Winter Holiday July 2012: DALY WATERS TO MATARANKA

We left Daly Waters on Tuesday morning and drove the 169km to Mataranka. On the way we stopped at a cafe in Larrimah for morning tea.   It was a real bush cafe with all home cooked cakes and sweets and the lady running it was a real gem.   We both had strudel and ice cream and it was yum.   We then went on to Mataranka and booked in to Mataranka Cabins at Bitter Springs which is only 2km out of town and 500 meters from the springs. the town of Mataranka is quite small but does have a supermarket, petrol station, police station and a small variety of gift shops, museums etc.
This is where the story We of the Never Never was based and the author is buried in the local cemetry.   There are statues in the park of the characters in the book and a giant termite mound.   There are quite a few natives in town but they seem to be well controlled.    In this town you are unable to buy take away alchol until 2pm in the afternoon and if you buy casks or rum you have to show your drivers licence.
We have booked in here for 3 days and have spent some time relaxing in the springs.   You are able to hire noodles at the caravan park so that you can drift down the springs which are on the Roper river.   We were told to put our thongs on the ends of the noodle when we drifted down the springs as you had to walk back on the track as the current was too strong to swim against unless you were a strong swimmer.   It was so relaxing drifting down, the water was 32 degrees and a very comfortable temperature.

We are leaving here tomorrow - Friday - to go to Katherine where we will book into a caravan park again to get some relief from the heat. During the day it has been over 35 degrees for the last week or so.