While I was sitting with my champagne breakfast at Daly Waters pub on my way north, I was still mulling over whether to stay at Mataranka Homestead or Bitter Springs camp ground.
I’d had many recommendations about which was better. Mataranka was closer to their spring, but Bitter Springs was more natural. Katherine wasn’t very good. Some said I’d like one, others said I’d like something else. It was a tough decision.
What finally won it for me was that at Bitter Springs I could camp by the river, and it really wasn’t that long a walk, only 500m. So Bitter Springs it was
I arrived and got my campsite. By the river. Which was possibly not the best option because it’s the Little Roper River and there are crocodiles. But it was a nice view.
Then I took myself off to Mataranka Homestead to check out everything there.
The first thing of note is the replica of the homestead from We of the Never Never. Mataranka is where that is set, and in those days it really was isolated. But now, the homestead is right by the carpark, which sort of takes away from that sense of isolation.
Except, as soon as walked through the doorway I could feel it. That sense of being right away from everything. The homestead is tiny. Only 2 rooms, with a big veranda surrounding it. It does give you a sense of what life would have been like for colonists in such a remote area.
Step out again and you’re back to the 21st century. And the best thing to do then is head off to the pool. As I walked through the park it felt a bit like I was in a resort. With a bar and restaurant and big outdoor area to sit with your drink and food, and live music if you’re there at the right time.
The pool itself is, unsurprisingly, like a pool. It’s the natural spring area but the sides have been built up to create the feel of a pool and protect the edges of the springs. It’s lovely, but it’s a pool.
I decided to head back to Bitter Springs to check that one out. But first I had to have a drink at the bar, I mean it would be rude not to.
I also stopped in town to get some fresh food as I’d run out the day before. That was an eye opener. I’ve been to many remote towns and know what to expect in terms of fresh vegetables, but Mataranka is only just over an hour south of Katherine. On the main highway between Adelaide and Darwin. Hardly remote. Yet they had very little in the way of fresh food. A few oranges and lemons, and some manky looking capsicums and corn cobs. Which were all very expensive. And they thought there might be another delivery of food in 4 days time!
Oh well, I had plenty of other food I could make do with. Sadly, the locals don’t have that option.
And the spring at Bitter Springs was worth it all. It was beautiful. Perfectly natural except for the stairs in and out. Water lillies growing along the sides, grasses and other plants growing underwater that you float over, fish and turtles, and surrounded by native palms and gum trees. And around 34o.. Absolute heaven.
You get into the spring at one end, sit on your pool noodle and just float to the other end. Then you get out, walk back up to the top of the spring, and do it all again.
I did it 4 times, then went back to my campsite for a margarita and cheese platter sitting by the river. Then I got up the next morning and did it all over again. It was magnificent.
Then I had to move on, but only just over an hour north to Katherine where I could try out the next thermal pool.
This is the one that everybody said I wouldn’t like as much, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I proceeded.
You can’t camp by the springs at Katherine. Instead you drive, park in the carpark and walk to the springs. Not very far, only a couple of hundred metres through a park. Which doesn’t matter if you’re living there and can just drive to the springs any time you feel like it.
The spring itself is long, like at Bitter Springs, and reinforced at the sides in some places like at Mataranka. You can’t float from one end to the other though. If you want to get from one end to the other you need to swim, and climb over a couple of weirs, then duck under a bridge. None of which was difficult and it was a nice swim. Then down at the bottom you can sit by the weir and let the water wash over you, or sit with your back against it and feel like you’re being massaged. The water itself isn’t as warm as Mataranka or Bitter Springs which makes it feel a bit more refreshing.
So which one did I prefer?
They are all beautiful in their own way, but my favourite was definitely Bitter Springs. It was stunning. And I’d put Katherine second. Mataranka, while beautiful felt more like a resort than a natural spring.
After spending more time at each, I can confirm that Bitter Springs is still the favourite. Along with my special campsite by the river. It’s a perfect spot to camp on my own or with friends. And on the trips I’ve had back there I’ve seen a water goanna basking by the spring, turtles swimming through the reeds and rocks, snakes sleeping on the moss and algae growing on the river banks, and birds aplenty. It truly is a magic place.
And perfect for cocktails by the river of course!
Well, except for that time somebody saw a crocodile in the spring. I stayed away that week.
