained unchanged until first contact with European explorers in the 19th Century, likely during the 1864 expedition led by Boyle Travers Finniss to explore the areas surrounding the Adelaide River.