Northern Territory
Please Note: This page currently needs reviewing and updating to provide fully accurate information. It will be updated as soon as possible. Starting in 1911 the Darwin City Council began collecting licensing fees under the Motor Vehicle Act 1907 of South Australia, however there is no mention of number plates.Â
On the first of July 1930 a major change occurred being the original Motor Vehicle Ordinance and Regulations for Territory of North Australia, and Territory of Central Australia. The registration fees were 20 shillings for motor vehicles and 10 for motorcycles. Plates had white numeral with a black base along with N/A (Northern Australia) or C/A (Central Australia) on the left side, however, many variants have been found as they were owner provided. Plates were to be mounted one front and one rear. There are currently no known examples of Central Australia in collectors hands.
 In 1940 the next change would occur, a Northern Territory wide registration system was set in place. The Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1940-1949 would allow implementation and allowed all previous plates to become unregistered and invalid. All vehicles were given new plates and this was enforced by the Northern Territory Police. The new plates featured either N.T. or N/T. on the left side of the plate.Â
Modern Plates:
In 1953 the Motor Vehicle Registry began operations under supervision of Mr. Winn, Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Under new leadership the official plates became embossed and continued with the white on black color scheme. This series held number 1 up to 169-999.Â
The first of May 1979 marked a new beginning for the Northern Territory number plates as they received a new look. The ochre on white became the new standard. Starting at number 170-000, however, for those who previously held lower numbers they were remade.
Coloured Plates:
The first of July 1995 Coloured plates became an option. Three sizes were available 372 x 133 mm regular six characters, 315 x 133 mm five or four characters, 190 x 133 mm one, two, or three characters. Colour choices being black on either reflective white or yellow. The standard slogans appear on top of the 372 x 133 mm plate, however, on the smaller plates it is omitted; only the N.T. is shown on smaller plates.
Personalized Plates:
Personalized plates are available on all vehicles with the exception of taxi’s. On the first of February 1983 personalized plates were an option in all combinations from five letters – one number to one number – five letters along with all letter plates or six characters total for simplicity. Later with addition of slimline plates seven characters became available. A choice of slogans was given of N.T. – Nature Territory or N.T. Outback Australia. A depiction of a Sturt Desert rose is after the slogan, however, as prison plates began production inmates would forget to include the Sturt Desert Rose. Eventually the Sturt Desert Rose was not seen again on this type of plates, however, it is unknown exactly when this took place. These plates featured the same ochre color and white background as released in 1979. Motorcycle and Trailer plates are allowed at most five characters. All letter plates are available from one to five letters. Remakes are also displayed below.
The Use of Commemorative Plates
January first 1988 marked a new stage in Northern Territory plates as the Bicentenary plates became an option in both standard and personalized plates. The number kept the classic ochre color on white. The plates began at 400-500 to 414-999. The slogan was Australian Bicentenary 1788-1988 in green, around 408-000 the style and color of the slogan were slightly change. In 1997 remakes were discontinued and any remakes were put on a standard plate. Additionally 25 years of self-goverment, and 100 years of NT were produced.Â
Bombing of Darwin
Bombing of Darwin plates were produced to memorialize the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Darwin by The Imperial Japanese Navy. The plate features embossed blue lettering. Printed in the middle in a Spitfire aircraft, along the bottom in print is “NT – THE TERRITORY REMEMBERS 1942-2017”. BOD signifies Bombing of Darwin. Plates were available 14 May 2016 through 27 February 2017 for purchase from the Motor Vehicle Registry. Some numbers went for auction with minimum bid sale of 150 exempt from GST. The others were sold for 150 a set. Numbers were BOD 000 through BOD 999.Â
Frontline WWII Number Plates
. The plate features a silhouette of an Australian Army bugler with a map of the Northern Territory in the background. This plate has a red on sand color. Warrant Officer Class Two Geoff Carter C.S.M. posed as the bugler.
Rental Car Number Allocations:
Rental Car Company received lots of number. Below they are listed:
200-000 plus Avis
400-000 plus Hertz
500-000 through 500-549 Territory Renta Car
550-000 through 550-999 Budget
600-000 plus Hertz Replacements
Cannonball 1994
The 1994 Northern Territory Cannonball Run was the first legal of this kind of run. The event started in Darwin then went to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and returning. The route took a little under 2500 miles. It was scheduled May 22-27, but unfortunately tragedy struck on the 24th. When the two Japanese competitors crashed in a Ferrari F40. The crash as unfortunate did not stop the rest of the run. The event had 170 competing cars. The plates were made to number 400. After the event these plates were sold as singles to those wishing to purchase one. Several of the plates were destroyed during accidents. The cost for a two person entry was 7500 AUD. This did include room and food for the full route. I currently have two Cannonball plates the first being number 17. The second being having winner as an award for a given category.
