With the rail link providing a connection between southern markets and the Asia Pacific region, business has been quick to establish itself in Darwin – Australia’s Asian Gateway.
A week before the Ghan made its inaugural trip, the first freight train rolled into Darwin’s East Arm Port, signalling the opening of a new, fast and reliable alternative for the shipping of freight between Australia and Asia – the AustralAsia Trade Route.
Fully integrating the railway with East Arm Port, the Darwin Business Park and advanced road transport network, the trade route offers competitive transit times such as eleven days between Singapore and Melbourne, and eight days between Jakarta and Adelaide. With a new rail link providing a connection between southern Australian markets and the Asia Pacific region, business has been quick to establish itself in Darwin — Australia's Asian Gateway.
Darwin is perfectly positioned to give a competitive edge to any business or industry that relies on fast, efficient transport. Trade with Asia is of growing importance to Australia, and accounts for almost 50 per cent of Australia's merchandise shipments.
To encourage complementary freight and logistics development in Darwin, the Northern Territory Government has developed a multi-million dollar business park. The purpose-built Darwin Business Park is strategically located beside the AustralAsia Railway's freight handling facility — the recently developed East Arm Port. The business park and surrounding infrastructure are part of a suite of initiatives designed to take advantage of the Northern Territory's proximity to Asian markets — and the Territory's emerging status as a world leader in energy development and mineral exploration and extraction.
Already, several large Australian companies have established operations in the Darwin Business Park. As Darwin emerges as a world energy centre, through the development of Timor Sea gas reserves, additional energy resources exploration companies will take advantage of the wharf precinct, which offers:
- Direct road/rail transfer
- International shipping connections
- Reduced transit times
- Connections to national highway network for road freight
- Convenient access to Darwin's international airport (just ten minutes away)
- Long-term lease arrangements with attractive commercial terms
The combined features of the East Arm Port, Darwin Business Park and rail link offer significant competitive advantages to manufacturers, exporters, importers, distributors and producers seeking to access Asian markets. Freight destined for Asia can now move quickly and efficiently through a modern, intermodal terminal, as can goods coming the other way.
Click here to find out more about the AustralAsia Trade Route, or call l 61 8 89469555.
Please note that this link will open an Acrobat PDF file in a fresh browser window.
