A tiny settlement on the Roper River at a rock shelf across the river. This part of Australia is extremely remote for travellers. A 4WD trek through these parts can be an extension of the Gulf Track on a journey further up north to Darwin or Arnhem Land.
Location: 606 km south east of Darwin; 312 km east of Katherine; 1235 km north east of Alice Springs; 100 km west of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
In recent times fishing in the Roper River, particularly for the prized barramundi, has attracted fishermen to the area. The partially unsealed road from the Stuart Highway is flat and monotonous but the end result is a picturesque tropical river which, like all of the rivers around the Gulf of Carpentaria, is unsuitable for swimming as it is the habitat of the estaurine or saltwater crocodile.
Places of Interest
A spot down on the Roper River, known to the local Aboriginals as Snake Dreaming, is a picturesque little waterlilly-filled billabong (Water Gauge station). There is a sacred site in the area which is off limits.
Nathan River Road follows the Roper River for another 90 km from the settlement. Halfway along and about about 24 km off the main road is Limmen Bight Fishing Camp. It has all the facilities expected of a good bush camp, and remains an untapped resource, being isolated from the main North/South Stuart Highway traffic. Here you can really experience Territory bush living. Two of the Lost City rock formations are in the vicinity. Identified as the Southern Lost City formations, they are 4km off the Nathan River Road. The site has camping facilities, toilet block and a 2.5km walking track.
Brief history
The Roper River was first explored by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 as he made his way from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. Leichhardt crossed the river at Roper Bar, a rocky shelf which conveniently lies at the high tide limit on the river. He named the river after John Roper, a member of the expedition.
During the 1870s the Roper River was opened up for river cargo. Paddle steamers brought supplies to the men working on the Overland Telegraph Line then later to the remote cattle stations in the region. Roper Bar, the navigable head of the river, became a common stopping place for drovers on the coastal stock route from Victoria River Downs and the Kimberleys to North Queensland.
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