Bitter Sweet

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Sunday 31st July - although we didn’t have a long journey today we were both up and about early. The very early mornings now we’re some way south of Darwin are usually lovely - the days generally start nice and cool and the heat intensity gradually builds up through the day. It doesn’t start to cool down again until the sun goes down and then there is another period when the temperature is usually very pleasant.

I got on with the sandwiches while Graham packed up the ‘outside’ things. He expertly reversed the car and just needed the one go to be correctly aligned to the caravan tow-bar. The couple next door, however, needed five or six attempts to line theirs up but we weren’t smug about it (much). Then unfortunately, their brake lights didn’t work so their early start turned into quite a late one – they sorted out the problem eventually and off they went towards Darwin. Meanwhile our ‘late’ start was in fact relatively early!

Our journey took us in the opposite direction and for the next few days we will be heading further south. We were on the road at 9.15 and made excellent time towards Mataranka as traffic was fairly light. We were in two minds about which caravan park to head for. We weren’t enamoured by the Mataranka Hot Springs last time we stayed near there. They were OK but always very busy and when a tour bus called in, which was often, they became a bit manic. Sarah and Darryl had made mention in their blog of Bitter Springs so we thought we might give those a try. There is a caravan park close by, within walking distance, but we went straight to the Hot Springs to make sure it would be the sort of place we would like before checking out the caravan park. The springs looked lovely – just as Sarah and Darryl had described them – with a “drift” of about 300 meters and a short walk back so that you can do it all over again. It was quite busy and we were sure it would get busier as the day wore on. Nevertheless, we drove the short distance back to the caravan park and decided to check in for a couple of nights. It was an unusual caravan park in that there were no specific pitches. There were several power “pillars” and a map indicated how many caravans could power up off each pillar. Other than that it was a “free for all” – you just parked where you fancied. We were lucky in that we happened upon a pillar which had only two outlets and one was already in use. There was an ideal spot for a second caravan, which we took, and it meant that no other caravans would come near as there was nowhere for them to plug into. Not long after we were settled, by about midday, a series of vans arrived and there was a mad scramble as each tried to find the best location with a spare power point – it was quite entertaining to watch.

After having our sandwiches for lunch, we strolled the short distance back to the springs, armed with our bathers, our snorkelling gear and our “noodles” (floats which Sarah and Darryl had kindly left for us). What a fantastic experience it was. We floated effortlessly down the drift” at our leisure viewing all sorts of underwater life and, with our goggles, were able to spot the many underwater stumps and logs which created a hazard or two and which, if you happened to bump into one, could cause a nasty bruise. The drift follows a natural bend in the creek so the walk back to the start was quite short. Consequently we were keen to do it all over again. By this time more and more people had arrived and although it was still hugely enjoyable it became just a bit too rowdy for our liking so we resisted the temptation to do it for a third time. We drip dried a bit while chatting to another couple who we had followed down on both occasions and then strolled back to the caravan. By the time we got back we were virtually dry so a nice cuppa and some cake completed a brilliant afternoon. An early shower was followed by a short walk down to the nearby Roper River where we had hoped to see some wildlife. It was by now late afternoon and all we managed to see were a few fish jumping, one or two birds and we heard some rather weird but un-identifiable noises.

We were able to make Skype contact with Sarah and caught up with all their news, with Darryl about to start a new role at work so good luck Darryl, we’re sure you’ll make a big success of it.

As days go, this one has been very successful with an easy journey, a nice caravan position, an entertaining afternoon and a peaceful, relaxed evening with some family contact.

Dawn broke on Monday 1st August with a surprisingly heavy dew. The nights have taken on a bit of a chill again which actually suits us as the continuous heat further north even sometimes throughout the night was quite debilitating. It was a lovely clear day and we had it in mind to stroll to the Hot Springs early to beat the rush and after a fairly leisurely breakfast we did just that. We weren’t the first ones there but it was nice and peaceful and we were able to do the “drifts” completely unhurried. Because there had been little or no activity before us, there seemed to be many more fish about and in places it was like snorkelling on a reef. After the second drift a few more people had arrived so we strolled back to the caravan to dry off. We had a completely relaxed morning and I finished a very funny book I had been reading. Graham had picked it up at a book exchange months earlier, read it and spent ages encouraging me to do the same. Rather reluctantly I finally started it and for the past few days I have been ‘gripped’ by “You Gotta Have Balls”! It was by Lily Brett, an Australian author, so we’ll be looking out for more of her books. I should just mention that the ‘balls’ are meatballs! Many of the arrivals from yesterday were back on the road today so the park was quite quiet.

