The drive to Mataranka was a pleasure after 300kms of corrugated dirt roads. We booked into the Mataranka Homestead Caravan Park which had its own thermal pool on the property, just a short walk from our van. The water is a constant 34 degrees, which is very pleasant. The swimming hole was quite large, crystal clear with a blue tinge to it - it was also full of many grey nomads and young families. We had a relaxing soak and a chat with other nomads, walked down a walkway where we spotted a small freshwater croc (on the other side of the river), then came back up past a group of wild pigs - this place had a bit of everything.
The caravan park had a pub, a restaurant, and live entertainment most evenings. Trev and I had dinner at the restaurant, while listening to a couple of singers, who were the preview to the main event - a whipcracking show by Nathan Griggs, who currently holds the world record for the most whipcracks in one minute. He was a terrific young guy who was quite funny, and did some amazing tricks - my favourites were the lightning whips and the grand finale, firecracking. Quite spectacular. You can visit his website at www.nathangriggs.com.au.
Carole and John had decided to go on to Katherine the next day, and we would meet them there, but first we would visit Bitter Springs, which was highly recommended by our friends Lai and Garry. We had a look at the National Parks campsite about 20kms down the road - it was pretty good, well set out and was cheaper than where we were staying. From there we went into Mataranka township, had a look around, then drove out to Bitter Springs, another blue crystal thermal pool at the end of a pandanus palm forest. This was just magic, and was more of a river than a pool. There were lots of people here too, but you climbed into the pool and just floated with the current down the river - and because we all floated down at different times it wasn't as crowded. I tried using our little waterproof 'gopro' in the water, and it worked really well. I thoroughly enjoyed this place and really didn't want to get out of the water.
Our friends set off for Katherine, and we went to see the barramundi feeding at Territory Manor. We had a bottle of cider while we waited for the feeding to start - but it was a little disappointing. The barramundi weren't terribly interested in being fed, so basically we didn't see anything. We left and had lunch at the Stockyard Gallery in Mataranka - roast beef, cheese and onion toasted sandwiches - very nice. We decided that we had done most of the things we wanted to do around Mataranka, so we went back to the caravan park, packed our van and headed out to Katherine to catch up with Carole and John. I drove this time, only about 110kms, and I really don't know why Trevor was so tired of driving - maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was blacktop all the way, 130kph speed limit (not that I got up to that, of course) and very little traffic???
We caught up with Carole and John at the tourist information centre in Katherine, got some info about the region, then followed them to an 'interesting' little caravan park they had booked into. It is basically on the property of an older couple, not terribly well organised, has some interesting permanent residents and buildings, and people put up their vans just about anywhere - but it does have decent showers and toilets and only costs $20pn.
Next morning we drove out to Katherine Gorge (about 20kms away) in our car to do a walk and perhaps a cruise. We got some info from the National Parks office, booked a Nitmuluk River Cruise for 2.00pm ($84pp) then did the short Barramei walk (about 2hrs round trip) to a lookout over the gorge. The gorge looked beautiful, and we watched one of the river cruise boats go past. We had lunch at a picnic area while waiting for our cruise. Our tour guide, Dave, 'call me Oyster', was most informative, with a wry Aussie sense of humour. We cruised two gorges, with a 500m walk from gorge to gorge, and it was lovely - we saw three freshwater crocs and some aboriginal rock art. Top day, excellent walk and cruise.
We booked in for a further night so we could have a bit of a 'rest day', do some restocking, and go to the Katherine Show and Rodeo later in the afternoon. Trev and I found the Katherine Springs, had lunch at the picnic area then wandered down for a swim. Again, the springs were lovely, clear and relaxing, although the signage was a bit misleading. Getting out of the warm water wasn't so much fun, as it's still a bit cool and windy up here for this time of year. All the locals are complaining about how cold it's been, with temps only around 27 degrees (which we think is wonderful), and cold nights - we are still using a doona at night, which is very surprising this far north. We are pretty well as far north as we can go. Still, not complaining, because it's still better than freezing in the wind and snow around Canberra.
The Katherine Show was only $10 entry for seniors (take note, southern states!) and was fun and interesting. The food on offer was pretty good (I'm not a dagwood dog fan), and it was definitely more of a country feel. We watched some of the showjumping, then found a spot on the hill to watch the rodeo in the evening. Now I know I'm in the country - lots of young men in their wrangler jeans, boots, fancy shirts and cowboy hats, with lots of young women wanting to have a chat with them. They looked great, and were mostly well-behaved, apart from a couple of drunken louts standing just behind us. The rodeo was great, but I particularly liked the horse-and-rider pick-up teams who worked to protect the rodeo rider once he'd fallen off the bull/horse, and also to shepherd the animals back to the corrals - poetry in motion. I really admired their horsemanship, it was pretty to watch.
