1-3rd September, 2020
Daly Waters to Mataranka a long 160 km drive. We have noticed the weather has been getting warmer the further we go north and also more humid. We based ourselves at Mataranka Homestead as this is only a short walk to the Mataranka Hot Springs. The first stop after setting up the van was to find the hot springs and try them out. The water was bath temperature (34 deg) and was very refreshing as the day was quite warm (38degrees). The spring is set within a palm forest and only about 50m from the caravan park so very handy. The springs and park are located at the Mataranka Homestead which is where the movie We of the Never Never was made. There is also a bar and restaurant at the homestead and they also put on entertainment in the evening throughout the week. Whilst we were there we checked out the happy hour in the bar and also had a meal which was very good.
Best of all the hot springs are free and you can go as often as you want – we spent quite a bit of time cooling down in the springs whilst we there. Great place to meet new people and sit in the springs chatting to people from all places. The Mataranka springs are more like a swimming pool as there are seats and stairs down into the springs, unlike Bitter Springs about 2km down the road which is more natural. In more natural i mean that the bottom is muddier and the current is a lot stronger, still beautiful though. We did a walk around Bitter Springs which was really nice as it was through the palm trees alongside the springs.
We also took a drive around the township of Mataranka and checked out the giant termite nest. The national park also has quite a lot of walks and drives throughout the area. The Roper River runs through the national park and taking any of the turn ins you can access the river. We drove into a boat ramp and couldn’t believe how clear the water was – then we saw the sign BEWARE of Crocodiles in this area (eek!!) But still a beautiful spot to look and as a local pointed out – In the NT you need to be aware in any water that there could be crocodiles.
Mataranka is well worth a visit as its a beautiful spot – a great place to take a few days and relax in the hot springs
Next stop Katherine 🙂
