Mataranka, NT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mataranka is a small town on the edge of the Northern Territory's tropical 'Never Never' country, in the Roper Gulf Region about 107 kilometres south of Katherine and 420 kilometres south-east of Darwin. Its name means 'home of the snake' in the local Yangman language, and the town is best known for the Mataranka thermal pools — clear, palm-fringed springs that draw travellers off the Stuart Highway. The district was the setting for Jeannie Gunn's much-loved 1908 book 'We of the Never Never', drawn from her time at nearby Elsey Station, and a replica of the old homestead stands close to the springs. Mataranka was gazetted in 1928 when the North Australia Railway came through, and the surrounding land is cattle country.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Mataranka is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 897, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Mataranka at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 384
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,843
- SEIFA score
- 897
- Coordinates
- -14.9549, 133.0439
Mataranka demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mataranka using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 37%, 31% of homes are rented, and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 38 | 10% |
| Youth (15–24) | 38 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 140 | 37% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 108 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 59 | 15% |
Share of the 383 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 28 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 13 | 12% |
| Rented | 33 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 69 | 71% |
| Townhouses & semis | 5 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 97 occupied private dwellings in Mataranka.
- Median weekly rent
- $100
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,506
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,562
- Median weekly personal income
- $700
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 70 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 129 (39%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 107 (28%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 117 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 54.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.7%
- Employed full-time
- 119
- Employed part-time
- 48
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Mataranka
Where is Mataranka?
Mataranka is a suburb of Northern Territory, Australia.
What is the population of Mataranka?
At the 2021 Census, Mataranka had a population of about 384.
Is Mataranka an advantaged area?
Mataranka has an ABS SEIFA score of 897, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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