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Mataranka, Northern Territory

FieldValue
typetown
nameMataranka
statent
coordinates
coord_ref
pop350
pop_year
pop_footnotes
established24 May 1928 (town)
4 April 2007 (locality)
established_footnotes
postcode0852
timezoneACST
utc+9:30
dist1431
location1Darwin
dist2114
location2Katherine
lgaRoper Gulf Region
stategovBarkly
fedgovLingiari
maxtemp33.9
maxtemp_footnotes
mintemp19.6
mintemp_footnotes
rainfall859.5
rainfall_footnotes
near-nElsey
near-neElsey
near-eElsey
near-seElsey
near-sElsey
near-swElsey
near-wElsey
near-nwElsey
nearMataranka
footnotesAdjoining localities

4 April 2007 (locality)

| near-n = Elsey | near-ne = Elsey | near-e = Elsey | near-se = Elsey | near-s = Elsey | near-sw = Elsey | near-w = Elsey | near-nw = Elsey Mataranka is a town and locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 420 km (260 mi.) southeast of the territory capital of Darwin, and 107 km (66 mi.) south of Katherine. At the 2016 census, Mataranka recorded a population of 350. 29.5% of residents are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

The town is located near Roper River and Mataranka Hot Springs. This area is the setting for Jeannie Gunn's autobiographical account of the year 1902, We of the Never Never. The homestead, which she shared with her husband, Aeneas Gunn, until his death, has been reconstructed near to the hot springs.

The Mataranka Station is part of the Katherine Rural College of Charles Darwin University.

History

Establishment

The name Mataranka means "home of the snake" in the Yangmanic language of the Aboriginal people who inhabit the area. The name was given to a sheep farm around 1915 by John A. Gilruth, who was the Administrator of the Northern Territory at that time. The town of Mataranka was first gazetted on 24 May 1928 after the arrival of the North Australia Railway. The locality of Mataranka, which include the town and surrounding land were re-gazetted on 4 April 2007.

World War II

The Australian Army set up No. 42 Australian Camp Hospital near Mataranka. The 10th Australian Advanced Ordnance workshops camped in buildings made from paper bark trees and serviced wrecked and damaged vehicles. An ammunition depot was also in the locality. These depots were served by railway sidings off the main line.

It was also home to a 'Native labour gang' with a large control camp established in the town; these are now sometimes referred to as the 'Aboriginal labour force' in recognition of the offensiveness of the original name given. The army, through the Native Affairs Branch, employed Aboriginal men to perform key roles throughout the Northern Territory and these gangs completed many large scale infrastructure projects and were instrumental to the war effort. In 1943 200 Aboriginal labourers were employed through this scheme and based at Mataranka; many of these men were working on railway gangs.

Railways

Mataranka was served by the original narrow gauge railway that closed in 1976 after cyclone damage. The new standard gauge railway opened in 2003. It passes about 20 km to the west of the town.

Notable residents

  • Vai Stanton, Aboriginal rights activist

References

References

  1. "Place Names Register Extract for Mataranka (locality)". Northern Territory Government.
  2. {{Census 2016 AUS
  3. (24 May 1928). "PROCLAMATION (re the Town of Mataranka)". [[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]].
  4. (2018-05-15). "Division of Daly". Northern Territory Electoral Commission.
  5. "Federal electoral division of Lingiari". Australian Electoral Commission.
  6. "Summary statistics LARRIMAH (nearest weather station)". Bureau of Meteorology, Australian government.
  7. (February 2005). "Mataranka (locality)". Northern Territory Government.
  8. (2 April 2007). "Roper Gulf Shire (map)". Northern Territory Government.
  9. "Place Names Register Extract for Mataranka (village)". Northern Territory Government.
  10. Mulvaney, D.J.. (1992). "Aboriginal Labour Force: Some Documents". Aboriginal History.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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