Today we decided to eat out for lunch - back along towards the main highway is another caravan park, Territory Manor, where we had almost chosen to stay. It is probably the best park in Mataranka but is some way from both sets of Hot Springs so we would have had to use the car to visit them. Nevertheless, it also boasted a lovely restaurant so today we went and ordered Barra, chips and salad. We asked for the barra (barramundi) to be grilled rather than battered and it was delicious. We’d timed our meal just right so that immediately afterwards we could witness the fish feeding which takes place here twice each day. Graham wondered if we should have been eating Barramundi when we knew we would be watching a feeding session within a few minutes! The fish weren’t very active, apparently because of the cold water temperature! Our attention was diverted to the three or four rainbow bee-eaters that were flitting about just above the water.

After that we explored the very small town that is Mataranka, topped up with fuel and then drove on to the main Hot Springs. To us they are not nearly as interesting as Bitter Springs which has been left in a very natural environment. Mataranka Springs are a little commercialised and have been developed to cater for the many visitors which seem to flock there rather than to Bitter Springs. The water was lovely and warm and the surrounding area was very pleasant for a short walk. We spotted a crocodile sunning itself on a log across the river and what I thought was a white-bellied sea eagle atop a nearby tree with its nest a few meters below. Normally there is a colony of red flying foxes in the area but they had become a bit of a nuisance so a major re-location exercise had taken place.

Back at the caravan we knew we would want another stroll to the nearby Bitter Springs but thought it best to leave it ‘til late in the day so that most tourists would have left. So we both relaxed and read a bit before, at about half past four, we strolled the five minute walk to the springs. Sure enough, most people were coming away so we expected a nice quiet time. But we hadn’t accounted for a small tour bus which had brought about 20 young aboriginal kiddies to enjoy the water. Their joy was un-confined and they whooped and laughed and frolicked in the water thoroughly enjoying themselves. For some reason we loved watching them having fun. Had it been 20 tourist children doing the same thing we might have been annoyed but our sympathies towards the aborigines and the hard times they have had to endure, especially in this part of Australia, means we appear to be far more accepting of their boisterous behaviour – is this white man’s guilt? They restricted themselves to the entry pool so we were still able to do the drift – about ten minutes of lazy snorkelling. By the time we got back to the start, the kiddies had been replaced by a bunch of old fogies like ourselves just lounging around in the beautifully warm water. Graham got back in for a ”lounge” but soon we dripped our way back to the caravan for an early shower and some preparation for tomorrow’s trek. The park was not nearly so busy tonight so showers were readily available. Tomorrow’s destination is still undecided – we’ll make it up as we go along – but a small town called Elliott which is about 300 kilometers along our route is probably favourite. But we both agreed that Bitter Springs will rank very highly in our Aussie experiences because of its uniqueness – snorkelling over a woodland reef in water temperatures of 34 degrees some 400 kilometers from the sea is a very special event indeed.

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Photos

Very quaint toilet block
but perfectly servicable!

Mataranka Hot Springs
not as natural looking as Bitter Springs but many more tourists visit here

Replica of the Elsey Homestead
used in the film 'We Of The Never Never'. The original book was written by Jeannie Gunn who lived at Elsey Homestead in the early 1900's.

Just look where the flood waters came to in 1998!
In the bar at the Homestead Caravan Park

Comments

[Carole & Ray Brun]

Hi Jan & Graham, we only got home last Wednesday (Mt. Martha, Victoria) we did a tag along tour of the Gulf of Carpentaria. We stayed at Mataranka on the 28th of July, just a couple of days before you did, I knew you would be close but didn't know you were that close. Isn't the country so green, we are very lucky to see it and the wonderful bird life. Keep up the great blogs we do enjoy them. Safe travels Carole & Ray

[Pootling Possums]

Catching Up
Hi - it was lovely to receive your comment - what a shame we missed you. It sounds as though you've had a very exciting time but no doubt you were pleased to get home. Best wishes, Jan and Graham