History

According to the first inhabitants of the area, the Mataranka Springs were created by a great dreamtime whirlwind that thundered with all the colours of the rainbow, carving the great snake like hollow that was to become the Roper River. The creators then caused the crystal clear waters to bubble from the ground to fill and flow along the course made by the whirlwind.

The first white person to walk the backs of the Roper was the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt.