Having reread Jeannie Gunn’s memoirs The Little Black Princess published in 1905 and We of The Never Never published in 1908, Jill Harrison visited old Elsey Station Cemetery at Mataranka on a Northern Territory caravanning trip.
Visiting the scattered graves, memorial plaques, and the grave of Aeneas Gunn, ‘The Maluka’, under the red flowers and pods of the bauhinia trees, brought Jeannie’s characters to life for me: William Neaves, the Dandy Stockman, the Sanguine Scot, Mine Host, the Fizzer, Horse Teams, an unknown traveller, and Dolly Bonson known as Bett-Bett (The Little Black Princess) and others who lay in this secluded cemetery.
Jeannie’s husband Aeneas died from malarial dysentery on 16 March 1903 and Jeannie returned to Melbourne, 13 months after her arrival at Elsey Station, never to return. Despite her short time at Elsey, and the death of Aeneas, Elsey Station and the people made an enormous impression on Jeannie, who died in 1961.
Grave of Aeneas Gunn
Visit the Never Never Museum in Mataranka to learn the rich history of the region through historical artefacts, interpretative displays and photographs describing Aboriginal and European history, including development of the North Australian Railway, the Overland Telegraph, World War II history and the story of Aeneas and Jeannie Gunn and Elsey Station.
Explorer Augustus Charles Gregory named Elsey Creek after his party’s surgeon Dr JR Elsey in July 1856. Abraham Wallace established Elsey Station in 1881 with cattle driven 3219km overland from Queensland. Elsey had several owners before Aeneas Gunn took over as Manager in 1902. There is a plaque on the site of the Elsey Station buildings.
Elsey Station site
Arriving at Elsey early in 1902, the news of the boss’s marriage and Jeannie’s arrival caused alarm on the station, but ‘the little missus’ soon won the admiration of the stockmen. The Elsey Station homestead was basic when Jeannie arrived, “with the exception of the one roughly finished room at its eastern end, it was mostly verandas and promises”*. Over time, it was made more comfortable including a hand sewn mosquito net hung from the ceiling to enclose the table and chairs.
Some 108km south of Katherine, it was an isolated existence. Cut off for months during the wet season, they looked forward to the road opening, bringing supply wagons and the ‘the fizzer’ delivering long-awaited mail. The homestead was efficiently run by the Chinese cook, Cheon, and young Aboriginal girls, but one wonders how Cheon managed to create meals during the wet season.
We chose to stay at the lovely Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping caravan park only 3km from town. It is a short walk (500m) from the park to Bitter Springs thermal pools in Elsey National Park — bring a pool noodle and float down with the relaxing current.
Bitter Springs thermal pools are a must-visit
Known as ‘Korran’ by the Aboriginal people, it was named Bitter Springs in 1871 by Steven King, a worker on the Overland Telegraph Line and renamed Mataranka, a Yangman name meaning ‘place’ or ‘land of the snake’, the name given to a sheep station in 1915 by John Alexander Gilruth.
A replica station house, located at the Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort, was constructed for the filming of the movie We of the Never Never in 1982 starring Angela Punch McGregor and Arthur Dignam. At the resort you can take a dip in the stone lined thermal pool which was frequented by soldiers during WWII.
Recreation of Elsey Homestead
More than 100 military units were based at Mataranka during WWII, including a hospital, ammunition dumps, workshops and an Aboriginal labour force.
The Mangarrayi and Yangman people are the Traditional Owners of the approximately 13,800ha Elsey National Park, through which the Roper River runs. There are historical sites, great walking trails and bush camping at Jalmurark Campground. Do not swim in the river due to crocodile risk.
* Quote from We of the Never Never by Jeannie Gunn (published as by Mrs Aeneas Gunn)
Fast facts
Where is it?
Mataranka is a small town 421km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory.
Best time to visit
Dry season — May to September.
Handy info
- The historic Elsey Cemetery is located 21km south of Mataranka, on Elsey Cemetery Road off Stuart Highway. The cemetery is a declared heritage place and protected under the NT Heritage Conservation Act.
- Entry to the Bitter Springs thermal pools and Mataranka Homestead thermal pools requires a NT Parks Pass.
- The Never Never Museum in Mataranka is open Monday to Friday and Sunday during the dry season. Entry fees apply.
More information:
- Australian Dictionary of Biography
- Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping
- Elsey National Park
- Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort
- NT Parks Pass
- Roper Gulf Regional Council
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