Mataranka, a small town with a big history, was born out of the harsh Northern Territory landscape. Its roots lie in the pastoral industry, and it all began with the establishment of Elsey Station. In 1879, Abraham Wallace, a man of ambition, claimed the first pastoral lease in the area. With his nephew J.H. Palmer, they drove thousands of cattle through treacherous terrain from Bowen Downs to the Gulf, finally settling by the Roper River at a place called Warloch Ponds.
The area was wild and untamed, and so were the men who came to work it. Wallace didn’t live long to see his dream prosper. Eight years after founding Elsey Station, he ended his own life, leaving the station to change hands many times over the years. The Station, however, became legendary, largely due to the story of Jeannie Gunn, a woman who came to this rugged land as the wife of Aeneas Gunn in 1902.
Aeneas was the new manager, and Jeannie was the outsider, but she quickly fell in love with the Territory. She witnessed her husband’s sudden death within months of their arrival, a tragic event that could have broken her spirit. But Jeannie was strong. She stayed long enough to absorb the stories and characters of the land and later wrote them into what became one of Australia’s classic books, We of the Never Never. Her words immortalized the people she met: Henry Peckham “The Fizzer,” Jack Grant “Horse Teams,” and Happy Dick, to name a few. Though she left the Territory, it never left her.
By the 1920s, the town of Mataranka was slowly coming to life. After many years of debate, the railway arrived in 1928, though it didn’t stretch far. It stopped at Birdum, a full 80 kilometers from Mataranka. The townsfolk joked about it being the end of the line, but in truth, it marked a new beginning for the settlement. The town was surveyed, streets named, and enterprising residents set up shops and businesses. Among them were Chinese storekeepers like Charlie On, and Mrs. Fisher, who turned her boarding house into the Elsey Inn, a landmark that would stand the test of time.
World War II brought change to Mataranka as it did to much of the world. Over 100 military units were stationed in the area. Mataranka became a hub of activity—headquarters, workshops, even ammunition dumps dotted the landscape. Amid the wartime hustle, the Native Affairs Branch assigned Aboriginal men and women to assist the Australian services, where their skills earned high regard. During this time, a memorial to Jeannie Gunn was erected at the Elsey Cemetery, near her husband Aeneas’ grave. Many of the real-life characters from We of the Never Never found their final resting place here as well, forever part of the region’s history.
When the war ended, another chapter in Mataranka’s story began. The hot thermal springs that had been a respite for soldiers during the war became the focus of a local man named Victor Smith. Smith, seeing potential in the clear, warm waters, returned in 1946 and set up a tourist resort. By 1949, he had built cabins, and travelers began flocking to the springs. The small town was now on the map, not just for its history but for its natural beauty.
Mataranka’s fame grew in the 1950s when the movie industry took an interest in the area. Parts of the film Jedda were shot here, but it was the adaptation of Jeannie Gunn’s We of the Never Never in the early 1980s that truly connected the town with its literary past. A replica of the old Elsey Homestead was built for the film, a physical reminder of the early days that still stands at Mataranka Homestead today. Tourists can watch the movie at the homestead’s bar, seeing on-screen the same land that had been captured in Jeannie’s words decades before.
Among the town’s notable women, one stands out—Rosa Dixon. Rosa wasn’t famous like Jeannie Gunn, but she was an integral part of Mataranka’s evolution. In the late 1920s, as the railway made its slow way south, Rosa saw an opportunity. She set up a small store, selling goods to railway workers and passing travelers. Her store quickly became the heart of the community.
It was in the 1930s, during a particularly harsh dry season, that Rosa did something remarkable. Water had become scarce, and the springs were no longer flowing as they once had. People were starting to leave, fearing that Mataranka would become a ghost town. Rosa, however, had a different plan. She hired local Aboriginal workers to help her dig a well near her store. It wasn’t easy, and many doubted it would work. But Rosa was determined.
“Keep digging,” she told her workers, day after day, as the sun beat down and the soil turned to dust. “The water is there. We just need to find it.”
Weeks passed, and still no water. Some of the townsfolk began to lose faith, but Rosa kept going. She had a quiet confidence about her. “Water always finds its way,” she said. “And we will find it too.”
Finally, one morning, a trickle appeared. The workers cheered, and within days, they had struck a steady flow of water. Rosa’s well saved the town. People who had left began to return, and Mataranka started to grow again. Rosa became a local hero, though she never saw herself that way.
“I just did what needed to be done,” she would say when people praised her. “The land gives us what we need if we’re willing to work for it.”
Rosa’s legacy lived on long after her passing. Her well remained a symbol of resilience and hope, and her store continued to serve the people of Mataranka for many years.
Today, Mataranka is a small town, but its history runs deep. From the founding of Elsey Station to the arrival of the railway, from wartime service to the rise of tourism, and from Jeannie Gunn’s timeless words to Rosa Dixon’s quiet determination, Mataranka has always been a place where the spirit of the land and the people shine through.
Motivation E-Books 