Back To The Track 1995
Back To The Track plates were created in part of the national celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the ending of WWII. A re-enactment of military supply convoy road from Alice Spring to Darwin. Those who participated were given Back To The Track 1945-1995 plates. The top was screened in white with a WWII era truck and convoy plate over the Northern Territory map. 001 through 074 were issued for those who were part of the event.
Jeep Trek 1994
In 1994 the World Jeep Jamboree was held in the Northern Territory. This was the first time it was held outside of the United States. The plate is ochre on white and has a Jeep in ochre followed by JEEP in blue. Across the bottom is N.T.- Trek Australia 1994. Number 1-24 were for participates. Higher number were for collectors to win at auction held by the government.Â
Jaguar XK Commemorative Run August 1996
In 1996 Territory Rent – a – car sponsored a run from Darwin to Alice Springs. This was open to Jaguar owners. The color was green on white with the N.T. Outback slogan on the bottom. Screened onto was Jaguar XK Commemorative Run August 1996. The logo of the sponsor was on the left of the plate. On the right screened was a XK Jaguar and a map of the N.T. Letters and numbers were in motorcycle dies.
Motorcycle Number Plates
1953 through 1980 motorcycle plates were white on black with a vertical N.T. on the left of the plate. Issued series 1 through 24-999. While most plates were manufactured by Page some were produced by Altona. This series was 8-000 through 12-000 to 13-000.Â
Between the 13th of November 1980 to 13th of November 1981 all old motorcycle plates were replaced by the new style of ochre on white to match the passenger plate shift. The new plates started at 25-000 with the remakes of older ones being the exception. At 38-500 Altona added the sticker box in 1986. Then in 1987 N.T.P.I. took over.
 Personalized motorcycle plates began in 1979 and featured standard passenger slogans of Outback Australia and Nature Territory along with N.T, however, the big difference is they are screened on to being embossed as normal motorcycle plates. The Sturt Desert Rose is also feature before and after the slogan. These plates had a maximum of five characters.
 In 1979 the Northern Territory Government motorcycles received new tags featuring N.T.G. along the top. The colors were ochre and white. The series was issued from 80-000 up. Plates issued from 80-200 had sticker boxes along with those remade.
 Tourist Vehicle motorcycles forego the graphics known to the plate, while keeping the white on green coloring along with a sticker box. This is a small series being TV 201 through TV 220. Other numbers were issued as required, personalized was also an option.
Pastoral motorcycle plates are farm or rural use with very limited access to public roads. They are black on yellow, and became an option in 1987. Issued series P-001 through P-999. In 1989 motorcycle plates became an option for vintage club plates. They shared the same color with their bigger relatives along with displaying N.T. at the top. Issues VCC-01 through VCC-99.
Vintage Number Plates
Vintage or VCC plates are for club events. In addition to only be driven to events the vehicle must be over thirty years old. The plates are white on red. There was a choices between N.T. at the top or N.T. Outback Australia at the bottom. In 1988 an ochre on white was issued for the Bicentennial Castrol World Ralley VV-001 through VV-040. December first 1995 the VCC became vertical on the left side of the plate. It keep the same white on red color scheme. The size options were 315 x 133 and 190 x 133 mm.
City Plates:
In December 1994, Australia’s Northern Territory decided to offer its inhabitants four unique license plate designs. These plates were made available to personal vehicles, except motorcycles and trailers. In 1995 one more design was added bring the total to five. In 1998 the final sixth plate came out. The designs feature some similarities while each in the middle presenting the regional silhouettes. All plates feature a sun behind the silhouettes. The ochre lettering is very sharp and stands out on the white. The plates of the series are Barra Country – Darwin, The Red Centre – Alice Springs, Gold Country – Tennant Creek, Cattle Country – Katherine, Best Kept Secret – Arnhem Land, City Of The Future – Palmerston. As the total population of the territory is slim it can make finding some of the plates more challenging and part of the hunt. It took me a year personally, but I did have some good luck. Credits to Maurice Mangiagli NPCC #1006 for the original article containing information.
Information of each plate:
Barra Country – Darwin, The License plate of this region portrays the Barra fish also known as Barramundi, a common Southeast Asia fish. The Barra word originally comes from an Australian Aboriginal language from the Queensland area translating to “large-scaled river fish”. Darwin is the capital of the territory hosting over half of the population. It is the northern most capital in Australia, along with being known for it’s wet weather and smallness.
