Mataranka is a small town in the north of the Northern Territory, about 420 kilometers north from Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, and 110 kilometers south from Catherine (Katherine), the fourth largest city in the Northern Territory. (Stuart Hwy) runs through the town.
Mataranka is a mini-town with a typical inland style of the Northern Territory, with a resident population of less than 500. about 1/3 of them are aborigines. The name of the town comes from the aboriginal Yang Man (Yangmanic) language, which is called "Snake House."
Mataranka is adjacent to the Ropper River (Roper River), town with many hot springs, and Elsie National Park (Elsey National Park), east of the town, is Mataranka's best-known tourist destination.