Camping near Mataranka
Find tent and caravan camping beside the river and in the Elsey National Park.
- Mataranka
Popular camping styles for Mataranka
Camping near Mataranka guide
Overview
Southeast of Katherine and Darwin in the Northern Territory, Little Mataranka is an ideal jumping-off point for exploring the Elsey National Park. This small park is beloved for its crystal-clear thermal pools (Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs Thermal Pools), and campers can stay a short distance from them or base themselves at campsites in Mataranka village. Walks and visits to historic World War II-era sites can also be visited from Mataranka, which is set on the main north-to-south highway through Australia’s Top End. In town, you’ll find yourself at the intersection of the partly unsealed Roper Highway that intersects with the Roper River and leads to the Gulf of Carpentaria, which offers rugged adventures for curious campers.
Where to go
Elsey National Park
Campers who want to stay within the national park itself can check out the unpowered sites at Jalmurark Campground, which has spaces for caravans and campervans as well as tents in a natural bush setting, and can be accessed without a four-wheel drive. There are toilets, showers, and BBQ facilities here. Staying within the park gives you easy access to the refreshing natural hot springs, which are a pleasant temperature year-round.
Katherine
An hour’s drive north-west of Mataranka is Katherine, a larger town that provides easy access to Nitmiluk National Park and the southern part of Kakadu National Park. There are plenty of camping areas around Katherine and the national parks nearby, including some powered sites. Campers visit the Nitmiluk National Park to explore the dramatic gorges, waterfalls, and swimming holes (in the dry season) and to go kayaking.
Larrimah
South of Mataranka is the village of Larrimah, which was an important spot during World War II. There’s a caravan park in the village, making this a convenient spot to spend the night when travelling north or south along the Stuart Highway. The environment here is drier and more like the outback than towns further north in the Top End.
When to go
There are two main seasons at the Top End of the Northern Territory: the wet season (November to March) and the dry season (April to October). Peak tourist season is the dry season, when temperatures are cooler. While you can travel to the Mataranka area in the wet season, camping may be difficult or inadvisable due to heavy rain and flooding in some areas, and the Elsey National Park may be closed due to flooding. The climate is also extremely hot and humid during the wet season.
