Tortilla Flats
Tortilla Flats is a rural locality in the Coomalie Shire, Northern Territory, Australia. It is located approximately south east of the Territory capital Darwin. The locality is named after a farm established in 1958 by the Australian Government to conduct agricultural experiments. It was also the site of an artillery and weapons range used by Australian and US forces during the Second World War. The land surrounding the locality is sparsely populated and mainly set aside for pastoral uses.
History
During World War 2 an artillery and aerial weapons range was established to the south of the Coomalie Creek Airfield in the area now known as Tortilla Flats.The Tortilla Flats Research Farm, originally known as the Upper Adelaide River Experiment Station operated from 1958-90 when the land was sold off to private owners. Experiments conducted here focussed on rice as a potential export crop, as well as cattle rotation techniques. Estimates based on this research in 1981 found that a land area of in the Adelaide River region was suited to irrigated rice production, and a potential crop yield in excess of could be harvested annually from such activities.