Mataranka Travel Guide

 AlbuqRay Says:  Warm, mineral-rich waters flow out of the ground from Rainbow Spring in the Elsey National Park at more than 30.5 million liters/day (i.e., 16,000 liters/minute or 4200 gallons/minute) and at a temperature of 34 C (93 F). They run via a narrow stream into the Mataranka... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  Although the water at Rainbow Spring in the Elsey National Park is warm (34 C or 93 F), crystal clear, mineral-rich and flows out of the ground ~130 liters/second, some plants and animals love the environment. 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The pond where they have the Barramundi Feeding Show is quite beautiful. Actually there are only 7 barramundi in it (maybe 9). Barramundis are very sensitive to cold but two may have survived from the last cold spell. See also a travelogue on the Barramundi Feeding Show. 

 AlbuqRay Says:  During World War II, one of the many soldiers who visited the thermal pool fed by Rainbow Spring, Victor Smith, saw its potential as a tourist spot. Returning in 1946, Smith setup a resort close to the 1916 homestead erected for the sheep station and by 1949 he had erected... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  For the Yangman and Mangarrayi people, Korran was created by Red-tail Black-cockatoo spirits: "One cockatoo jump in and then another one pull him up... make holes to make the water come out... That's the way we say that 'dendemern wurrwurr menyka' (black cockatoo dreaming)."... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort (MHTR) has two-person canoes for hire on the Waterhouse River. I did not get a canoe, so I do not know what it costs. I do know that you hire the canoe at the MHTR Reception Kiosk, and that the Waterhouse River is beautiful and looks... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Mataranka Homestead was established in 1916 by Dr. Gilruth, the Administrator of the Northern Territory, as an experimental sheep and cattle station. It is a fine example of tropical Top End architecture. The present Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort (MHTR) has been... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  I had read in Lonely Planet that the place to go to get away from the crowds at the thermal pool was Stevie's Hole. It is on a side channel of the Waterhouse River only ~1.5 km southeast of (downstream) the Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort (MHTR) and the trail is well... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  This is general information on where things are located and what to do at the Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort (MHTR). See also a videoclip that shows the day parking lot (free) and the 1916 Mataranka Homestead, which is used for MHTR staff quarters now. 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort (MHTR) Garden Bistro is open in the evening. It has good, reasonably priced food and a beautiful outdoor dining area with a view of the stage and the evening's entertainment. There was even a kids' menu. It is located between the... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  Named after Jeannie Gunn (who wrote the book, "We of the Never Never"), Jeannie's Kitchen is open for take away from 8 AM - 8 PM during the wet season. The prices were reasonable and the food good. There were also daily specials. A movie based on Jeannie Gunn's book was shot... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  On Australia Day in 1998 a major flood devastated the of Katherine, and the area was declared a national disaster. The flood resulted from the 300–400 mm of rainwater brought by Cyclone Les that caused the already full Katherine River to peak at 20.4 meters. The floodwaters... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The trail to the Botanical Walk goes past (actually more like over) the confluence of the Waterhouse (from the west), Little Roper (from the south) and Roper Rivers. The first two combine to form the latter. The water was low when I was there, but I am guessing that this... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  An excellent web page on Elsey Station history tells us that: "The Elsey Cemetery, which is only about three hundred metres from the original homestead, contains the remains of several men who became famous through Jeannie Gunn's book and later the film We of the Never... 

 bluesmama Says:  We of the Never Never is the title of the novel written by Jeannie Gunn.She was one of the first european women in the Territory when she came here in1902 from Melbourne.Her husband was the manager of Ellsey station. Unfortunately he died after which Jeannie returned to...