A complete guide to Mataranka, NT
Between Darwin and the South Australian border on the Stuart Highway, there are really only three substantial towns – Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. The other places – small settlements comprising either a roadhouse, pub and/or service station – are functional stops for people making the 1777km journey. These settlements range from Pine Creek and Ti Tree, which are very small towns, to Daly Waters and Larrimah – little more than a pub and a few residents.
The one notable exception is Mataranka, which has two compelling local attractions. It’s a place where you can swim in hot springs all year round and, for those old enough to remember, it’s the setting for Jeannie Gunn’s classic Australian novel We of the Never-Never. The never-never was a term used to describe the concept of hardship and loneliness in the outback. The book’s title is remarkably apt. This is Gulf Savannah country, which was described by the playwright Sumner Locke Elliott when he wrote “this lonely strip of barren and seemingly endless sandy waste of ant-hills and stunted trees – thick, hot red sand in the winter time and a sea of mud during the dreaded ‘Wet’”.
With a population of 384, according to the 2021 census, the township of Mataranka spreads along the Stuart Highway and is an ideal stopover for those driving up or down the highway. The township boasts a roadhouse, police station, petrol station, cafe, restaurant, pub and a general store.
Mataranka means “home of the snake” in the local Yangman language and is the likely source of the town’s name.
Places of interest
1. Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs
There are two thermal springs at Mataranka – both in Elsey National Park – where visitors can swim safely. Mataranka Thermal Pool is 100m from Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort, and Bitter Springs is a short 3km drive from the Stuart Highway on Martin Road. With its seats and stairs, the Thermal Pool resembles a council swimming pool. At Bitter Springs you can float with the current. The water feeding both springs rises from underground at a volume of 30.5 million litres per day, at a temperature of 34°C.
2. Elsey Homestead Replica
A replica of Elsey Homestead in Mataranka , built for the 1982 movie We of the Never Never. Image credit: Tillman Schlageter/Alamy
Situated in the Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort grounds, the Elsey Homestead replica has a sign explaining it “was home to Aeneas Gunn and his young bride Jeannie, who arrived here in 1902 to live and work on Elsey Station”, which was located south of Mataranka. The homestead was later moved and re-erected at a site to the north-east. “Over the years,” the sign continues, “the old Elsey Homestead has become a part of the legend of living in the harsh Australian bush, many miles from the nearest European settlement. In 1981 a replica of the homestead was constructed for the movie We of the Never Never.
3. Never Never Museum
Displays at this museum in the centre of Mataranka, on Roper Terrace, include a history of the local First Nations people and information about the North Australia Railway and Overland Telegraph, including an explanation of the role both played in Australia’s defence during World War II. The museum is open for self-guided tours from 9am to 4pm weekdays, with access keys held at the Rural Transaction Centre.
4. Botanic Walk and WWII Aboriginal Army Camp
Located off John Hauser Drive, the Botanic Walk (an easy 1.5km track) boasts most of the flora of the district, both riverine and rainforest. Nearby is a little-known part of WWII history – an Aboriginal Army Camp.
5. Elsey Cemetery National Reserve
The Elsey Cemetery National Reserve contains the grave of Aeneas James ‘Maluka’ Gunn, who died on 16 March 1902 of dysentery 13 months after he arrived in the area. Next to his grave is a memorial to his wife (who was buried in Melbourne) which reads “In loving memory of the ‘Little Missus’, Jeannie Gunn. Born, June 5th 1870. Died, June 9th 1961.
