Day 28 / 29 (June 26th / 27th, 2015): Mataranka Thermal Springs

We decided this time in Mataranka we would stay at the Mataranka Homestead which has easy walking access to the Mataranka Thermal Springs in Elsey NP. 

Minimum dress standard for the pub - we have seen this most places in the NT. Plus note where the flood high water mark was in 1998.

This is a much older camping ground, than Bitter Springs, where we previously camped on the way North on this trip - but it has a really nice friendly vibe and its pretty much camp where you want.

Our 2x nights here were much cooler than we have had for the last few weeks of our trip and we really could have done with a fire to keep warm if you wanted to stay outside very long in the evening. The first night we did not bother as we went to Happy Hour at the pub and stayed for dinner and the free entertainment. The second night we were pretty tired and went to bed early reading for a while.

Both nights at the Homestead there was a group of 75 year eleven students from a catholic school in Melbourne. Their tents were in an area away from the rest of the campers. They were a great bunch of kids, very polite and chatty, and we're having a really good time at the Thermal Pools and at the free entertainment in the evenings.

The guy singing each night was just okay - but the guy doing the Whip Cracking show was fantastic and was a great showman - he put on a really entertaining act. First time I have seen anyone doing whip cracking to music - he was amazing.

At the pub the first night we met a lovely couple from Wadonga (Robin and Denñis) who told us about a place called King Ash Bay where they were heading to after Mataranka. It sounds pretty good so we are now thinking of going there ourselves.

Each day at the Homestead involved a swim at the Thermal pools where we could walk to in 5 minutes - via a very shaded cool walkway through dense palms and other foliage. The pools are spring fed and were discovered, dammed and made easily accessible by soldiers in this area during WW11.  They were for the use of the officers only. Years later after the war an ex-serviceman bought the Mataranka Station and opened the springs to the public as he could see their potential for tourist draw card.

The pools are a lovely temperature and we would take the noodles down and float about for a good hour or so just chatting with travellers and enjoying the sparkling clear waters.

Usually this time of year you can hire canoes as well and paddle on the local river - but at the moment they would not hire them out as the river flow and turbulence is still a bit too dangerous. It is of course not open to swimming yet either for the same reason. We are told that they only get freshies (freshwater crocodiles) here in the river and they have pontoons further downstream near the NP campground that they install for swimming.

We were really surprised on one walk to the pools when we spotted a family of feral pigs just off a few metres from the walkway. Very surprising that they were so close to a highly traversed pathway.

Another walk we spotted about 8x black cockatoos

Whilst here in Mataranka we also went to check out the free barramundi feeding at the Territory Manor (just on the northern side of Mataranka) near Bitter Springs. 

The barramundi did not seem to be too hungry but the pool they are in was covered in lovely lily pads and flowers and there were cute turtles there as well.

One little girl did get quite a surprise when the Barra jumped out to grab the little fish she was holding out to feed them with.

And they also had a couple of Brolgas wandering around the grounds when we were there.

Mataranka area was the site where the Australian film "We of The Never Never" was filmed and there is a replica of the Elsey Homestead used in the film just across the road from the Homestead Campground pub.