Darwin Life and Northern Territory 2019

Jodi Bilske Photographics
www.jodibilske.com
Mataranka is a small pastoral
town in the top end region
of Australia’s Northern
Territory. Mataranka
is famous for its sand
bottomed warm springs
with lush palms, crystal
clear warm waters and is the
location of the Australian
classic novel We of the
Never-Never.
Mataranka is located on the Stuart Highway 1080 km
North of Alice Springs, about 420 km southeast of the
territorial capital, Darwin, and 107 km south-east of
Katherine. In the language of the local Yangman, the
word “Mataranka” means “home of the snake”.
Mataranka is a place where you can swim in hot
springs all the year round; these springs are around
30°C and pump out 30.5 megalitres of water each day.
This area used to be the home of Jeanie Gunn; who
wrote the famous book about Elsey Stations titled “We
of the Never Never’ which is now a part of Australia’s
folklore. It is believed that once you visit Mataranka
you’ll Never Never leave!
Today, Mataranka is now a modern community of
400 people and since it is one of the famous tourist
spots it provides all the services a visitor expects. You
can have the facilities like accommodation, , Inns,
resorts, cafes, restaurants, and general stores.
THINGS TO DO & SEE
• The Stock Yard Gallery: The Stockyard Gallery - a
cafe and gallery in the small town of Mataranka,
beautifully showcases the local art and artifacts,
paintings, sculptures, and Aboriginal artifacts
as well as books about the Northern Territory.
Another attraction in the Yard gallery is the fourmeter
statue of the postman Henry Peckham, who
is one of the characters from the book, ”We of the
Never Never”.
• Mataranka War Memorial: The memorial consisting
of a granite boulder set on a square plinth is a
heritage location in Mataranka, which was made
in the memory of fallen and returned servicemen
and women of Mataranka within the roper river
district who were involved in some past Australia’s
conflicts
• Barra Feeding: Come and join the “Feed the Barra
Show” in Mataranka to experience one of Australia’s
best fish species, the Barramundi being Hand fed.
• Tindall Limestone and the Hot Springs.
• Bitter Springs
• Rainbow Spring: Enjoy a swim in the beautiful
Rainbow Springs Thermal Pool.
• Elsey National Park and Bitter Springs
• Botanical Walk and Aboriginal Army Cam
• Elsey Cemetery and National Reserve
• Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort
• Rainbow Spring and Thermal Pool
Louise Denton PHOTOGRAPHY
National Park
Driving an hour-and-a-half from
Darwin displays countless of diverse
environments that showcase its rugged
sandstone cliffs, breath-taking streams
and monsoon rainforest, magnetic
termite hills, waterfalls and notable ruins.
The 1,500 square-kilometre park is mostly
vital to the Koongurrukin, Marranuggu
and Aboriginal community. The Finniss
exploration was the first ever connection
of Europe to the area and the park that
was named after the prestige Frederick
Henry Litchfield, a member of the
expedition.
To have the best appreciation of it’s true
full beauty, its best to stay for at least
two days to plunge into its crystalclear
swimming holes and pleasant
bushwalking to relax you. Don’t worry
about the refreshments, they are readily
available in the park at Wangi Falls while
you can choose your accommodation
depending on your feels.