We stayed 3 nights in Katherine at this very average caravan park - I still ended up with a cool shower, there was never any toilet paper in any of the toilets, and there were no garbage bins provided. At $20pn it was overpriced. Certainly wouldn't stay here again. But we have enjoyed staying in Katherine.
The caravan park had a pub, a restaurant, and live entertainment most evenings. Trev and I had dinner at the restaurant, while listening to a couple of singers, who were the preview to the main event - a whipcracking show by Nathan Griggs, who currently holds the world record for the most whipcracks in one minute. He was a terrific young guy who was quite funny, and did some amazing tricks - my favourites were the lightning whips and the grand finale, firecracking. Quite spectacular. You can visit his website at www.nathangriggs.com.au.
Carole and John had decided to go on to Katherine the next day, and we would meet them there, but first we would visit Bitter Springs, which was highly recommended by our friends Lai and Garry. We had a look at the National Parks campsite about 20kms down the road - it was pretty good, well set out and was cheaper than where we were staying. From there we went into Mataranka township, had a look around, then drove out to Bitter Springs, another blue crystal thermal pool at the end of a pandanus palm forest. This was just magic, and was more of a river than a pool. There were lots of people here too, but you climbed into the pool and just floated with the current down the river - and because we all floated down at different times it wasn't as crowded. I tried using our little waterproof 'gopro' in the water, and it worked really well. I thoroughly enjoyed this place and really didn't want to get out of the water.
Our friends set off for Katherine, and we went to see the barramundi feeding at Territory Manor. We had a bottle of cider while we waited for the feeding to start - but it was a little disappointing. The barramundi weren't terribly interested in being fed, so basically we didn't see anything. We left and had lunch at the Stockyard Gallery in Mataranka - roast beef, cheese and onion toasted sandwiches - very nice. We decided that we had done most of the things we wanted to do around Mataranka, so we went back to the caravan park, packed our van and headed out to Katherine to catch up with Carole and John. I drove this time, only about 110kms, and I really don't know why Trevor was so tired of driving - maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was blacktop all the way, 130kph speed limit (not that I got up to that, of course) and very little traffic???
We caught up with Carole and John at the tourist information centre in Katherine, got some info about the region, then followed them to an 'interesting' little caravan park they had booked into. It is basically on the property of an older couple, not terribly well organised, has some interesting permanent residents and buildings, and people put up their vans just about anywhere - but it does have decent showers and toilets and only costs $20pn.
Next morning we drove out to Katherine Gorge (about 20kms away) in our car to do a walk and perhaps a cruise. We got some info from the National Parks office, booked a Nitmuluk River Cruise for 2.00pm ($84pp) then did the short Barramei walk (about 2hrs round trip) to a lookout over the gorge. The gorge looked beautiful, and we watched one of the river cruise boats go past. We had lunch at a picnic area while waiting for our cruise. Our tour guide, Dave, 'call me Oyster', was most informative, with a wry Aussie sense of humour. We cruised two gorges, with a 500m walk from gorge to gorge, and it was lovely - we saw three freshwater crocs and some aboriginal rock art. Top day, excellent walk and cruise.
We booked in for a further night so we could have a bit of a 'rest day', do some restocking, and go to the Katherine Show and Rodeo later in the afternoon. Trev and I found the Katherine Springs, had lunch at the picnic area then wandered down for a swim. Again, the springs were lovely, clear and relaxing, although the signage was a bit misleading. Getting out of the warm water wasn't so much fun, as it's still a bit cool and windy up here for this time of year. All the locals are complaining about how cold it's been, with temps only around 27 degrees (which we think is wonderful), and cold nights - we are still using a doona at night, which is very surprising this far north. We are pretty well as far north as we can go. Still, not complaining, because it's still better than freezing in the wind and snow around Canberra.
The Katherine Show was only $10 entry for seniors (take note, southern states!) and was fun and interesting. The food on offer was pretty good (I'm not a dagwood dog fan), and it was definitely more of a country feel. We watched some of the showjumping, then found a spot on the hill to watch the rodeo in the evening. Now I know I'm in the country - lots of young men in their wrangler jeans, boots, fancy shirts and cowboy hats, with lots of young women wanting to have a chat with them. They looked great, and were mostly well-behaved, apart from a couple of drunken louts standing just behind us. The rodeo was great, but I particularly liked the horse-and-rider pick-up teams who worked to protect the rodeo rider once he'd fallen off the bull/horse, and also to shepherd the animals back to the corrals - poetry in motion. I really admired their horsemanship, it was pretty to watch.
We stayed 3 nights in Katherine at this very average caravan park - I still ended up with a cool shower, there was never any toilet paper in any of the toilets, and there were no garbage bins provided. At $20pn it was overpriced. Certainly wouldn't stay here again. But we have enjoyed staying in Katherine.
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