Mataranka Hot Springs and Katherine Gorge

Friday 24^th June

Daly Waters to Mataranka

It was just a short drive of 177 km from DALY WATERS up to MATARANKA.  We arrived at the Mataranka Homestead Motor Camp and were soon set up.  As we travelled up we could see the bush and scrub changing rapidly, and starting to look more and more tropical. Mataranka Homestead Motor Camp has been established beside the famous Mataranka Hot Springs where 30.5 million litres of water a day, at a constant temperature of 34 degrees, bubbles out of a spring then runs for about 100meters through the bush before it meets the Roper River.  

Between the springs and the river they have dammed the creek to make a swimming pool, and it is to this that everyone flocks year round to enjoy the nice warm water.  There were hundreds of day visitors at the camp, so we decided to delay our swim to later in the afternoon when hopefully it wouldn’t be quite so busy.

Mataranka is also the location for the Cattle Station named ELSEY, which is famous as the setting for Jeannie GUNN’s book ‘WE OF THE NEVER NEVER’.  This tells the story of her life there in the early 1900s, and it has also been made into a film.  The old ELSEY STATION Homestead was sited about 10km south of Mataranka Hot Springs.  Unfortunately the old homestead is no longer standing, but its original site,

and the cemetery where a lot of the characters of the book are buried,

has become a tourist attraction, and we decided to visit it before going for a swim.Saturday 25^th June

A replica of the homestead was built for the film, and this is now open for display at the Mataranka Hot Springs.  

On our return to our motor camp we had a look through it before heading off for a swim in the ‘Hot Pool’.

Our delaying tactics had worked, and there were only about 10 other people in the pool when we got there.  Although it was pleasant relaxing in the 34 degree water, it was a little bit disappointing, as it wasn’t hot enough to enjoy as a spa or cold enough to be a refreshing swim.  Perhaps we are getting too fussy.

We rounded off the day by enjoying a very pleasant evening sitting outside in the lovely warm temperatures.  Gee it’s good to be back into a warmer climate.

Mataranka to Katherine Gorge.

Another short trip today of 149 km.  MATARANKA to KATHERINE is only 130km, and then another 20 km out to KATHERINE GORGE, which is part of the NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK.  KATHERINE GORGE is famous for its spectacular scenery of high cliffs where the Katherine River has gouged its way through the landscape over millions of years.  The motor camp is situated in the park alongside the Katherine River, just at the point where it comes out of the 13 or so gorges it has carved in the landscape.

We hoped to either hire canoes or take a boat road through some of the gorges.  We called in at the Information Centre and booked a caravan site and also enquired about canoe hire, only to be told the canoes were not available yet, as they still hadn’t done a Salt Water Crocodile count in the river, to ascertain its safety.  A sharp reminder, that we were now well into crocodile country.  So we booked a 4 hour boat cruise for tomorrow instead.

There is a beautiful swimming pool here at the camp,

so no prizes for guessing where Cameron spent the rest of the day, and as it turned out, half the night as well.  The water was bloody freezing, but that didn’t seem to worry him.  The Northern Territory school holidays have just started, so there were quite a few other kids here, and he has been having a ball.  It’s really good for him to have a chance to mix with kids again after being stuck with adult only company for so long.

Just on dark, a guy set up his guitar and speakers by the pool, and after tea  Christel and I spent a lovely night sitting by the pool listening to the music and supping on our ‘refreshments’, while Cameron and his new found buddies enjoyed themselves in the pool.  What a lovely night, reminded us of the warm tropical nights of Rarotonga.

There were about three kookaburras taking advantage of the lights around the pool, to zoom backward and forwards across the pool snatching moths and whatever else caught their eye.  Just beside the pool is a bunch of trees that a small colony of fruit bats have decided to call home, and they kept us entertained with their continual scrapping and arguing, until shortly after dark when they all left to go feeding for the night.

We couldn’t help but compare it to what we would have been doing at this time back in NZ.  Christel couldn’t resist the temptation, and as soon as we got back to the van she sent off a rather cynical email to everyone she wanted to upset.

Sunday 26^th June

We were booked on a 4 hour, 3 gorge cruise, to start at 11.00, so there was time for some school work beforehand.  Then we packed some lunches and drinks and walked the 400 metres or so up to where the tours left at the end of the gorges.  On the way we passed a huge colony of bats hanging in the trees, alongside the river.  The colony was spread over about a hundred meters along the river bank, and was about 30 to 50 meters wide. 

It must have contained well over a million bats.  As you can imagine the smell of bat shit was less than pleasant.

We boarded our boat and were soon chugging upstream into the first gorge.  Our tour guide quickly pointed out two or three fresh water crocs sunbathing on logs at the side of the river.  They blended in perfectly with their backgrounds and were bloody hard to spot.

We cruised up river admiring the spectacular cliffs overhanging the river, and after about 2 kilometres pulled into the bank where we had to walk about 500 metres upstream past some rapids to start the next gorge.  

Here we climbed into another boat and continued our cruise upstream. This second gorge was the most spectacular, and has been used as a back drop for several films and TV Shows.

Then, after another kilometre or so the same thing again before entering the third gorge.

At the top of the third gorge we again pulled into the bank and then took a short walk into a side gorge to a waterfall with a big pool under it.  Here we were invited to have our lunches and a swim. Unfortunately only Cameron had his togs so we sat and watched him and a few others cool off in the pool and under the waterfall. 

Then it was back into the boat for the return journey all trying to outdo each other trying to spot crocs on the river bank.

Back at camp we all cooled off in the swimming pool and then as it got dark, sat by the pool enjoying dinner and music and the lovely warm night air.  A beautiful end to the day.  Tomorrow we will head north again to MT BUNDY STATION just outside of ADELAIDE WATERS.