The Red Centre – Alice Springs, The Red Centre is known for its dry humid climate. The area is locally known as Centralia, with its residents known as Centralians. The city of Alice Springs has a population of 25,000, making it the third largest city of the territory. The Arrernte people lived in this area of Australia for at least 30,000 years. The area has several springs, which upon first discovery were put into the name and stuck.
Gold Country – Tenant Creek, The Gold Country gets its name from formerly being the third largest gold producer in Australia. In excess of 210 tonnes of gold have been extracted from this area. They also extract many other raw materials from the region for various uses. Tenant Creek is a smaller city of about 3,000 people, yet it is still the seventh largest city of the Territory. Over fifty percent of the town identifies as indigenous Australian.
Cattle Country – Katherine, The Cattle Country has a strong economy with fifty-two million dollars(2004). The town also provides as a center for importation of cattle into the territory with various local links. Katherine is known where the outback and the tropics meet. There is a good tourism industry in addition to the many other local industries.
Best Kept Secret – Arnhem Land, The Pandanus Palm is featured on this plate. Arnhem Land is inhabited by the Aboriginals. This area is about 97,000 sq. km. or 37,000 sq. mi. This area host a wealth of jaw dropping views. This area also serves as a location to preserve the local culture and traditions.
City Of The Future – Palmerston, The Gecko featured was from a competition by the city. The population is around 40,000. It features many suburbs along with breath taking costal scenes. The city was planned as a satellite of Darwin, only being 20 km. away.
Trailer Plates
Northern Territory Trailer plates from 1953-1979 had a black on yellow color scheme. The number had a small T place in-front on the left side.There were several different series T1 through T999. Next, they would add a black dot in the middle between the T and the number T*1000 through T*9999. Lastly, for this series a spacer was placed between the first two numbers and last three number being T*10-000 through T*29-999. October 30th 1979 marked a change once the black on yellow plate became expired, It became required to change to the new ochre on white. The N.T. Outback Australia slogan was featured. Another change is the T was made full size until 1997 when the sticker box was added. The same spacer was kept from the previous issues. The issues started at T 30-000 through T 45-999 along with the reissued lower numbers. Series T 46-000 through T 99-999 the sticker box was added along with remakes of older series. Once all these issues were taken; a new series began supporting the same format starting with a letter in-front of the numbers. This series began with 001 through 999 for each letter. The latest series is Q. I and P were both omitted as I often is mistaken for 1, and P was for Pastoral plates. Trailers are given one of four rating 0, 1, 2, 3. A 0 trailer is for boat, box, or other trailers that were not designed for combinational use. A 1 is a dog trailer with a fixed dolly or semi trailer. This rating wouldn’t have a European type tow coupling or no coupling. A 1 rating also could have no inherent straight such as fibre glass trailers. A 1 rating trailer can only be used as the last trailer on a triple road train. A 2 rating trailer must be at least a 50 mm kingpin with a load sharing suspension that incorporates a European tow coupling. Also a dolly trailer that is has at least 50 mm turntable or a fifth wheel with brakes on every wheel, and good lighting. A 2 rating maybe be used as in a double or triple road train in the second or third position. A 3 rating trailer is similar to a two with a minimum 50 mm kingpin, however, it additionally require a 50 mm minimum for the European tow coupling. A dolly trailer for a rating three requires a 90 mm turntable or fifth wheel, with every wheel having brakes. The rating three enables it to be in any or all positions in a road train and up to a triple road train.
Government Plates
Northern Territory Government plates share the ochre with white from 1979 on. Full size plates have N.T.G. vertical along with Outback Australia slogan on the bottom. Original series 850-nnn through 858-nnn. Then reverted to the 800 series. Bus Plates have M.O.(motor omnibus) vertical located before their number. Bus series 8-001 plus. Trailer plates featured a T that was either full size or half size with a site box. Trailer series T80-000 up. Motorcycle government plates are located under the motorcycle section.
Federal Interstate Plates
Federal Interstate plates for the Northern Territory began in 1987. The format was two letter a diamond followed by two number and two letters. There were slim picking as N was used for New South Wales and T for Tasmania. C was settled on as Central. There is a low population of these plates as most trucks operate within the territory. Federal Interstate is embossed on the bottom. The series were CV- for up to 37,000 GVM, CX- extends the load limit to 42,500 GVM, and CT- is for trailers. Vehicles that are equipped with mileage monitoring have the last letter as an M.
