Escape to Mataranka, Northern Territory: A town of unexpected wonder

Picture the Northern Territory and images of crocs and red deserts are sure to come to mind. But in the remote Top End town of Mataranka there are bright-blue thermal pools, shady springs and crystal-clear rivers.

This outback town an hour south-east of Katherine is so exquisite it’s no wonder it set the scene for one of Australia’s most popular books, We of the Never Never.

Although the book was written in 1908, it continues to be one of the major drawcards for Mataranka. The town houses a Never Never museum, which celebrates the traditional Aboriginal custodians, the Mangarayi and Yangman people, and a replica homestead that was used in the film adaptation of the autobiographical novel by Jeannie Gunn.

Locals are hoping the tourism trade will revive in the aftermath of COVID and are looking forward to seeing the return of the many grey nomads traipsing through the Territory.

Although it’s home to just 350 permanent residents, Mataranka’s natural beauty draws an incredible number of tourists. In 2019, the Northern Territory government counted 217,900 visitors to Elsey National Park, which includes the Bitter Springs and Mataranka Thermal Pool.

Population: 350 as of 2016 Census.

Who lives there?

If anyone knows Mataranka back to front, it’s Judy Kutschki. She moved to the town with her family as a young girl in 1966 and now owns the Mataranka Store, which she extended with her late husband Peter.

Kutschki’s seen the town bloom in the 56 years she’s been living and working there.

“When I came to town there wasn’t the school and police station, they were in one of the railway houses,” she explained.

“They eventually built a police station and school and we moved in across the road to the new school. Then the railway closed down and there are other roadhouses that have been built since.”

The store, which sells “basically everything except groceries”, is an important part of the town for both residents and tourists alike. The Kutschkis bought it in 1976, so it’s been a mainstay for the town for five decades and has grown alongside it.

Judy has three children who have all returned to Mataranka after time away to work in the family business. She can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“I’ve been in [the] Territory all my life so I don’t think I could live in the city,” she said.

“Mataranka’s got the river so you can go camping, fishing, whatever, and we’ve got the springs. You don’t have to fight traffic, so yeah, it’s a good little town.

“It’s also a community where everyone knows each other – they help each other out.”

What happens there?

COVID has wreaked havoc with the town’s event calendar, but an annual fishing competition, the Mataranka Barra Bash, is usually held in September and the Never Never Festival is usually on in May.

The 10-day festival, which is run by community volunteers, pays tribute to We of the Never Never for putting the town on the world stage. It includes a rodeo, markets, sports competitions and fundraising dinners.

Australia Day usually sees the council host a free breakfast, awards ceremony and family activities, and Territory Day on June 30 is typically celebrated with fireworks.

The annual bull sales hosted by Clair and Mike O’Brien, the owners of Coodardie Station, have also become a community fixture.

The O’Briens now usually sell 60 to 70 bulls each year, down from the years when they would sell 100. Clair said the cattle station had slowed in recent years as she and Mike had aged and also owing to the controversy surrounding live export.

“We’re a family operation. We’ve had the genetics of our brahmans since 1976,” she said.

“We’ve downsized now after the live export debacle in 2011 when for four years we had no income and the kids were dispersing.

“It’s the maintenance on machinery that you never catch up on, so we decided we’d just keep a small herd. So instead of 5000 animals we now have 500 and we’ve just slowed down a bit because the elders, my husband and I, are slowing down.”

Clair is the secretary of the Mataranka Better Half Club, a fundraising group originally established as a women’s social club in 1977, and her youngest daughter Moira is the treasurer.

The club caters for events, hosts a free Christmas party and holds regular market stalls. Proceeds help fund town projects including the renovation of the Mataranka Community Hall.

Clair is also an active member of the Roper River Landcare Group, which has been going for more than 30 years. The group oversees the Mangarrayi Rangers, who manage weed infestations, pest control and care for cultural sites on Mangarrayi Aboriginal Land Trust.

What’s life like?

Life in Mataranka is relaxed, as it is in most remote towns. What sets it apart is the bustling tourism trade.

This was a major reason Michael and Sharleen Vandeleur moved there from South Australia with their 13-year-old son. They arrived in Mataranka in December 2019 to take over the Territory Manor, which consists of a caravan park, motel and restaurant and bar.

“We’d gone through the place and Sharleen had always liked the Territory; we both had,” Michael said.

“We’d talked about a caravan park or motel, something of that nature for a long time and then this one came up.

“We liked the park itself, it had a huge footprint and plenty of room to expand, and it was run down, so there was lots of room to improve.”

The pandemic threw an almighty spanner in the works, but the Vandeleurs are confident they will restore the manor to its former glory. Part of this plan includes the revival of the Feed the Barra Show, which once attracted tourists by the busload.

When they’re not busy with the business, the family has been enjoying exploring the town.

“It’s a beautiful place, it’s green, the people are very friendly and it’s close enough to Darwin,” Michael said.

“It’s probably a little bit hotter here than in Darwin. But if you’re going to be in the Territory it’s probably the best place to be.”

What jobs are there?

With Mataranka’s lime plant recently closing, there is now more emphasis on tourism than ever before. Locals are employed by the town’s three roadhouses, supermarket and accommodation providers, which accounted for 11.2 per cent of Mataranka’s workers according to the 2016 Census.

The census also showed local government administration employed 15.7 per cent of the community.

Why should you move there?

Just one trip will prove how easy it is to fall in love with Mataranka. With its natural attractions, it’s a haven for holidaymakers and a heavenly place to call home.

The average annual temperature is 27.2 degrees, so you have to like it hot. But with the Roper River, the springs and thermal pool, there are plenty of postcard-pretty places to cool down. A quick search on Instagram and the resulting pics of bronzed and bikini-clad swimmers goes to show just how picturesque it is.