Mataranka, Northern Territory
This township lies 106km south of Katherine and is known as the capital of the Never Never Country because it is said, those that live in and love the area can never never leave it! Jeannie Gunn made the area famous in her book We of the Never Never, which is the story of her experiences while living at nearby Elsey Station at the beginning of the century. The town boasts a growing number of visitors each year, with a restaurant, supermarket, automotive repairs and tourist information available.
Manyallaluk, winner of the Northern Territory and Australian Tourism awards in 1993, 1994, 1995 and in 1996 gaining entry into the Hall of Fame, has proven itself to be at the forefront of Aboriginal tourism in Australia. A tour of Manyallaluk provides the visitor with the opportunity to see people in their own environment, showing and sharing their culture which dates back beyond 40,000 years.
Mataranka's Discovery Trail reveals the town's interesting past and you can learn of pioneers, of the Fizzer and his feats, visit the graves of the people from We of the Never Never and see the original homestead site. Large barramundi are hand fed daily at the Territory Manor and the Stockyard Gallery offers a wealth of local knowledge, a tea garden and paintings and sculptures by many Territory artists. One of the world's largest termite mounds can be seen in the centre of town and the Museum of the Never Never offers outdoor displays of railway history, the Overland Telegraph Line, bush workshop, military history and regional industrial archaeology.
Elsey National Park incorporates the Thermal Pool and areas along the Roper River. Within the Park are pleasant riverbank walks through pockets of rainforest, as well as a number of waterfalls and day use areas with barbecue facilities. The Mataranka Thermal Pool was dedicated as a reserve in 1967 to ensure the preservation of the thermal spring and its environs. The pool is a constant 34 degrees and flows from Rainbow Springs as an amazing 22.5 million litres each day. The surrounding rainforest survives from an earlier age and feeds from the thermal spring's source. Leisurely walks through the rainforest are well marked and not too strenuous.
Other outstanding features of this fascinating region include the Elsey Homestead replica, which is an authentic copy of the original hand hewn timber homestead; the Mataranka Homestead, which was established in 1916 by the then Administrator of the Northern Territory as an experimental sheep station and the Elsey Graves.
Australia
Katherine Region