World Solar Challenge
In 1987 a new race began traveling 3004 KM from Darwin to Gepps Cross located near Adelaide, South Australia. Vehicles participating in the event are given a single number plate. 1987 through 1999 the event occured every third year. 2001 through 2019 the event occured every two years. No events took place during covid with next scheduled in 2023. The unique part about these plates unlike regular plates they may be located anywhere in the vehicle. This is due to the extreme importance of the aerodynamics to help these vehicles fairly compete. Some plates are even placed in the cockpit of the vehicle. The event occurs every three years. The first years plate was embossed with florescent pink. It has a background of sun with a sunray, and a sticker box on the right hand side. All plates of this series being with sun followed by a number either single or two digit. In 1990 we would see red lettering with an orange and yellow background. 1993 was slightly different as the top was screened with Northern Territory World Solar Challenge 1993 followed by the Northern Territory flag in brown. The colors of 1993 were green on white with the sticker box to the right. In 1996 they kept the same green on white design with an updated year on the prints and changed the color to red on the screening. In 1999 the color was updated to blue on white along with a slight change in the design of the sun. The flag was redesigned to be slightly larger and moved to the left from the right. The font of the screened part was changed to be slightly smaller, and the sticker box stayed. In 2001 the color was changed to black on white and kept the same screening with updated year. 2003 was similar to 2001 one with the color being updated to red on white. In 2005 the color was changed to green on white.
Dealer Plates
Dealer plates have had many varieties over the years. In 1953 the dealer plates initiated and shared yellow on black color scheme of this era. These plates featured a small D upfront. The 1953 series began at D 1 up. This series began on September 9th. 1980 through 1988 saw a yearly cycle of changing the colors a white font was kept throughout except for 1988 when it became yellow. Starting in 1980 here is a list of background color through 1988 brown, green, orange, blue, red, purple, brown, green, and lastly white. These plates were valid from January 1 through December 31. In 1989 they made a change to the more common ochre on white color scheme. The small D was kept, however, underneath a sticker was placed to validate per year. In April 1997 dealer plates became four numbers. All dealer plates are permanent plates.
Commonwealth Plates
Commonwealth plates of the Northern Territory feature several varieties. Ministerial Star plate existed for a fleet of special limousines for government minster and senior Commonwealth public servants. These plates are black on white with the C being red and the star as a spacer. Embossed along the top is C of A. C*951 through C*960 were reserved for the Northern Territory. Australian Electoral Commission plates have ENROL in red, after the C of A vertically. The Northern Territory was issued 01 through 04. Asset service plates are black on white with C of A embossed along the top. All plates started with AS and ended in D for Darwin. These plates had screened Asset Services Total Building Maintenance. A red upside down triangle was featured on these plates. They were withdrawn in 1997, along with the next plate being Australian National Railways headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. They managed the Indian-Pacific, Ghan and Melbourne Express passenger and interstate freight services. On August first 1996 all passenger vehicle plates had their traditional plates stripped. They were given green plates with the company logo. The first two letters were AN followed by three numbers after the logo. In the early 80’s the Commanding Officer of the 7th Military District was issued the custom army plate 7-000 with the color being khaki on white. The 7th District was the Northern Territory. These were later replaced with 7-MD. Finally with the name change to Northern Command, the plate was updated to NORCOM. The previous three plates shared color and ARMY printed across the top. Later with the small lettering the plate became green on white with ADF(Australian Defense Force) across the top. In 1993 the plate was updated and embossed on the bottom was ARMY – SERVING THE NATION keeping the same color replacing ADF. The plates were again changed on request of Commander Commodore Lord who received permission from Minster of Transport of the Northern Territory. These plates featured regular Northern Territory colors and have Defending The North screened underneath. The Commanding Officer of the Northern Territory is 11th in command and is entitled to ADF-11.
Taxi/Hire Plates
During the period 1953-1979 Taxi/Hire plates were yellow on black and feature N.T. on the top. The left of the plate feature a small H. The plate lengths vary to the numbers. In 1979 Taxi’s were issued their own separate plates. On the left side it read taxi in smaller number followed by a spacer, then the number. The slogan N.T. – Outback Australia is along the bottom. These plates are green on white for the color scheme. A year later on March 30th of 1980 Hire cars received their own plates. These plates were blue on white and shared the same slogan as on the taxi plates. The left side has full size P.H. along with periods. There was an error pair that was issued as PHC 050. The owner was offered replacement plates, however, they liked them so they were kept. These error plates were produced by N.T.P.I.
