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Published: April 20th 2015
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The day started with a visit to the local plumber that we had arranged the previous day. The hot water system in the bus had recently stopped working and we had tried various things without luck. The plumber diagnosed a blocked valve and said we were good to go. The charge of $50 seemed rather low and my suspicions were confirmed later that day when no hot water came from the tap (it takes about an hour to heat the water).
There was little to see along the highway (although we detoured a little to see Daly Waters and a John McDouall Stuart blazed tree).
The aim was to get to the Mataranka / Bitter Springs area which has thermal springs. A great replacement for a shower if you have no hot water!
On the way we saw a 5 metre python on the road (dead I think) - we were both so shocked that by the time we had decided that we had seen such a huge snake, it was too late to turn around and go back. A little further on, another massive shock was in store as I saw a truck on its side in
amongst the trees on the side of the road. Again, I was so surprised, that I took a second (long) look and the bus drifted off the road and on to the gravel shoulder giving Georgi a massive fright (as the shoulder was badly pot-holed). This time, having regained control of the bus, we decided we needed to do a u-turn (a 5 point turn so that we would not leave the hotmix) to return to check out the accident scene. Luckily, the wreckage turned out to be a refrigerated trailer only, although the path through the scrub suggested a large road train had originally left the road. We never found out what happened.
The classic book "We of the Never Never" was written in the early 1900's about the people around Mataranka, and when the turnoff to the Elsey Cemetery announced itself, we decided to have a look. It seems that a realignment of the Stuart Highway was required and the original Elsey homestead was demolished before anyone realised its significance. It wasn't until the cemetery was about to be flattened that the work was re-assessed and the road re-routed,
After a tour of the cemetery, we
pushed on to the Thermal Springs at Mataranka Homestead, (a resort with the replica Elsey homestead for the film). The resort had a variety of accommodation and services (which had seen better days) but the staff seemed friendly and it was only 50 metres to the pool so the decision was easily made.
After just one night at Mataranka, we knew we needed to stay longer to enjoy and relax in the warm waters of the pool, listen to the birdsong each morning and evening and enjoy the antics of the locals (and the taste of their hot chips) at the Resort. So we booked two more days and agreed to tighten up the remaining part of the journey to Kununurra. Georgi enjoyed walking an extra 50 metres to the Roper River to look for the barramundi that are regularly caught there.
Our last day was spent at Bitter Springs, a small creek at the other end of the Elsey Park (just north of Mataranka township). The usual practice at Bitter Springs is to enter the creek at one point and then float along the creek to a point approximately 200 metres downstream where you exited with the
The Stuart tree
Can you see the "S"? opportunity of walking back to the original starting position. I think we did the creek float 6 or 7 times, becoming attuned to the birds and other things (like dragonflies and small fish) that lived around the creek. This is a truly magic place and if you ever get the opportunity, we would highly recommend a stay in the Mataranka area to visit the pool and springs.
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Greg French
non-member comment
Hello from Acton Park
Len Apart from a couple of minor hiccups you seem to be going well. Bitter Springs seems lovely from the pictures. I am popping out to Glenorchy on the 22nd to see a couple of people so I will pass on that I am monitoring your progress. Keep safe and enjoy! Greg