The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the

Katherine region The Katherine Region, known as "Big River Country", is one of five major regions in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is situated just below the tropical Top End. The Katherine region covers an area of , and has a population of 18,646, ma ...

of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

of Australia.

Location and features

Formed by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

of the Waterhouse River and Roper Creek, the Roper River rises east of

Mataranka Mataranka may refer to. * Mataranka, Northern Territory, a town and locality in Australia * Mataranka Falls, a water fall in Australia * Mataranka Hot Springs, a hot spring in Australia * Mataranka Primary School, a school – refer List of school ...

in the Elsey National Park and flows generally east for over to meet the sea in Limmen Bight on the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary ...

. The river is joined by fifteen tributaries including the Chambers, Strangways, Jalboi, Hodgson and the Wilton Rivers. The river descends over its

course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

and has a

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people ar ...

of , which is one of the largest river catchment areas in the Northern Territory. The Roper River is navigable for about , until the tidal limit at Roper Bar, and forms the southern boundary of the region known as

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Company ...

. Mataranka Hot Springs and the township of

lie close to the river at its western end. Port Roper lies near its mouth on Limmen Bight. The river has a mean annual outflow of .

Etymology

The first European to explore the Roper River was Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 as he made his way from

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

Port Essington Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remot ...

. 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.

Roper River Mission

The

Roper River Mission Ngukurr ( , ), formerly Roper River Mission (1908−1968), is a remote Aboriginal community on the banks of the Roper River in southern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. A number of different clans and language groups are represented in the to ...

was established by the Church of England Missionary Society in 1908. After it was closed in 1968, the government took over management of the community. In 1988, control of the town was handed to the Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, and the township was renamed Ngukurr.

References

Rivers of the Northern Territory {{NorthernTerritory-river-stub

Location and features

Etymology

Roper River Mission

See also

References