Sat 2nd August – Day 84: Mataranka to Katherine

A lazy start to the weekend, we spend an hour or so on breakfast making pancakes, bacon & eggs and anything else that takes our fancy. Then before the heat comes in we take the opportunity to tour the replica of the original Elsey Homestead, used in the filming of “We of the Never Never”. Back along the plam lined walkway we enjoy a final float in the springs before packing up on our way to Katherine.
Just outside Mataranka we pass the sign to ‘Bitter Springs’ and I turn the car that direction as I have read it is also a beautiful place. Supposedly Mataranka’s lesser-known cousin and far less developed ‘Bitter Springs’ turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. With fantastically crystal clear water and river banks lines with grasses, trees, spider webs and bird-life, we managed to spend 2 hours drifting from the main crescent shaped pool downstream wearing goggles to spy the tiny fish or lying on your back watching the rainbow bee-eaters fly, feed and perch in tree-tops. Climbing up the ladder to the bridge at the end you walk the 1km back to the start and do it all again. We were lucky to leave!
About 5pm we finally got mobile reception (after about 3 weeks) and the messages came in thick and fast, the latest from the Groat’s who were heading out of Katherine bound for friends in Mataranka! A small world, we met up with them for a quick ½ hour catch-up on the roadside just out of town! They had been through Kakadu, Litchfield, Darwin and Kununurra and were on their way South towards Alice and home to Griffith. They looked like they were having a ball and it was great to see them all so excited, the Airlie Beach start had got them well in the mood for adventure. We may see them on our way home if we make a flying visit through Griffith, otherwise maybe Easter time again – the kids just loved their farm.
You could blink and pass right through Katherine, despite it’s claim to being the 4th largest town in the Territory. We were through town and out the other side, wondering if there would even be a Woolworths (the true measure of a large town!). The BIG4 Katherine Low Level Caravan Park is near the Low Level Crossing over Katherine River, 3km West of the town. Sprinklers, green grass, a swimming pool, large laundry and nearby Springs were all attractive features for us. By the time we were set up, the sun had truly set and we decided to eat out at the in-house Fig Tree Bistro, where the Barramundi was scrumptious.
Katherine Low Level Big 4 (powered $39/night)