Our plan was to edge ourselves out of bed at 9:00AM this morning, but given a technical issue with the alarm clock, it ended up being closer to 8:30AM. I had forgotten to change the time on it when we crossed into the Northern territory, and so it was still set for Melbourne time. Not that it made a difference, as we were both already wide awake by the time it sounded. Me because I’d had a wonderfully restorative sleep, despite the overnight heat and waking up cold to the morning chill. Bec because she claims that she had been kept awake for the majority of the night by my nocturnal snoring. The dogs too, had a tough night, not coping all so well with the heat, even despite their recent haircuts. They were bounding about the van for the most part, trying to find somewhere relatively refreshing to lie their weary heads.

In any case, the extra half an hour gave us a chance to ease ourselves into the day. It also gave us an idea of the conditions around here. It was interesting to see the sky swathed in a covering of cloud, the sun already beginning to burn through it with a heat that is hard to describe.

It was into ‘The Beast’ by 9:30AM, for the quick half an hour run into the tiny little town of Mataranka. This had not been a scheduled stop for us, until we read a brochure at Three Ways about it. With a couple of warm mineral spring pools and a pet friendly caravan park within walking distance of said swimming holes, it sounded like just the place to have a day or two to rest. We’ve been putting in a few big days in the past week, and we decided that it was time to have a break from the monotony of constant, day after day travel.

So, that’s how it came to be that at only five after 10:00AM, we were rolling into the Mataranka Cabins and Caravan Park, and setting up camp for a couple of nights. We had read that it was best to arrive early, in order to stake out a nice site, and we were glad we did. Our site is a lovely shaded patch of dirt, nestled amongst some broad canopied trees. By 11:00AM, the only sites remaining were the sun bleached, open area plots, while another hour or so found the park practically full up.

As well as being popular, the park is indeed pet friendly. Upon checking in, rather than a long list of tyrannical rules being thrust upon us, we were welcomed with advise on the best areas to go to give the dogs a run, and maybe even a swim in the Little Roper River, which forms the park boundary. Although that did come with a warning that the river is inhabited by fresh water crocodiles. Not known to be overly perilous to humans, I reckon our two friendly mutts would be barely a mouthful for them, so maybe no swim for the dogs after all.

As a bonus, we have a mobile phone signal here. I was elated to find that I would be able to post my last few days worth of blogs, as well as update our photos over on Flickr. Life is good.

Deciding to give ‘The Beast’ a well earned rest, we locked it up and decided to cover the sightseeing in town tomorrow. The remainder of today would be a restful day, starting with a walk along the swampy banks of the river. Whilst we didn’t sight any of the aforementioned crocs, we didn’t allow the dogs to take a dip. A dark murky opaque green, you wouldn’t have known if a croc was right beneath you.

Sorry guys, no swim for you today.

With the dogs all worn out after a decent walk, it was time to wear ourselves out. We hired ‘noodles’ from the front desk, long thin floatation assistance devices, donned our swimming trunks, and headed out on foot to Berry Springs. Only an alleged 500 metre walk from the park, it felt further in the stinging heat of the midday sun.

Once there, we were greeted by a large pool of the clearest water you could imagine. I am not joking when I say the water spouting from our tap is of a murkier quality than the water in this hole. It was hard to judge the depth from the shore, but the bottom was clearly visible from the surface.

Like looking through glass.

The idea is to kick out into the centre of the main pool, then allowing yourself to float, let the current slowly push you downstream the hundred or so yards to the exit ladder. Walk back, before doing it all over again. Whilst the current is fairly swift, it’s still takes about 10 minutes to slowly drift along, an ever changing scene playing out beneath you in the clear waters, and similarly above you due to the overhanging forest canopy, while you listen to the serene whispering of nature. The water, only dappled by sunlight, the air is cooler here, making the water feel all that much warmer.

Stepping in, we found it to gloriously warm, being a constant 32^oC. Cool enough to be relaxing, but warm enough that it didn’t take your breath away as we slid bodily into the inviting waters. Excuse the pun, but Bec took to it like a fish to water, relishing and relaxing as she floated along with the current.

Bec has a great time.

Me on the other hand… Well, I don’t swim so well to begin with, and I float much like a rock. Even the floaty ‘noodle’ wasn’t of great assistance, and without flapping my feet wildly about like a duck, I kept sinking. Being able to see the bottom was of little relief, when I couldn’t reach it, and my slow, sedate drift down the river became a frantic, panicked effort to keep my head above the surface. Rather than exiting relaxed and refreshed, I clambered out on my hands and knees, trembling and out of breath.

Not so relaxing for me.

At Becs urging, I did get back in again, staying near the edge of the pool where I was able to stand on my own two feet, without having to rely on my inept ability to maintain some semblance of floatation. As we paddled about in the shallows, I decided that I wasn’t going to let this minor tributary beat me. So grasping my ‘noodle’, it was back into the eerie depths we went. Knowing this time what to expect, and having figured that I could more easily keep my head above water by using my arms, I was able to relax and enjoy this voyage a little more.

The view from the pool.

Whilst I still may not have enjoyed it quite as much as Bec, I was at least able to take in my surroundings this time. It was amazing to see spider webs stretched out over the water, large arachnids lying in wait for an unfortunate flying insects to become entangled. Brightly coloured dragonflies were in abundance, their torsos flashing luminously in reds, blues and greens as they deftly avoided, for the most part, the silky strands of spider webs. Small birds were betrayed by their innocent chirps, as they scratched about in the undergrowth along each side, obviously also hunting for a feed of insects. Yep, much better second time round, but still not what I would call my favourite ride! We left it at that for today, enjoying the warmth of the sun on our wet shoulders as we walked slowly back to the van.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing (which I can do quite easily on dry land), before taking the dogs for an afternoon stroll about the park. Doing the rounds, so to speak, we stopped regularly to chat to others, exchanging ideas and tips about where to go, where to stay and what to do.

Then, following dinner, as we got ready to enjoy a spot of TV (we have a choice of ABC, ABC or ABC), we realised that the pleasing warmth upon our shoulders we had enjoyed on our way back from the thermal pools had left its mark on us, in the form of a slight reddening of the skin on our shoulders. Really, who would have guessed that sunscreen might have been a good idea in the middle of the day, here in the top end.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.