Mataranka - Capital of the Never Never

A one week stay ended up being closer to two weeks - but no complaints here!

We absolutely love Mataranka - the hot springs are divine, especially when you are smart enough to avoid peak hour and get down there early in the morning. It’s interesting to note that here in Elsey National Park, there is no underground “hot spot” heating the water - it just occurs naturally as the reservoirs of water are heated to the temperature of the ground at depths of 30 -100 metres. Rainbow Spring releases 30.5 million litres of spring water every day, ending up in the Waterhouse and Roper Rivers. During the summer wet season, rains top up the underground reservoirs. (Also during the Wet, Mataranka homestead is completely flooded!)

Watching the sun rise through the palms is so special, the light flickering through the leaves across the steamy water - brilliant! A super special way to start the day, and a routine that never got boring!

We extended our stay to take advantage of the Mataranka Markets held each Sunday, managing to fit two markets in for some very welcome $$. (Check out the HUGE termite mound!) So, we were kept pretty busy making new jewellery every day and enjoying the resident entertainment of an evening. (No need to even be there - we could hear it all from our camp!)

The homestead has a great little bar and regular entertainment from Nathan “Whippy” Griggs and The Repeat Offenders - both of which are here every year. Have to admit though, it did get a little repetitive listening to the same songs every night! 🤣

Mataranka is also home to The Homestead - an authentic replica constructed for the movie, We of The Never Never. It’s quite something to walk through when you know that every detail was hand made using local pine. The bar at Mataranka plays the film daily which is also a nice touch.Read more