Turtles rising to the light

Our favourite guests - mum was only around knee high.

Pet barramundi - TBBITW was all for a taste test!

Waterhouse River - just down from the Thermal Springs

Our favourite playground - crystal clear and 34 degrees mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

MAGICAL NEVER NEVER LAND

Hello again, well, every time I think it can’t get any better, it does! We are currently in Mataranka and it is truly magical. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the place, Mataranka is just over 100ks south of Katherine in the NT. This is where the old classic “We of the Never Never” was based. As we chose the Homestead Caravan Park and Resort to stay at, we were given the whole story of the book and subsequent movie. The mock up of the old homestead is here at the park and daily they run the movie and give a talk on the ‘early days’. All of that is wonderful of course, but the real magic is in the place itself. I know I cannot possibly do it justice, but I will try to describe it for you.
As we travelled closer to Mataranka, the bush became thicker and greener, and as we entered the last 10ks or so, palm trees started to appear amongst the ghost gums. The soil of course, is still the rich dark red of the region, so the white of the ghost gums and the exotic foliage of the palm trees is an unusual spectacle to say the least. Coming thru’ the gates into the resort itself is like entering into another world – suddenly everything looks tropical, great towering palm trees are just everywhere and the bush is thick and lush. The caravan park/resort borders the National Park and it a mere 100m stroll down to the wonderful thermal springs. The water bubbles up out of the ground at around 30m litres per day. As a result of the sheer quantity the water is crystal clear and the pool that it feeds into settles at a delightful 34 degrees. As this was used as Officers Quarters for a base here during the Second World War, the pond itself has been nicely reinforced so access is just a doddle and anyone (even me) can access the thermal pool and delight in this relaxing activity. It is an unusual sight when we meander down late afternoon for our daily soak, to stand in that pool seeing only the heads of those folk likewise enjoying a soak. We all resemble some strange bodiless creatures. The pool is a great place to chat and a great deal of interesting stories are exchanged there. Of course in true caravan style, much of the conversation flows around “Which way are you headed?”, “Where have you been & where did you stay there?”, “What are you driving & what sort of consumption are you getting?” etc, etc. I think you get the picture. Needless to say, these conversations are generally conducted by the menfolk while we girls go cross-eyed trying to look as if we cared!! That of course is a little unfair, we do meet some lovely folk that way and get to hear some really interesting, if not dubious, stories.
The winter weather here must be just about the best on the planet. Nights get down to somewhere around 18 degrees while the days climb up to a delightful 28 or so. There is practically no wind, just a gentle zephyr during the afternoons, and hardly any bugs. The occasional fly buzzes around in the late afternoon, and after spending 8 days and nights here, I am yet to spot a mozzie.
The flora and fauna is amazing – flocks of Apostle Birds come in with their antics foraging and begging for tucker, blue faced honey-eaters hop around looking for tucker and Great Bower Birds dash in and out trying to outdo all the others. In addition to that, there are a bunch of colourful peacocks here, who despite not being natives, are a colourful, if not pushy addition to the general atmosphere. Almost constantly overhead are wheeling Kites, both Black and Whistling types, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos break the morning silence and brightly coloured Rainbow Lorikeets fly overhead. The local Kookaburra is the Blue Winged variety and is an unusual critter indeed. Their call is not like the ones we are accustomed to at home, instead shout maniacally to each other from the tree tops. They also fight, locking beaks and spiralling down to earth like big ceiling fans – I thought a couple were going to land on TBBITW’s head yesterday morning.
I think my favourite visitor here tho’ are the beautiful little Wallabies that hop in looking for food. Some of these have been hand-reared by the people here, and others are just cheeky wild ones. One little girl, who was hand reared, is just so cheeky, she will come up and place one tiny little paw on your lap while grabbing your hand with the other paw to try and wrest your food away from you. I had quite a battle with her the other day as she was determined to get into a cardboard box I had with me. In the evenings we are visited by a mum and Joey – just the most beautiful picture, mum sits and looks at us, and below (like a little mini-me) the Joey gazes at us from her pouch. We were told that they love carrots and tomatoes and we now have a special stock on hand for our visitors.
Evenings here are so balmy, we are able to sit outdoors gazing into the camp-fire. I have to say the idea of a fire is purely for visual enjoyment, as there is no way it is cold enough to need the warmth. Needless to say, the sky at night is the blackest velvet and the stars are just the brightest I have ever seen. Due to the extreme clarity of the air, the shooting stars are wonderfully visible and it is a wonderful spectacle just sitting out, nursing a glass of something nice and admiring the show.
Another favourite pastime in the evenings is taking a big strong torch down to the river, below the thermal pool and looking for Freshwater Crocodiles – we have seen one only, but we are told there are a few down there, one of which is quite a good size. When you shine your torch on the water big turtles the size of dinner plates swim to the surface to inspect the light. Quite amazing to watch. The only downside to this activity is that we have heard reports of people sighting some rather large Brown Snakes whilst walking down the track at night.
There is live music (Country and Western) here every night, a good little cafe during the day time and a restaurant at night. All in all, a delightful stop. I guess the fact that we came for 2 days and have extended to 9 says it all. I was lucky enough too, to celebrate a rather large birthday here, and I can honestly say I cannot imagine a nicer place in which to turn................!
There is so much more I could tell you, but I know I go on, and on, and on, etc. so I will call it quits now. We leave here on Saturday and head for Katherine. Stay well and celebrate life – Stephanie
MATARANKA HOMESTEAD CARAVAN PARK & RESORT
Well, I would be fibbing if I said it was a wonderful caravan park, the amenities are fairly ordinary and the water pressure is almost nonexistent thanks to a bad lime problem with the water/pipes. The sites are all dirt, as this place floods every summer and the grass/topsoil just keeps getting washed away. There is a discount if you stay 6 days, the 7th day is free. There is also a petrol discount for the local United Petrol Station (remember to ask for it!). These things are not explained when you book in, so you need to talk to them about it. On the up side, this is the closest park to the thermal pools and the wildlife here is exceptional – no pets tho’. Our personal experience has been wonderful and despite the negatives we strongly recommend the park.