Bus or Motor Omnibus Plates
Bus or Motor Omnibus plates were for privately buses that would carry eight or more paying passengers. The first series ran 1953 through 1992 were yellow on black similar to the hire/taxi plates, however, ran a few years longer. The MO was displayed vertically on these plates making them easy to tell apart. This series was issues MO 1 through MO 999. There were a couple varieties of this plate due to manufactures changing. Page also produced some of these plates, theirs’ feature the fat dies. The thin MO was produced by Altona Engineering of Western Australia. The Northern Territory Prison Industries plates featured larger dies. In 1992 the plates would receive a face lift to blue on sand color scheme. This redesign added the N.T. – Outback Australia – slogan onto the bottom of the plate. These new plates also featured a spacer between the vertical MO and the number.
Tourist Vehicle Plates
Tourist vehicle plates featured one of two graphic either jabiru and crocodile or frill-necked lizard and camel. These plates feature a white on green color scheme. These plates became available in 1993. The graphics also varied as they were originally screened in a brown color, however, around 1995 is when it was believed to began the screening in white. The series of jabiru and crocodile is TV 001 through TV 200 and frill-necked lizard and camel is TV 221 up. Motorcycle plates discussed under that section.
Motor Omnibus Commuter Taxi Service Plates
1985 through 1988 was a short lived series of Motor Omnibus Commuter Taxi Service. These plates feature MO in small font vertically followed by CTS horizontally in a slightly larger, yet still smaller font. These Taxi’s were permitted to carry more than one fair at a time. Issued series MOCTS 001 through MOCTS 005, however, higher numbers were issued somewhat randomly. These plates were seen on the roads as late as 1991.
Lorry Plates
Lorry plates were a short lived run being 1953 through 1956. These plates were for lorries and trucks. They featured a white on black color scheme. These plates featured N.T. along the top after number 999.Â
Pastoral Plates
Pastoral plates became available in 1987 to cover vehicles that would be used for farm work and may need limited public road access to get to other locates on the property or other nearby farms. These plates are dark green on yellow, and feature N.T. – Outback Australia – slogan. This series started at P-1000 up. These plates have a yearly sticker to the left of the P. Motorcycle plates are discussed under that section on this page. Both colors shades changed two or three times. Â
Pacific School Games
The Pacific School Games were held in the Northern Territory 1992. This was held in Darwin from the 3rd to 13th April. Official vehicles from the N.T.G. fleet that were allocated plates had these for the duration of the games. They are ochre on white and feature the Outback Australia slogan. The series ran PSG 1 through PSG 30. The plates feature a frill-neck lizard. The beginning of the Pacific School Games brought together well over two thousand athletes in 1982 from across Australia along with thirdy countries. Categories of competition: Basketball, Diving, Football, Goalball, Table Tennis, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Softball, Swimming, Touch Football, Track and Field. The event would be hosted in several cities over Australia eventually growing to over four thousand participates. The event would be cancelled after the 2008 financial crash, until 2017 where the games would appear again in Canberra for the first time. The event was also a time to educate children on various related areas such as journalism, event management, and hospitality just to name a few. The event also had competitions for para-sporting. Below is a list of years and location of the games.Â
Special Purpose Vehicle Plate
These plates are issued to varies commercial vehicles such as large buses, concrete trucks, and have specifications per the state on which the vehicle is going to.Â
Explorer Plates:
The Explorer plates were short lived from 1994 to 1997. They became available on the first of December, however were not an option for motorcycle or trailer. These plates were Yellow on a reflective blue. John McDouall Stuart is featured as a silhouette on these plates. Originally from Scotland emigrating to South Australia after attending the Scottish Naval and Military Academy. He would find a job in the surveying department. John’s first major journey would be an 17 month expedition. He was accompanying Charles Sturt to explore the centre of Australia. In 1858 he explored past Lake Gairdner and Lake Torrens reaching the site of Tennant Creek. He is pictured standing on a rock with the Southern Cross below his left arm. In 1997 this series changed to white on blue to register with police cameras and is currently available.
Manufacturing:
The plates were manufactured by Page Manufacturing located in New South Wales, they were the producer until 1979. A secondary producer of the plates was Sheridan in Western Australia. The motorcycle plates were manufactured in Western Australia by Altona Engineering, in 1979 Altona would take over manufacturing. In 1987 Northern Territory Prison Industries (N.T.P.I.) would take over.
Credits
Plates Northern Territory by Lee RobisonÂ
A huge thank you to Bob Bagnall and credit for many photos and much information!
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2017/February/Bombing_of_Darwin
