Roper Bar, Northern Territory
| Roper Bar Northern Territory | |
|---|---|
  Roper Bar Location in Northern Territory | |
| Coordinates | 14°44′06″S 134°31′44″E / 14.73500°S 134.52889°ECoordinates: 14°44′06″S 134°31′44″E / 14.73500°S 134.52889°E |
| Time zone | ACST (UTC+9:30) |
| Location |
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| Federal Division(s) | Lingiari |
Roper Bar is a location in Australia's Northern Territory. It lies on the traditional land of the Ngalakgan people who used the placename Yurlhbunji to refer to Roper Bar.[1] This part of Australia is extremely remote for travellers although there are a number of Aboriginal communities in the region including Ngukurr, Urapunga and Minyerri. 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
Roper Bar is a settlement on the Roper River, 606 km south of Darwin, 312 km east of Katherine and 1,235 km from Alice Springs. The first European to explore the Roper River was 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.
The town is a small settlement with a police station, a motel - the Roper Bar Store, a caravan park and roadhouse facilities. 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 at road end 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 saltwater crocodile.
References
- ↑ Baker, B. (2002). 'I'm going to where-her-brisket-is': placenames in the Roper. In The Land is a Map: Placenames of Indigenous origin in Australia. L. Hercus, F. Hodges and J. Simpson (eds.). Canberra: Pandanus Books: 103-130.