Why we’re fighting to protect the Roper

For anyone who has visited the mighty Roper River, it’s easy to see why it’s such an important part of the landscape. From the crystal-clear waters of the Mataranka hot springs right out to the mouth of Limmen Bight, the Roper is truly a lifeblood for the region.

But this is much more than a river. For the Indigenous communities who have cared for this country for thousands of years, the Roper forms part of strong songlines and cultural touchstones.

"We got water mussels, lily seeds, fish and turtle — every weekend we take kids out to collect that. We also collect bush medicine, gulbarn, which we use for a cold." - Alawa Traditional Owner Naomi Wilfred

Traditional Owners along the banks of the Roper River are currently building a huge 13 metre long map of the songlines, sacred sites and dreaming stories all down the Roper River.

These stories about the complex pathways of kangaroo, barramundi and mermaids though groundwater aquifers and across floodplains show that the health of the Roper is about much more than just the amount of water that flows within its banks.

"We've got songlines, they follow the dreaming tracks, when we travel from one bit of the country to another they show us where the water is, we want to keep it that way for our ceremonies and our culture. All the way along the river we are saying no to cotton.” - Wandarrang Nunggubuyu senior elder Walter Rogers

These messages are being collected on a truly astonishing piece of art – a map of the 20,000 square kilometre river catchment area, which shows the interconnected songlines of the Alawa, Ngandi, Ngalakan, Ritharrngu, Wandarrang, Marra, Ngunggubuyu and Mangarrayi people.

Later this year, we’ll take the map to Canberra – to show our federal politicians what’s at stake if large-scale irrigation, big business and gas fracking are allowed to take huge amounts of water from across the river catchment.

“We'd like the Government - Northern Territory and Federal - they've got to learn to listen and take notice. Water is life, it's life to us." - Marra elder Gordon Nawundulpi

Rivers like the Roper are such an iconic part of the Territory, and it’s the passionate advocacy of communities like ours that will ensure they are protected for future generations.